Orange Creamsicle Cake Pops

Tags

cake pops, Dreamsicle, Orange Creamsicle, Orangesicle, Popsicle

Summer is officially here! Our region has been smacked with a massive heat wave this week… temps in the 90’s? No thanks!

With that kind of weather, there’s only one way to beat the heat… relaxing by the pool with a popsicle!

But these aren’t just any ordinary popsicles; they are Orange Creamsicle Cake Pops – yes, there’s cake in there! They’re so easy to make… I’ll be showing you two styles of Orange Creamsicle Cake Pops, so make sure you read all the way to the end.

The geniuses at Pillsbury recently came out with some seasonal flavors, and I was so excited when I found Orangesicle cake mix and frosting at my local Target. So not only do these pops look like Creamsicles, they taste like it too!

Prepare the cake as directed, and mix your cake pop dough as if you were making regular cake pops. If you are new to cake pops, click here for some pointers.

Instead of rolling cake balls, hand-form the dough into small tombstone shapes, about 1.5″ to 2″ in length.

When I was making these, all I could think of was those Chicken McNugget Happy Meal toys from when I was a kid… does anyone else remember these? Ah, memories.

Style 1: Melted Creamsicle Cake Pops

An iconic trait of original Popsicle brand Creamsicles are the two indents that run vertically down the length of the pop (see here).

To make these indents, I pressed a paper straw into the cake pop. You don’t need to press it too deep, this will make the dipping process trickier in the next step.

Before inserting the popsicle stick (I used these from AC Moore), hold the top of the cake pop with your hand, and dip the bottom portion of the pop into melted white chocolate. You may need to rock it back and forth to get the chocolate to fill into the indent spaces.

To tap off the excess chocolate, use your free hand to tap your hand holding the cake pop. If you just shake the cake pop itself, its likely to break.

Once you’ve tapped off most of the excess chocolate, gently insert the popsicle stick. Do your best to keep the stick horizontal… if its inserted at an angle, the stick can break through the side of the pop. Place on waxed paper and allow to dry. If you’re impatient like me, you can place the pops in the fridge to help the chocolate harden quicker.

For the orange chocolate, I initially tried Wilton’s Orange Creme candy melts – while they smelled lovely, they were a disaster. They melted really thick, and it was a very pale orange color. For these Creamsicle pops, your melted chocolate needs to have a nice, fluid consistency.

Create a “puddle” of melted orange chocolate on the waxed paper. The more imperfect the puddle, the better… have you ever seen something melt in a perfect circle? Me neither. For this step, you’ll need to work quickly so that the puddle doesn’t harden.

Holding the popsicle stick, dip the cake pop up to the white chocolate line. Again, you may need to rock it back and forth so that it fills in the indents. Tap off the excess chocolate the same way you did in the previous step; then place the pop towards the top of the puddle and allow to dry.

Style 2: Bitten Creamsicle Cake Pops

In my Creamsicle research, I noticed that they’re usually pictured with a bite taken out of the corner (like this), so that you can see the vanilla ice cream center. *lightbulb* So for this style Creamsicle, I chose not to do the indents to allow for the “bite” to be the focal point.

Using a circle cookie cutter, cut out the top corner of the cake pop. Place the cut-out portion back into your dough mix to make even more pops.

Dip the bottom white portion and top orange portion as described above in Style 1.

Using a clean food-safe paintbrush, brush some white chocolate into the bite area, leaving a thin orange border visible. You may end up with some “brush lines” in the chocolate – to smooth them out, shake the pop back-and-forth in a short, quick motion before the chocolate dries.

EEK! I was so excited at the result… as a baker, its such a thrill when something turns out just how you have it pictured in your mind!

And just so you know, I wasn’t exaggerating when I said these are best enjoyed pool-side… this was my first photoshoot at the pool in my complex! Check out my Instagram feed for a behind-the-scenes pic of me sitting by the deep end. 

I felt really silly at first, the lifeguard and some swimmers looking at me funny. But it was worth it… this is my fav’ shot of the day.