What a fun idea to kick off the summer months of picnics, potlucks and barbeques where taking a Bundt cake is always a crowd-pleaser. My thoughts of summer swirls took me to a childhood favorite frozen treat– the orange creamsicle. I used this orange cardamom cake from Cooking Light as my starting point for orange flavor.
To get the orange color I had in mind I knew it might not be possible with simple ingredients like orange zest and orange juice…so I added a packet of orange jello to the mix. Yes, I know, jello isn’t my first go-to ingredient in baking but in this case it was a must. The cake’s color made an impact and the creamy swirl of cream cheese filling completed the flavor profile I had in mind.
Now for the swirl…did it work? Well, let’s cut into the cake and see together:
The swirl is there but not quite as “swirly” as I would have liked. I was hoping for a more evenly distributed swirl but it came out top heavy (bottom heavy actually since the Bundt bakes upside-down) but the idea was still a success and worthy of a repeat later this summer. An easy orange juice and confectioners’ sugar icing finished off the Bundt. Want a bite?
Orange Creamsicle Bundt Cake
Remember that summer treat you used to buy from the ice cream man? The creamsicle? Well here it is in Bundt cake form!
Ingredients
Cake:
- Cooking spray and 1 TB flour to prepare the pan
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 3 oranges, zested then juiced (about 3/4 -1 cup fresh juice)
- 1 packet of Orange flavored Jell-o Gelatin (3 oz)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup canola oil
- 3 large eggs
Swirl:
- 8 ounces cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons butter, room temperature
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 egg
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Glaze:
- 2 Tablespoons orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons milk
- 2 cups confectioners' sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Prepare the Bundt pan: spray with cooking spray then coat with 1 TB flour.
- Combine the dry ingredients: flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and jell-o in a large bowl. Whisk together to combine. Separately mix the wet ingredients of orange juice, zest, canola oil, vanilla and eggs.
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet using an electric mixer until the ingredients are well mixed. Set aside and make the cream cheese swirl next.
- Swirl: Combine all of the ingredients for the Swirl, beating with a mixer until smooth.
- Pour half of the cake batter into the prepared Bundt pan. I found it easier to put the Swirl into a zip-loc bag, then cut a small edge of the bag and squeeze the mixture on to the orange cake batter. Alternatively you could spoon the swirl on to the batter. Finish with the remaining orange cake batter. Use a knife to pass through the layers in a zig-zag motion to make your swirl pattern.
- Bake at 350 degrees for one hour. I like to let the Bundt cool completely in the pan before turning it out.
- Let cool completely before adding the glaze.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
16Serving Size:
1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 393Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 210mgCarbohydrates: 55gFiber: 1gSugar: 34gProtein: 6g
This data is provided by Nutritionix and is an estimate only.
Holly Baker started the food blog, A Baker’s House, in 2011. She is the writer, recipe creator, and photographer for the site. Holly loves to bake and shares recipes for gluten free food, canning recipes, as well as traditional desserts too. Her recipes and food photography have been highlighted by BuzzFeed, Reader’s Digest, and She Knows.
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Sunday 23rd of June 2013
What a pretty summery bundt cake, it looks lovely. Good job with this month's theme.
Julie
Tuesday 11th of June 2013
What a beautiful cake, Holly! Orange creamsicles are an all time favorite of mine. I've pinned this recipe to try. :)
Carrie @ poet in the pantry
Monday 10th of June 2013
Nice job! LOVE Orange Creamsicles--this cake sounds delicious!
Lea Ann (Cooking On The Ranch)
Sunday 9th of June 2013
Did she say "Orange Creamsickle"????? I really need to go buy a bundt pan. Looks fabulous Holly.
Heather King
Sunday 9th of June 2013
Oh yum this sounds perfect for summer! I love creamsicles and having one in cake for would be awesome!