What a better way to ring in the Spring season than an ultra colorful and citrusy cake?
I made a variation of these citrus sherbet mini cakes a few years and actually surprised myself (as well as everyone) with how good it was. The flavors are unexpected and delicious! Its sweet and tart and cool.
Simple but fun cake
The cake is actually just a simple vanilla boxed cake mix, jazzed up with a hint of orange extract. The extract adds that touch of citrus to the cake so it pairs even better with the sweet and tart sherbet filling. If you don't have orange extract, I would recommend adding in a teaspoon of orange zest. It will give a similar natural orange flavor you're looking for.
Sherbet Filling!
Why sherbet and why not regular ice cream you ask?
The sherbet provides that creamy cool ice cream texture but with a bright fruity flavor that you just do not usually get from ice cream. Plus its a nice change up from a regular ice cream cake.
Actually when was the last time you even ate sherbet?? I bet it was ages ago! It was for me too. And making these mini cakes gives me an excuse to eat it again. And remember how good it is! One of my childhood ice creams faves was those orange sherbet Flintstone push pops? Remember those?? It was just orange sherbet in a push up ice cream pop dispenser but I loved them!
Perfect for a Holi Celebration!
Anyways back to this colorful citrus sherbet mini cakes! Aren't they pretty?!
The best part of the cake is the colors though! It is definitely perfect centerpiece for any Holi party! Holi is an Indian festival that celebrates the start of the Spring season with a celebration of colors. As with any Indian celebration there's tons of food, family and fun. But Holi is all about showcasing vibrant colors.
You might also be interested in other Indian fusion desserts: Ghughra Sweet Rolls, Masala Chai Affogato, Rose Tea Cake Cookies
Citrus Sherbet Mini Cakes
Ingredients
Snickerdoodle Cupcakes
- 1 white cake mix
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- assorted gel food colors optional
- 2 cups rainbow sherbet
- 8 oz whipped topping
- rainbow sprinkles optional
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350°F. Grease and flour cake pans, set aside. I used 6 4-inch ramekins.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the cake mix and prepare cake batter according to package directions. Add in the orange extract to the batter and mix well.
- Divide the cake batter equally into 4 small mixing bowls. Add different food colors to each bowl and mix until you are satisfied with the color.
- Spoon a little batter from each color into the greased and floured ramekins. Fill to about ⅔ full. Continue until all batter is used up. For the mini cakes, bake for 32-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Cool completely before filling and frosting.
- Remove sherbet from freezer to soften (about 15 minutes).
- Remove cakes from pan and use a serrated knife to level off the tops. Add about ¼ - ½ cup of softened sherbet to the cakes, place another mini cake on top of the sherbet layer. Use whipped topping to frost the entire cake, repeat with the remaining cakes. Top with rainbow sprinkles if using.
- Store in the freezer before serving.
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