Mandarin Orange Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Topping, easy made from scratch recipe with a creamy frosting. These are definitely THE BEST mandarin orange cupcakes ever!
Take your first bite into one of these fresh pretty Orange Cupcakes and you instantly get a burst of mandarin juices exploding in your mouth!
Then comes the delicious flavor of the mandarin orange sponge cake filling, infused with mandarins, light, moist and with the addition of a cheeky mandarin infused freshly whipped cream topping all over these little cakes, they are luscious!
What more could you ask for?!
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As you can see, I had fun piping the cream on the tops of these cupcakes!
I'm no cake decorator, that is certain, BUT... if you don't mind the 'rustic' piping, the flavors and textures in these cakes are truly amazing and will leave you wanting another!
You can involve the kids to help you add the creamy frosting on these cakes and be as creative as you like.
The cupcakes you see below have a drop of orange coloring added to the whipped cream, simply piped, and then sprinkled with a few chocolate sprinkles.
Check out our handy Oven Temperature Conversion Guide!
At the end of the recipe, I've added a couple of photos to give you some ideas of how you can decorate these mandarin orange cupcakes.
This is a very simple and easy recipe, and totally made from scratch, so you don't need to buy a cake mix.
These cupcakes have such a light fresh texture, perfect for those occasions when you want a nice refreshing, tropical tasting cake!
If you wanted to go even more tropical, you could do a combination of pineapple and mandarin cupcakes, and decorate the tops with some small pineapple and mandarin segments.
Can You Freeze Mandarin Orange Cake?
Perhaps you're making these for a party or celebration such as July 4th, Easter, Game Night, a Pot Luck, and you want to make these ahead of time.
Well, you certainly can freeze these cupcakes. Make sure you do not add the frosting or decoration until they have defrosted.
Fresh cream will not freeze. Simply remove from the freezer, defrost at room temperature then decorate when you're ready.
So let's get straight to the recipe and see how we make these easy mandarin orange cupcakes. Please enjoy!
Prep Time
10 minutes
Cook Time
18 - 24 minutes (cook times will vary depending on your own oven)
Yield
18 cupcakes
Ingredients
The Cake
2 & ¼ cups or 280 g Plain / All Purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
Pinch of salt
¾ cups or 150 g regular sugar
3 Eggs
¼ cup or 60 ml of vegetable oil
300 g or 1 & ½ cups mandarins PLUS 1 cup of the juice from the can.
Zest of a fresh mandarin
NOTE: You can also use fresh mandarins. You will need to have the segments peeled, remove the pith and skin, and for the juice, use the same amount of mandarin or orange store-bought juice.
The cream topping:
300 ml or 1 ½ cups, 10 oz fresh whipping cream (heavy cream)
Zest of a fresh mandarin
1 -2 Tablespoons Powdered sugar to your liking.
½ tsp of Orange essence/extract - optional, or a squeeze of half a mandarin.
Instructions
1. Set oven to 180 C, Gas 4, 350 F
2. Have your cupcake liners in the cake pan ready.
3. Get everything ready to make the cake. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside
4. Weigh out the mandarins.
If you plan to decorate the tops of your cupcakes, hold some nice shaped ones back for later.
5. In the mixer bowl, add the oil & 3 eggs, sugar, and the mandarin juice. Beat until all combined. Add the zest.
6. At a slow speed, add the mandarins and mix in ⅓ of the flour mixture.
When it is all combined, add another ⅓. Combine on a slow speed.
7. With a metal spoon, gently fold in the remaining ⅓ of the flour into the cake mix.
Be patient, fold gently so you incorporate air and not cause the cake batter to end up with a 'rubbery' texture.
8. Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake papers and place in the oven for 18 - 24 minutes.
Check after 18 minutes using a toothpick to see if it comes out clean.
Every oven is different so cook times need to be a little flexible.
9. When the cakes are ready, take out of the oven and leave them for 2 minutes to relax in the tins.
10. Turn them out of the tins on a cooling rack.
11. Allow to completely cool. It is at this point you can freeze these mandarin orange cupcakes.
Just pop them in an airtight bag and defrost at room temperature before you add the frosting.
As you know, fresh whipped cream will not freeze so it's best to decorate once defrosted.
How To Make The Fresh Cream Filling & Topping
12. Add all the ingredients to your mixer bowl.
13. Start on a slow speed, as it thickens, increase the mixer speed and whisk until the cream is stiff and thick.
The cream should stay on the beater when you take it out of the bowl.
14. You can now use a piping bag or simply spread the cream over the tops of your cupcakes and decorate how you wish! Please enjoy.
In the photos below, I've done two cupcakes, one in a heart-shaped pattern and placed a couple of mandarin segments on the tops of the frosting and the other with a small amount of piping with a little flower on the top.
Just so you have some ideas of what you can do to decorate using a creamy frosting.
You could go totally tropical and add some pineapple segments on the top too! Pineapple and mandarin would certainly make for a tropical flavor.
We'd love to hear from you and what you thought of our recipe. Did you make any changes or add some other ingredients? Let us know in the comments below. Thanks for reading and happy cooking!
Recipe Card
Mandarin Orange Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Topping
Mandarin Orange Cupcakes with Whipped Cream Topping, easy made from scratch recipe with a creamy frosting
Ingredients
The Cake
- 2 ¼ cups / 280 g Plain / All Purpose flour
- 2 Teaspoon baking powder
- Pinch of salt
- ¾ cups / 150 g regular sugar
- 3 Eggs
- ¼ cup / 60 ml of vegetable oil
- 300 g / 1 & ½ cups mandarins PLUS 1 cup of the juice from the can.
- Zest of a fresh mandarin
The cream topping
- Zest of a fresh mandarin
- 1 -2 Tablespoons Powdered sugar to your liking.
- ½ tsp of Orange essence / extract - optional, or a squeeze of half a mandarin.
Instructions
- Set oven to 180 C, Gas 4, 350 F. Have your cup cake liners in the cake pan ready.
- Get everything ready to make the cake. Sift the flour, baking powder & salt. Set aside. Weigh out the mandarins.
- *** If you plan to decorate the tops of your cupcakes, hold some nice shaped ones back for later.
- In the mixer bowl, add the oil & 3 eggs, sugar and the mandarin juice. Beat until all combined. Add the Zest.
- On a slow speed, add the mandarins and mix in ⅓ of the flour mixture. When it is all combined, add another ⅓. Combine on a slow speed.
- With a metal spoon, gently fold in the remaining ⅓ of the flour into the cake mix. Be patient, fold gently so you incorporate air and not cause the cake batter to end up with a 'rubbery' texture.
- Pour the batter evenly into the cupcake papers and place in the oven for 18 - 24 minutes. Check after 18 minutes using a toothpick to see if it comes out clean. Every oven is different so cook times need to be a little flexible.
- When the cakes are ready, take out of the oven and leave them for 2 minutes to relax in the tins. Turn them out of the tins on a cooling rack. Allow to completely cool.
- It is at this point you can freeze these mandarin orange cupcakes. Just pop them in an airtight bag and defrost at room temperature before you add the frosting. As you know, fresh whipped cream will not freeze so it's best to decorate once defrosted.
Now the Fresh Cream Topping
- Add all the ingredients to your mixer bowl. Start on a slow speed, as it thickens, increase the mixer speed and whisk until the cream is stiff and thick. The cream should stay on the beater when you take it out of the bowl.
- You can now use a piping bag or simply spread the cream over the tops of your cup cakes and decorate how you wish! Please enjoy.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
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Etekcity Digital Kitchen Scale Weight Grams and Oz for Baking and Cooking, Stainless Steel(Upgraded) -
MEYKISS Cake Tester, Stainless Steel Cake Tester Probe Skewer Kitchen Baking Tools, Set of 2 -
KitchenAid KSM150PSER Artisan Tilt-Head Stand Mixer with Pouring Shield, 5-Quart, Empire Red -
AmazonBasics Reusable Silicone Baking Cups, Pack of 12 -
Valentine's Day Cupcake Liners (3 Designs, 450 Pack) -
Warm party Baking Cups Cupcake Liners, Standard Sized, 300 Count (Rainbow), -
Wilton 2105-6789 Perfect Results Premium Non-Stick Bakeware Muffin and Cupcake Pan, 12-Cup, STANDARD, Silver
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 18 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 146Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 3gCholesterol: 31mgSodium: 82mgCarbohydrates: 25gFiber: 1gSugar: 12gProtein: 3g
Delicious Recipes Using Mandarins
Here's a selection of other delicious recipes using mandarins.
French Fruit Tart With Pastry Cream is a wonderful homemade sweet French pastry (Pâte Sablée) tart case, filled with silky smooth creme patissiere and then decorated with a variety of fresh fruits. A French patisserie classic dessert and a showstopper for parties!
Mandarin or Pineapple Fresh Cream Cake Truly refreshing and bursting with flavor!
Orange or Clementine Ricotta Cheesecake. A lovely crustless baked dessert. Light and airy cheesecake, topped with zesty sweet homemade orange curd and fresh whipped cream.
Easy Mandarin Dessert. Amazingly easy and so delicious. Simply OUT OF THIS WORLD!
Mandarin Cake. This is a deliciously soft and moist cake with juicy mandarins running throughout.
Here's a simple yet delicious cheesecake bursting with juicy mandarins on the top and chunks of pineapple in the filling. It's a really refreshing cheesecake, and even better, it's No Bake!
Tropical Mandarin Pie. A wonderful creamy coconut and mandarin pie. Sunshine on a plate!
A Delicious No Bake Dessert, Bursting With Juicy Mandarins In Every Bite. Easy To Make, Simple Recipe With Regular Ingredients
If you're making a variety of different cupcakes, try these Key Lime Cupcakes from Culinary Ginger. Delicious with a nice tang!
Bootrec
says:Was looking forward making these, followed recipe, batter doesn’t rise much, have to fill cupcake liner almost to the top.