Orange Creamsicle Cake Recipe

You know how you go to parties and people bring a side or a dessert and you just feel like you are seeing the same fruit salads, potato salads and broccoli salads over and over and over again? Well, this orange creamsicle cake recipe can provide some much-needed variation to the typical backyard barbecue dessert table! (you can also try my Oreo Stuffed Cupcakes with Cookies and Cream Frosting for another out of the ordinary dessert!)

Even if you aren't heading to a party and just want a nice dessert for your family, this cake makes for a welcome change and the light citrus flavor should be generally loved by everyone!

This cake is made with a boxed cake mix, but you can infuse more flavor in to the cake mix by replacing the water in the directions with orange juice. Doing so will give the cake a strong orange flavor so you can always play with the amount of orange juice that you use. I happen to like it when I use all orange juice and no water, but my children think it is a little "too orange-y" (which I didn't think was possible) so when I make it for them, I use a 50/50 orange juice and water mixture. It's really a matter of personal preference!

I have to say - I generally don't like to use Cool Whip in recipes.  As many of you know, I am trying to switch to LESS processed foods and Cool Whip is nothing more than a tub o'chemicals.  But - sometimes it just tastes so delicious and this creamsicle poke cake just wouldn't taste as "light" and delicious if I had used my homemade whipped cream recipe instead.

Anyway - scroll down for the recipe!

Orange Creamsicle Cake Recipe

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Author: Mindi

Ingredients 

• 1 White Cake Mix
• 3 Eggs
• ⅓ cup Oil
• 1 cup Orange Juice
• 1 package Orange Jell-O
• ½ cup boiling Water
• ½ cup cold Water
• 1 package Instant Vanilla Pudding Mix
• 1 cup Milk
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla
• 8 oz Cool Whip
• Mandarin orange slices for garnish

Instructions

• Preheat oven to 350. Spray a 13″ x 9″ pan with non-stick cooking spray.
• Prepare cake mix as directed on package, using eggs and oil and replacing the water with in the directions with orange juice.
• Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 30-40 minutes until cake springs back when touched.
• Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool completely (do not remove it from the pan)
• Use a skewer to poke small holes all over the cake, piercing all the way to bottom.
• In a bowl, combine Jell-O and boiling water and stir until gelatin is completely dissolved.
• Add cold water and stir.
• Slowly pour the Jell-O mixture over the entire cake.
• 
• Cover and chill for 2 hours.
• Combine the pudding mix, milk and vanilla and beat well until the mixture starts to thicken.
• Fold Cool Whip into the pudding mixture and use it to frost cake.
• Cover and refrigerate for 4 hours.
• Garnish with mandarin orange slices just before serving

Enjoy!