It is finally officially Spring here in the Midwest even if it doesn’t exactly feel like it yet. It’s still a bit cold here and I’m convinced we haven’t seen the last of the snow. However I can’t wait till it starts warming up and everything turns green and pretty again. I’ve been craving some spring/summer flavors and these Dreamsicle Cupcakes popped into my head and wouldn’t leave. A Dreamsicle is my favorite ice cream treat of all. Orange is one of my favorite flavors and I needed to get out from under all the heavy chocolate and caramel flavors that seem to fit better in the winter season.
Last post I told you guys that I’d fallen in love with Instagram. The love affair is still going strong and I could literally get lost for hours if I didn’t have other things to do. While perusing Instagram one day I stumbled upon a company that makes gourmet flavorings. I have often wondered how some bakers were getting some pretty obscure flavors especially in the middle of winter. Due to my geographical location, even some normal fruits like strawberries and raspberries are just not that tasty when out of season. The company I found was Amoretti out of California. They have so much fun stuff to play around with even outside of the baking world. They have flavorings you can add to beer and liquor drinks, desserts of course and they have syrups for coffee! This is definitely my kind of company. My three favorite things! Dessert, booze and coffee! There was such a wide variety of flavors but I immediately fell for the Orange Cream Artisan Flavor. Perfect for making Dreamsicle Cupcakes!
I made two distinctly different variations. Same recipe but one cupcake is way more fun and one is a bit more refined. The fun version I baked the cupcake in a cake cone then frosted with my dreamsicle buttercream. I wanted it to look similar to an ice cream cone so I dipped the chilled, frosted cone in orange candy melts and sprinkled with a mix of white and orange jimmies.
The other version is just a simple rosette piped onto the cupcake and sprinkled with a mix of jimmies and pearls. I truly love how each one turned out. It’s always nice when something turns out pretty much like you had envisioned it in your head. However, if I had to pick a favorite, it would be the rosettes. They are just so darn pretty in that peachy, orange color.
The best part? They tasted spot on! Just like a dreamsicle!
Happy Spring!
Ann
*This post is not sponsored by Amoretti. The opinions on Girl Meets Butter and in this post are my own.