While I’m always up for something pumpkin, not every orange Halloween treat needs to be squash-flavored! These orange Halloween cupcakes are the perfect pumpkin alternative! They taste just like a Creamsicle: a tantalizing combination of smooth vanilla and juicy orange fruit.
Halloween is hands down my favorite holiday. It’s a fun time to get festive and indulge in the spooky side of life, all while getting dressed up and enjoying sweet treats.
We d0 have plenty of pumpkin-flavored treats in our reportoire (like our pumpkin spice rice krispies and pumpkin spice scones). However, I’ve come to find that many people like the idea of pumpkin treats more than the actual flavor.
So for this year’s classroom Halloween party we are contributing these Creamsicle-flavored Mini Orange Halloween Cupcakes that are the perfect size for dessert buffets.
Of course, you can make these cupcakes full-size if you want a bit more indulgence and you can swap out the cute Jack O’Lantern sugar candies for any other decoration you fancy.
While not a requirement, I highly recommend purchasing frosting coupler. At less than $10, it’s an inexpensive addition to your baking cupboard, and makes decorating with frosting a breeze! You can create gorgeous color swirls and so many other special effects for all of your pastry projects.
Without the coupler, you can simply use plastic wrap and a regular piping bag. Or, you can just nix the two-tone frosting and make it all white or orange and let the sugar crystals add the color.
Creamsicle Mini Orange Halloween Cupcakes Ingredients:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons orange juice
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
How to make these Creamsicle Mini Orange Halloween Cupcakes:
STEP ONE: Preheat oven to 375°F. Line a mini cupcake pan with mini cupcake liners like we did, or a muffin pan with 12 muffin liners for full-size cupcakes.
STEP TWO: In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
STEP THREE: In a large mixing bowl using an electric hand mixer or a stand mixer, beat the butter and sugar at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, orange extract, vanilla extract, and orange juice.
STEP FOUR: Fold in half of the flour mixture, combine, add 1/4 cup of buttermilk, combine, and then repeat with the remaining flour mixture and the remaining buttermilk.
STEP FIVE: Fill the cupcake liners 2/3 full with the batter. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Orange-Vanilla Frosting Ingredients:
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 8 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 5 cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
- Orange food coloring
- 2 Tablespoons orange sugar crystals
- 12-24 Pumpkin icing decorations, optional
How to make Orange-Vanilla Frosting & Assemble Cupcakes:
STEP ONE: Beat butter and cream cheese until smooth and creamy. Gradually add in icing sugar 1 cup at a time, beating well with each addition. Add extracts and mix well for about 2 minutes.
STEP TWO: Remove 1 cup of icing and set aside. Add orange zest to the remaining icing. Add orange food coloring, one drop at a time, until you reach the desired shade of orange.
STEP THREE: To frost, the easiest method is to buy a frosting coupler/tip, but you can alternatively place two piles of frosting side by side in plastic wrap and then roll them into a log. Pull the plastic wrap through a prepared frosting bag and snip off the tip to frost.
STEP FOUR: Add a dollop of frosting to each cupcake, and then dip into the orange sugar crystals and top with your choice of Halloween frosting decoration. (These Pumpkin with Witch Hat Icing Decorations are the ones we used).
Recipe credit: Jennifer at Sugar Spice & Glitter
PIN these Creamsicle Mini Orange Halloween Cupcakes:
Click here for more HOLIDAY recipe and decor inspiration on the Soccer Mom Blog!
More of our favorite kids Halloween recipes:
Spiderweb Cookies (chocolate dipped peanut butter crackers)
Peanut Butter & Candy Corn Marshmallow Bars
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Dad Life says
These halloween cupcakes look delicious. My daughter wants to go ahead and make them this weekend.