A dreamy Orange Creamsicle Mousse that is easy to put together and always a crowd pleaser! These little dessert cups are light and fresh and absolutely perfect for summer! If you like mousse, be sure to check out my recipe for lemon mousse cups too! (Maybe my Orange Creamsicle Puppy Chow is a fun warm-weather option!)
Orange Creamsicle Mousse
This orange creamsicle mousse is super easy, and with only 7 ingredients it pulls together in under 5 minutes. Let’s talk for a minute about how we achieve that traditional “creamsicle” flavor. A creamsicle bar that you might find at the grocery store typically has a vanilla ice cream base and is coated with flavored orange ice. Since we are creating a creamsicle mousse, we wanted that same flavor combination, but in a light and creamy version. I attempted to get that same flavor by using a combination of REAL orange juice and orange extract, combined with a powdered sugar and cream cheese base. The results were dreamy!
What is Mousse?
A traditional mousse is similar to a lighter and airier version of pudding. We love pudding so we couldn’t wait to try it! It is important to note that to get the consistency that you want with a mousse that you really need to start with room temperature ingredients. To make the mousse light and airy, we fold in whipped topping into a light and fluffy cream cheese. Additionally, you will want to use a hand-held or stand mixer as you won’t be able to get the creamy texture by just mixing by hand.
How to Make Orange Creamsicle Mousse
As I mentioned, making this orange creamsicle mousse is really simple. There are a few key tips to follow that will make this even easier.
Room Temperature Cream Cheese
You will want to make sure your cream cheese is completely lump-free, which means beating it with an electric hand mixer until it is light and fluffy before adding any other ingredients. This is what gives it that creamy texture and also, helps blends the flavors perfectly. In order to do that, you will want to start with cream cheese that is already at room temperature. To quickly get the cream cheese to room temperature I will remove the cream cheese from the box but keep it in the foil packaging. Set the cream cheese in a bowl of hot water and let it warm slowly. This usually takes about 15 minutes. If you use a metal bowl, you can sometimes cut the time down a bit because it will hold the heat in a little longer. Or you can set it out in the morning and let it warm to room temperature on the counter.
Orange Extract
If you don’t have immediate access to orange extract, you can just substitute additional fresh orange juice. Here is a simple equivalency:
1 tablespoon fresh orange juice = 1/2 teaspoon orange extract
Dress it up!
To make this simple dessert look extra pretty, I top it with a bit of whipped cream and a small wedge of fresh orange. You can also sprinkle with shortbread cookie crumbs and add a spring of fresh mint for an extra fancy touch!
Chill The Mousse
Chilling is a critical step in this recipe. It helps the mousse form into the light and airy, but firm texture you are looking for. You have to let it chill for at least one hour. You can let it go all the way up to 3 days! However, if you are letting it sit that long, I do not recommend adding the garnish until just before serving, as fresh orange will not look as pretty after sitting out.
This recipe makes 3-4 servings depending on how big your serving dish is, so if you are serving a crowd you may want to double or triple it or make sure your cups are smaller than mine😊
Homemade Whipped Topping
Whenever possible, I recommend making homemade whipped. It tastes so much better in my opinion. To make whipped topping from scratch you take 1 cup of heavy whipping cream and add 1-2 tablespoons of confectioners sugar. Whip the heavy whipping cream for a couple of minutes with your hand-held mixer until there are soft peaks. Sprinkle the confectioner’s sugar over top and keep mixing on high until there are stiff peaks. I do recommend using a large bowl to avoid splatter.
Orange Creamsicle Mousse
Ingredients
- 12 ounces (340g) cream cheese, softened to room temperature
- 1 cup (125g) confectioners' sugar
- Juice of 1 orange, about ¼ cup
- 1 teaspoon orange extract
- pinch kosher salt
- 1 cup (238g) whipped topping, plus more for garnish
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat cream cheese until it is light and fluffy.
- Add in the confectioners' sugar, orange juice, orange extract, and salt and beat until everything is combined.
- Gently fold in the whipped topping.
- Equally divide orange mousse into cups and refrigerate uncovered until thickened, (about 1 hour up 24 hours).
- When ready to serve, top with remaining whipped topping
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
I’ve been making this dessert when I have company over for almost a year now, and it’s always a hit! I always make my own whipped cream to complete the mousse and top it with (1 cup cream and 2 tbsp granulated sugar in a blender with a plastic blade makes stiff whipped cream that tastes like whipped cream and nothing else, or you can use a fancy stand mixer, but the stuff from the store has no good reason to have Lake Blue and Red 40, just avoid it).
I’ve also experimented with substitutions and additions, and here are some of my notes:
– Stevia and other sugar substitutes are sweeter for less mass of sweetener. This dessert doesn’t need to be sweeter, if anything I think it’s a little sweet for my taste, but you need the right mass of powdered sugar for texture. The mousse will hold up the same, but be twice as sweet.
– Cream cheese comes in 8oz packs here, so I use 16oz with 1 cup powdered sugar and the mousse is indistinguishable from using the true 12oz cream cheese to 1 cup powdered sugar. I also think this is the ideal ratio of cream cheese to sugar so that the mousse doesn’t come out too sweet.
– A quick but pretty decoration is an orange slice, a bit of orange zest, and some shaved dark chocolate. Speaking from experience, however, you can make chocolate flakes with a large knife even more quickly.
– You can substitute orange entirely for another fruit, but my guests have preferred versions where the fruit juice matches the fruit topping and complements the cream and cream cheese, which doesn’t leave a lot of options. I’ve had success with pineapple, raspberry (I used raspberry lemonade), lemon, and mango, but struck out on apple and a few others. A few very popular versions used fresh fruit and reserve liquid from making jam.
– The best way to make dessert look fancy is to serve it in a glass meant for drinking. Whiskey glasses are convenient, but various cocktail glasses are also good for adding flair.
– If you only have a small amount of mousse for a large number of servings, make small portions of mousse, then top with a small amount of vanilla ice cream and your leftover whipped cream before serving. It looks like an elegant three-part dessert, and saves your arms from beating up another pack of cream cheese.
– Even small portions of this dessert are fairly heavy, so I’ve found that it’s best to serve after a lighter meal or when a lot of time has passed since the last course, ex. after the post-dinner coffee.
Fantastic feedback – thank you so much!
Thanks for your helpful suggestions. Question…I like to use Splenda Monkfruit sweetener. If I do, how much should I use for this recipe, and will it affect the texture? Thank you, again, for your helpful suggestions! I’m a great home cook, but still need advice every now and then!
How would you feel about using this to frost a cake? Sounds like a good idea to me I love cool whip frosting yummy.
I have a question. This sounds so good. Any suggestions on how to change for a diabetic.