Orange Dreamsicle Cake- Delicious Homemade Recipe

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We have spent a lot of time experimenting in the kitchen lately in search of the BEST scratch Orange Dreamsicle Cake.
 
We're happy to say that we've found an orange cake, filling, and frosting combination that we absolutely love.
 
This Moist Orange Dreamsicle Layer Cake has wonderful citrus flavor! Orange cake layers are filled with an orange cream filling and orange cream cheese frosting!

 

 
There are few cakes that spring to mind for summertime parties more quickly than this Orange Dreamsicle Cake recipe. When I think of summer, I think of desserts with fruit, and ice cream!

 

This cake truly lives up to it's name, it tastes EXACTLY like a Dreamsicle! This light, flavorful citrus cake couldn't be more perfect for summer gatherings. If you love doctored cake mixes, don't miss our Orange Dreamsicle Cake from Cake Mix!
 
 
Moist and Delicious Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe by MyCakeSchool.com

 

I love everything about this cake recipe- and I also love it's uniqueness. It's not every day that an Orange Dreamsicle Cake is on the dessert menu (but it should be)!

The cake tastes fantastic, and the light orange filling and orange cream cheese frosting are the perfect complement to the flavorful orange cake layers.

 

We'll leave our cake recipe below along with links to the Orange filling & Orange Cream Cheese frosting that we loved so much.

 

I'm sure other filling and frosting combinations would work well also, but try these first! They are wonderful.

 

*This moist cake is stable enough for fondant, and versatile enough for cupcakes. I would highly recommend injecting the cupcakes with the orange filling! YUM! 
 

 

The BEST Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe by MyCakeSchool.com! You'll love this homemade Orange Dreamsicle Cake with Orange Cream Filling and Orange Cream Cheese Frosting!

Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing

***This recipe calls for a mixing technique known as the Reverse Creaming Method.  This refers to the order that the ingredients are added to the recipe. The result very moist cake with a tight crumb.

 

The reverse creaming method of mixing results in a cake that is slightly denser than if you were to make this recipe using the traditional method of mixing.  
 
We spell everything out in the recipe instructions, but if you’d like to watch a video on the Reverse Creaming Method of mixing, see our free video here:  Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing.
 

What if I Prefer the Traditional Method of Mixing? 

We hear from bakers that love the reverse creaming of method of mixing, and others that prefer the traditional creaming method.

If you prefer the Traditional Mixing Method (creaming the butter and sugar, adding eggs, adding the wet and dry ingredients alternately, etc.) we have a wonderful orange cake for you!

We have another delicious Orange Cake recipe that we came up with after creating this Orange Dreamsicle Cake. You really can't go wrong with this recipe- it is very fluffy, and moist, and has wonderful orange flavor. 

 

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

You can find our delicious Orange Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe that we used in this recipe here: Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

It's flavorful, pipeable, and silky smooth! You're going to love this recipe!

Amazing Orange Cream Cheese Frosting! Recipe by MyCakeSchool.com- Online Cake Decorating Classes & Recipes!
 

Orange Cream Filling

You can find our EASY Orange Cream Filling Here:  Orange Cream Filling

This orange cream filling is SO delicious and can be whipped up in a matter of minutes with instant pudding, cream, and flavoring!

This filling recipe always receives rave reviews and nobody would ever guess how easy it is to whip up. It's very adaptable for a number of flavors, we use the chocolate "mock mousse" version all the time.

 

YUM! Orange Cream Filling. A delicious, quick & easy recipe by MyCakeSchool.com. Online Cake Decorating Tutorials & Recipes!
 
 
To create the swirled orange cream cheese frosting for this cake, we first frosted the cake with our un-tinted orange cream cheese frosting, reserving some for tinting later.

 

Then, we went back over the frosted cake with our orange frosting, applying it sparingly here and there, and we textured it with an offset spatula. (I've also made this cake with the orange tinted orange through and through and that looks great too-- just go with what you're in the mood for!)

 

More Fruity Cakes

Love fruity cakes? In addition to today's orange dreamsicle cake, we have several more refreshingly flavorful cake recipes for you to try!

Orange Pineapple Cake- Orange Cake Layers, pineapple & cream filling and whipped orange mascarpone frosting!

Lemon Orange Cake  This is such a delicious combination of lemon and orange flavors, including homemade orange curd filling!

Homemade Lemon Cake- A classic- This is a favorite year-round.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Cake- If you've never tried the combination of cherry cake and chocolate chips, you MUST! So good.

Lime Cake from Scratch- So fruity and refreshing!

Strawberry Cake We love this moist scratch strawberry cake recipe!

...and SO many more!  We hope that you enjoy the recipe! Let us know what you think in the comments below!

Orange Dreamsicle Cake- Delicious Homemade Recipe

Amazing Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe from Scratch! So moist and delicious! MyCakeSchool.com Online Cake Tutorials, Recipes, Videos, and More!

This moist and delicious cake tastes just like an Orange Dreamsicle! Moist orange cake layers with orange cream filling and orange cream cheese frosting!

Ingredients

For the Cake:

  • 2 ½ cups (285g) cake flour
  • 1 ½ cups (300g) sugar
  • ½ teaspoon (3g) salt
  • 2 ½ teaspoon (12g) baking powder
  • 1 ½ sticks (12 T) (169g) unsalted butter....Cut into ½ inch slices onto waxed paper to soften slightly. Your finger should make a slight indentation but not sink in easily. If it becomes too soft, refrigerate for a few minutes. Do not soften in microwave
  • 4 large eggs
  • ¾ cup (190g) frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
  • ½ cup (121g) milk
  • 1 Tablespoon (10g) orange extract
  • zest of 1 orange
  • Orange Coloring Gel (optional) We used a small amount to tint some reserved orange cream cheese frosting so that we could apply it to the cake here and there for a swirled effect.

For the Orange Cream Filling:

  • 1 small box instant Vanilla pudding (3.4oz/96g) We used Jello- Brand
  • 2 c. (464g) heavy cream or whipping cream.
  • 1 tsp. (4g) Orange Extract (we used McCormick)

For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

  • 2 sticks (1 cup) (226 g) unsalted butter, let it sit out until slightly softened.
  • 2 (8oz) packages cream cheese (total weight 452g) I use full fat cream cheese. Using reduced fat or the spreadable cream cheese will cause the frosting to be too soft. Do not soften the cream cheese.
  • 1 teaspoon (4 g) clear vanilla extract (we used clear to keep color lighter)
  • 1 teaspoon (4g) orange extract
  • ½ teaspoon salt (2g) optional - it will cut the sweetness, popcorn salt is best to use because it is fine and dissolves faster
  • 6 to 6 ½ cups (690g to 747g) powdered sugar
  • Orange Coloring Gel (optional) We used a very small amount for tinting.

Instructions

For the Cake:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (This Recipe uses the Reverse Creaming Method of Mixing.)

Grease and flour two 8 x 2 inch round pans.

In the bowl of your mixer add the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Mix with your mixer for 30 seconds or whisk to blend ingredients.

In a separate bowl, add the eggs, orange juice concentrate, milk, orange extract and zest.

With the mixer on low speed, add the slices of butter a few pieces at a time to the dry ingredients. Increase the mixer to medium speed and beat until the dry ingredients look crumbly and moistened. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl.

SLOWLY add ½ of the egg mixture, increasing to medium speed for 1 ½ minutes, the batter will become thick and fluffy. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl. Add a small amount of Orange Coloring Gel to the bowl if you would like the batter to be orange. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 pourings, beating for 20 seconds after each addition.

Bake at 350 degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few crumbs attached.

Let the cakes cool in the pan 10 minutes, then turn out.

Works well for cupcakes.

Makes 6 cups batter.

For the Orange Cream Filling:

Combine the pudding mix and heavy cream and orange extract in a mixing bowl. I prefer to mix with a hand held mixer, but a whisk is just fine too. If using a mixer, start on low speed until well combined. Then, switch to high speed and whip the pudding until thick and fluffy. If mousse is too thick, mix in small amounts of heavy cream to reach desired consistency.

If mixing by hand, simply whisk rapidly for a couple of minutes or until mixture is nice and thick.

Refrigerate until ready to use. Cakes with this filling should be chilled until close to serving time.

For the Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

Cut the butter into slices and add to the bowl of your mixer. Beat on low to medium speed until the butter is softened and smooth.

Cut the cold cream cheese into pieces and add to the butter, beating at low to medium speed until incorporated.

Add the vanilla and orange flavorings. Gradually add the powdered sugar beating on low speed until blended. Cover the bowl with a towel to keep down the cloud of powdered sugar.

Increase mixing speed and beat until fluffy. Don't over beat.

This frosting will pipe best if used while still chilled. You can make it in advance, refrigerate and when ready to use let it soften slightly (do not microwave) and remix.

Will frost a 3 layer 8 or 9 inch cake. When decorating our Dreamsicle Cake, we frosted our cake and then went back in with swirls of lightly tinted orange frosting for a pretty effect.

 

 
 
Amazing Orange Dreamsicle Cake Recipe from Scratch! So moist and delicious! MyCakeSchool.com Online Cake Tutorials, Recipes, Videos, and More!
 
 
 
 
If you are looking for more cake ideas for summertime gatherings, don't miss our roundup of favorite summer cakes and ideas!: The BEST Summer Cakes, Recipes, Tutorials, and Ideas!
 
Roundup of the BEST Summer Cakes, Tutorials, and Ideas as featured on MyCakeSchool.com! Online Cake Tutorials, Recipes, and More!
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

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263 Comments

    1. Hi Kimberly, yes it does because of the whipped cream in the filling and the cream cheese frosting. However, you can remove it from the refrigerator 2-3 hours before serving so that it has time to warm and soften.

  1. I made this cake for my sister’s birthday. Everyone loved it. It was dense but moist. The pudding/whipped cream filling was delicious The only question I have pertains to the cream cheese frosting. The quantity could have iced two cakes! I had a whole bowl left over.

    1. Hi Camella, I haven't made a sheet cake with this recipe but it should be fine. By Wilton's baking chart, a 9x13 can hold up to to 10 cups (and bakes in 40-45 minutes).

      Since this recipe is closer to 6 cups, the batter will be more shallow-it won't take as long. I would start peeking in after around 25 minutes to check for doneness.

  2. This is a favorite cake in my family. I am finding it harder and harder to locate good quality orange juice concentrate. Any recommendations for a substitute?

  3. Hi, I have made this in cake form before and loved it, now I want to try and make it into cupcakes what is the best way to go about doing this so they turn out perfect and don't fall flat??

    1. Hi Melindae, I can't remember exactly how these bake up as cupcakes. The majority of our scratch cake recipes work as cupcakes but will have little to no dome. Bake at 350 for approximately 16-18 minutes (you can peek in as the end time approaches and adjust time as needed).

      This recipe makes about 6 cups of batter, so at approximately 1/4 cup batter per cupcake, you'll have about 24 cupcakes.

  4. Unfortunately, it’s a lot of work for such a bland cake. It was not sweet enough at all—maybe I’m just used to southern cakes—but I was disappointed. I did like the ideas of vanilla pudding in the whipped cream—I will use that for future cakes—but the recipe is not one I would use again.

    1. Hi Malika, sorry this cake wasn't for you! We really like this one but everyone's tastes are different. Did you use the 1 tablespoon of orange extract? Not sure why it would have been bland. Anyway, thanks for your feedback. You may like to try our other homemade orange cake sometime:

      https://www.mycakeschool.com/orange-cake/