One of my favorite summer treats are creamsicle popsicles. I will eat just about anything that is orange cream flavored even when it’s not summer, but to me, that flavor is very much tied to the summer season. While thinking about this week’s dessert I was really craving the refreshing sweetness of a creamsicle and these delicious cupcakes perfectly satisfied it.
I’ve been thinking a lot about Pixar movies since I saw Toy Story 4 a couple weeks ago and I knew I wanted to do something relating to Monsters Inc. While Mike and Sully are usually the characters picked to represent the movie, I decided to focus on a monster less central to the movie, but just as interesting. That monster is George Sanderson, the orange and yellow monster who gets called for a 2319 when a child’s sock gets stuck in his fur.
While he’s definitely not the main character of the movie, George’s scenes give a bit of flavor to the world presented in the movie. It’s one of the things I like most about Pixar films — the small details and scenes that make the movies feel real. And so, these creamsicle cupcakes are frosted with an orange and yellow swirl and topped with a white fondant sock.
The cupcakes themselves involve a little bit of prep work as they are packed with real pureed oranges and so you need to start by peeling the oranges and getting rid of as much of the white pith as possible. Once the oranges are peeled, place them in a food processor or blender and process until it’s the consistency of a pulpy juice.
After that, simply combine all of the wet ingredients with all of the dry ingredients and bake for about 20 minutes. Definitely let them rest in the pan for a couple minutes before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
While the cupcakes are cooling, I recommend making the frosting and fondant decorations. To make the cupcakes creamsicle, I made two kinds of frosting, the first is an orange buttercream and the second is a marshmallow frosting. The creaminess of the marshmallow combined with the punch of orange really made the cupcakes taste like a creamsicle. Of course, I used a little bit of gel food coloring so that the frosting matched the colors of George’s fur.
One of the more difficult parts is make the swirl pattern on the top of the cupcakes. To achieve this, I used two medium piping bags, 1 large piping bag, and a large 1M piping tip. I placed some of the orange frosting in one of the medium piping bags and some of the marshmallow frosting in the other medium bag. Make sure not to overfill these bags as they will need to both fit into the large piping bag.
Place the 1M tip in the large piping bag and then place the two other bags inside the large bag. Make sure to press on both sides of the large bag so that both of the frostings come through the tip. The two frostings will combine as they come through tip and create the swirl pattern.
To make the sock decorations, first lightly dust a flat surface with powdered sugar. Then, roll out a small chunk of white fondant using a fondant roller. Once rolled out, use a small sharp knife to cut out sock shapes. Cutting them out freehand does take a little bit of practice so be patient. You can also use a small fondant cutter if you have one that is a sock shaped. Once cut, place socks onto the tops of the frosted cupcakes.
Enjoy!
Monsters Inc. Creamsicle Cupcakes
Ingredients
Orange Cupcakes
- 2 medium oranges, peeled with white pith removed
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
Orange Frosting
- 1 cup unsalted butter, soft
- 2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon orange extract
- ¼ cup orange juice, no pulp
- orange gel food coloring
Marshmallow Frosting
- 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, soft
- 1 jar (7.5 oz) marshmallow fluff or creme
- 2 cups powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- yellow gel food coloring
Decoration
- white fondant
- large 1M piping tip
- 2 medium piping bags
- 1 large piping bag
Instructions
Cupcakes
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Preheat oven to 350 Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
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In a small bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
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Puree oranges in a blender or food processor until it becomes the consistency of a pulpy juice. Measure out ½ cup of the pureed oranges.
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In a medium bowl, combine the ½ cup pureed oranges, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla, orange extract, sugar, and vegetable oil.
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On low speed, gradually add the flour mixture into the pulp mixture, beating just until combined.
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Fill cupcake liners about ⅔ full and bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
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Cool for 2 minutes in the pan before transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
Orange Frosting
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In a medium bowl, beat the butter until light and creamy.
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Add in vanilla extract, orange extract, and the orange juice. Gradually add in sugar and beat on medium speed until combined.
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Stir in a few drops of orange food coloring.
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Fill a medium piping bag with some of the orange frosting.
Marshmallow Frosting
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On medium speed, beat the butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
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Add in marshmallow fluff and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
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Gradually add in sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Make sure not to overbeat.
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Stir in a few drops of yellow food coloring.
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Fill a medium piping bag with some of the marshmallow frosting.
Fondant Socks
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On a flat surface lightly dusted with powdered sugar, roll out a small piece of white fondant.
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Using a sharp knife cut out small sock shaped pieces. Set aside.
Assembly
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To create the icing swirl, place the large 1M tip inside the large piping bag. Place the two medium piping bags inside the large bag and then frost the cupcakes.
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Place a fondant sock on top of each frosted cupcake.
Recipe Notes
adapted from Dulcedo