Recipe Nostalgia

Have you ever came across a certain food that brings you back to a certain time or reminds you of a certain person? I remember going over to my Grandpa George and Grandma Patsy's house and having orange dreamsicle cups and taco salad. Our family had regular gatherings to watch wrestling ( ok cheesy, I know) or to play games. Those were some of my greatest childhood memories. Jen and I had the greatest Grandparents and they are greatly missed.
Our Grandpa was a bus driver and was nominated the towns friendliest man, we still have all the articles our locl paper did on him. My Grandma always had a smile on her face, she was a tiny little lady, who always had a something to say. Family was their life and they were sadly the glue that held parts of our family together. The other day I came across this orange dreamsicle cupcake recipe, here it is for you to enjoy as well: This one is for Grandma and Grandpa Boscawen.

Cupcakes:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 T citrus olive oil
• 1 cup sugar
• 2 T vanilla
• 2 eggs
• Zest of 1 orange
• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line muffin pans with paper liners.  (This made 16 cupcakes for me.)
  Combine butter, olive oil and sugar and mix on medium high speed about three minutes until light and fluffy.  Add vanilla and eggs and mix about one more minute until well incorporated.  Stir in orange zest.  In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.  Separately combine heavy cream and orange juice.  Add 1/3 of the flour mixture, followed by 1/2 of the cream mixture and repeat, finishing with the flour.  Mix until just incorporated after each addition. 
  Scoop batter into prepared liners, filling about 2/3 of the way full.  Bake about twenty minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.  Cool in pans about five minutes and then transfer to wire racks to cool completely.





Marshmallow Cream Filling:

• 7 oz marshmallow fluff
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature

Cut butter into small pieces and add to fluff in a mixing bowl.  Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy.  Cut a small cone shape into the top of each cupcake and spoon marshmallow cream into wells allowing the cream to puddle on top of the cupcake slightly.  (Don’t add too much, when you add the buttercream, it will cause the cream to move out toward the edges of the cupcakes.)

Orange Buttercream:

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup orange juice, freshly squeezed
• Zest of 1 orange
• 1/4 tsp vanilla extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• **I added a few drops of orange food coloring

 Beat butter on medium speed until light and fluffy, about three minutes.  Add orange juice, zest, and vanilla and mix until well combined.  Add powdered sugar, one cup at a time, mixing until incorporated to reach desired consistency.  Whip on medium high speed about two minutes until smooth and creamy.  Transfer to a piping bag fitted with desired tip and pipe onto cupcakes. 

Recipe found at: betsylife.com