Description
This Orange Creamsicle Cake is a nostalgic summer dessert featuring a fluffy vanilla cake soaked with citrusy orange Jelly and topped with a light, creamy mandarin orange frosting. It’s refreshing, vibrant, and irresistibly delicious—perfect for sunny days, picnics, and celebrations.
Ingredients
Scale
- 15.25 oz vanilla cake mix
- 3 eggs (room temperature)
- 1 cup milk or vanilla almond milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 3.4 oz orange Jelly
- 1 1/4 cups boiling water
- 1/3 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 15 oz canned mandarin oranges (do not drain)
- 3.5 oz vanilla instant pudding mix
- 8 oz Cool Whip
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake: Preheat the oven according to cake mix instructions. Grease a 9×13 inch pan. Mix cake mix, eggs, milk, oil, and orange zest until smooth. Pour into pan and bake 25–30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- Poke Holes: Let the cake cool for 10 minutes. Poke holes all over the cake with a skewer or fork.
- Make the Jelly Mixture: Dissolve orange Jelly in boiling water. Stir in orange juice. Pour over the cake evenly, letting it soak into the holes.
- Chill: Refrigerate the cake for at least 3 hours to set the Jelly layer.
- Make the Frosting: In a bowl, combine drained mandarin oranges and vanilla pudding mix. Mix until smooth. Fold in Cool Whip gently to make a light frosting.
- Frost and Serve: Spread frosting over chilled cake. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes more before serving.
Notes
- Dairy-Free: Use almond or coconut milk and coconut whipped topping.
- Gluten-Free: Use a gluten-free cake mix.
- Sugar-Free: Choose sugar-free versions of cake mix, Jelly, and pudding mix.
- Flavor Twist: Try lemon zest and lemonade instead of orange for a lemon creamsicle version.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 30 minutes
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 slice
- Calories: 290
- Sugar: 28g
- Sodium: 330mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 5g
- Unsaturated Fat: 6g
- Trans Fat: 0g
- Carbohydrates: 39g
- Fiber: 1g
- Protein: 4g
- Cholesterol: 50mg
Keywords: orange creamsicle cake, summer desserts, mandarin orange frosting, poke cake, fruity cake recipe