Orange Dream Cupcakes!

Orange Dream Cupcakes!

These cupcakes were absolutely delicious! The curd adds a nice tangy contrast to the sweetness of the vanilla buttercream frosting! 

This is after I hollowed out the middle.

I kept all of the hollowed out cake middles! :)

The cupcakes filled with orange curd!

My vanilla buttercream after it had been whipped the proper amount of minutes.

Me frosting the cupcakes using a Ziplock bag. :)

Intense Frosting. 

Orange Dream Cupcakes up close!

Me holding my creation!

The deliciousness is radiating off the cupcakes as a glow. :)

So, I haven't been posting on my blog as faithfully as I should! Last week was hectic because I was at camp, so I didn't have the chance to post! But, I'm back, and ready to resume my excessive baking of creative desserts! The other day I stopped by a gas station and immediately headed to the section devoted to their assortments of gum. I'm an avid gum chewer, and must be stocked with packs of gum at all times! As I was skimming over the different flavors of gum, I noticed a new Trident flavor labeled,  Orange Swirl. The title was accompanied with an image of an orange Dreamsicle! I absolutely adore the frozen treats, and purchased the gum immediately. As I was chewing the new gum, a new idea developed in my head. What about an Orange Dream Cupcake?! I immediately set off to work and delved into my plethora of cookbooks. I decided on making Orange Crush cupcakes, filled with a fruity orange curd, then topped off with a fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting. The final product is finished with a  candy mandarin orange slice for presentation and embellishment. ENJOY :)

Orange Dream Cupcakes

Orange Crush Cupcake:

-3 sticks of butter

-2 and 3/4 Cups of Sugar

-3 Cups of All-Purpose Flour

-1 Cup of Orange Crush Drink

-5 Eggs

-1 tsp. of Orange Flavoring

Orange Curd:

from Nick Malgieri's How to Bake

-1/2 cup of freshly squeezed juice from an orange, strained

-1/4 cup of freshly squeezed juice from a lemon, strained

-1 stick of unsalted butter

-3/4 cup of Sugar

-6 egg yolks

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting:

from Shelly Kaldunski's Cupcakes

- 3 egg whites

-3/4 cup of Sugar

- a dash of salt

- 1 tsp. of vanilla

- 2 sticks of unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into quarters.

***Candy Mandarin Orange Slices for garnish!!! :)***

To make the Orange Crush Cupcake...

*preheat oven to 325 degrees.

1) Cream the butter and sugar.

2) Add the eggs one at a time.

3) Add the flour and flavoring.

4) Add the Orange Crush drink.

5) Fill cupcake lined pan.

To make the Orange Curd...

1) Combine the butter, lemon juice, orange juice, and sugar in a sauce pan over low heat, bringing to a simmer. Stir occasionally. Be careful to make sure that your mixture does NOT come to a boil.

2) Whisk the egg yolks in a separate bowl.

3) Add about half of the simmering mixture into the egg yolks, and whisk together.

4) Return the egg yolk mixture to the hot saucepan, and continue to whisk.

5) Once the mixture is thickened, and you can leave a trail with your finger across the top, transfer mixture to a bowl.

6) Cover bowl with plastic wrap and allow to refrigerate for at least 3 hours. I made my curd in the morning and allowed it to refrigerate until around six o'clock, just to make sure it had a thick consistency! :)

To make the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting...

1) Whisk egg whites, salt, and sugar in a heatproof metal bowl over simmering water.

2) When the sugar has dissolved completely and the mixture is warm to the touch, remove from heat.

3) Beat on high on an electric mixture for ten minutes.

4) Add butter in portion, beating on high until very fluffy, shown in the picture above. 

5) Add vanilla.

6) Continue beating until very fluffy. 

(Making buttercream was very hard for me to master at first! I made it 13 times until it came out right, but it was worth it! Buttercream can be tricky to make, so I suggest using a stand mixer for the best results!)

To assemble your Orange Dream Cupcake....

1) Once cupcake has completely cooled, cut out center as shown above.

2) Spoon preferred amount of orange curd into the hole.

3) Scrape of any excess curd off the surface of the cupcake with a knife.

4) Ice your cupcake with frosting.

5) Top with your candy mandarin orange slice and ENJOY! :)