🍰 Creamsicle Cake for Christmas Lunch

A simple dessert that tastes like nostalgia and sunshine

🕒 Prep Time: 15 minutes  🕯️ Cook Time: 30–35 minutes  🍽️ Serves: 12

📝 Ingredients

• 1 box of vanilla or yellow cake mix

• 3 eggs

• 1 cup water

• ⅓ cup vegetable oil

• 1 can (300 ml) sweetened condensed milk

• ¼ can (100 ml) evaporated milk

• 1 container (500 ml) whipped cream

• 1 can mandarin orange slices, drained

  
  

🥣 Instructions

1. Prepare the cake:

   
   

   Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch pan.

   
   

   In a large bowl, combine cake mix, eggs, oil, and water. Mix until smooth and pour into prepared pan.

   
   

2. Bake:

   
   

   Bake for 30–35 minutes, or until golden and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.

   
   

3. Soak the cake:

   
   

   While warm, poke holes all over the cake with a fork.

   
   

   In a small bowl, mix condensed milk and 1/4 can of evaporated milk, then pour over the cake. Let it soak in as it cools.

   
   

4. Top & chill:

   
   

   Once cooled completely, spread whipped cream evenly over the top.

   
   

   Arrange mandarin slices across the surface for a sunny finish.

   
   

5. Serve:

   
   

   Chill for at least one hour before serving.

   
   

🌿 Notes

• Substitute mandarin oranges with peaches or pineapple for variety.

• Try chocolate cake and cherries for a faux Black Forest variation.

• Best enjoyed cold with tea or coffee on a cozy afternoon.

Creamsicle Cake for Christmas Lunch

I was visiting my mom one afternoon when we started exploring ideas for a Christmas lunch theme. Traditionally, my parents host a light afternoon gathering for my siblings and their families to drop by for snacks. It’s a relaxed way for everyone to share a meal, let the grand kids open their gifts, and head home before dinner. The tradition takes the pressure off my parents to host a big dinner and allows everyone to enjoy time together without fuss.

Our first idea was a Tex-Mex theme, a long-time family favourite. I remembered pots of chili, sheets of cornbread, and seven-layer dip with tortilla chips spread across the counter. It always felt fun and easy—perfect for a potluck-style lunch. My brother could bring buns or cornbread, another sibling the chili, someone else the drinks, and my mom offered to make the dip. I decided I’d bring dessert.

After browsing recipes online, I found something simple yet nostalgic—a cake that reminded me of a creamsicle. The recipe used basic ingredients: vanilla cake, condensed milk, whipped cream, and mandarin oranges. Easy, delicious, and cost-effective.

I chose to make a vanilla sheet cake, large enough for twelve people. I followed the box directions: three eggs, one-third cup of oil, and one cup of water. Once the cake was baked, I poked holes all over the surface with a fork. In a bowl, I mixed one can of condensed milk with a quarter can of evaporated milk and poured it over the warm cake, letting it soak in as it cooled.

When the cake was fully cooled, I spread a generous layer of whipped cream over top and added a can of mandarin oranges.

The result was a moist, sweet vanilla cake with luscious cream and citrus—soft, cool, and reminiscent of childhood summers. It truly tasted like a creamsicle in cake form.

My mom enjoyed a slice with her coffee, and my partner and I finished the rest within the week. I’ve since made it again with yellow cake, and it turned out just as tender and rich, almost like a quick tres leches.

This dessert is wonderfully affordable and easy to make. You only need a box of cake mix, condensed and evaporated milk, eggs, oil, whipped cream, and canned fruit. I’m already planning to try it again—with chocolate cake and cherries next time—for a simple faux Black Forest cake.