Orange Vanilla Creamsicle Cake (gluten-free + vegan)

Do you love the creamy orange and vanilla flavors of Creamsicle popsicles and ice cream (half orange sorbet or sherbet and half vanilla ice cream)? Do you have fond memories of eating it from a little plastic cup with a wooden spoon on a hot summer day? If you do (or even if you don’t), I have got a new cake flavor for you! 

This cake actually came about as I was staring at a big bowl of fresh oranges on my counter, wondering if you could puree a whole orange (skin and all) and stir it into a vanilla cake batter. “Would it work,” I wondered? It did, it did! The only trick is to use a thin-skinned orange (otherwise you get too much bitter white pith), and remove any seeds. I simply cut the orange into chunks and blended until smooth.

If you want to play with this cake even further, you can stir in chocolate chips and or garnish the baked and cooled cake with chocolate frosting or ganache. 

If you taste the batter (because yay there are no eggs!) and you decide you want it to have a stronger orange flavor, simply add a little orange extract or Boyajian Orange Oil. I also like to use a super flavorful vanilla in this recipe like Nielsen Massey.

Feel free to bake this cake as cupcakes (makes about 16). Just reduce the baking time to about 30 to 35 minutes.

Happy Baking!

xo Julie