Although I LOVE baking from scratch, it’s always fun to see what I can do with a boxed cake mix. It’s always a serious mission for me to dress up a $1 cake mix and make it into something decadent and delicious. I love when friends and family swear there is no way a cake mix was used in a recipe. I had just purchased a bag of oranges, and while browsing the baking aisle (my favorite aisle in the store, of course), I spotted a devil’s food cake mix. And that’s how this idea came together – by chance! I’m not really a fan of orange and chocolate together, to be honest. But these… these may have changed my mind! Plus, the 100% homemade buttercream is over the top scrumptious!
What you need:
- 1 box devil’s food cake mix
- 1 cup water
- 1/3 cup oil
- 3 eggs
- 1 package (3.9 oz) chocolate pudding mix
- 1/4 cup sour cream
- 2 tablespoons orange zest
- 2 tablespoons orange juice
ORANGE BUTTERCREAM:
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 3 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 tablespoon orange juice
Make them:
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Spray a silicone mini muffin pan or put liners in regular pan.
In your mixing bowl, cream the cake mix, water, oil, eggs, pudding mix, and sour cream. Add the orange zest and orange juice and mix well.
Fill muffin pan cups 1/2 full – not over 1/2. Bake for 12-14 minutes for mini cupcakes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Let them cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.
Cream the butter until it’s super soft and fluffy. Add powdered sugar 1/2 cup at a time, blending well between each addition. Add milk, 1 tablespoon at a time, blending well between each tablespoon. Add vanilla, orange extract, orange zest and orange juice and cream for at least 2 more minutes. Keep in fridge until you’re ready to frost.
Top with sprinkles to make it pretty – although the orange zest in the frosting is beautiful on its own, too!
Note: This batter will spread, so you’ll want to be sure you don’t fill the cupcake pan up more than half, because they DO grow 🙂
Try these fruity desserts, too!
Hungry for more? Check out more fun recipes!
Jeni’s Disclaimer: I’m just a regular girl. I love to drink wine while I bake. I’m by no means a professional baker or pro photographer. My creations aren’t staged, they just are what they are, and that’s probably obvious. If you’re a normal person that loves to bake or cook and your food ends up looking like REAL food, and not like something you’ll see on Instagram, you’re in the right place.