Whisk together the milk, orange juice, heavy cream, sugar, vanilla, salt, and lemon zest in a medium saucepan. I always use a whisk here because it helps dissolve the sugar faster and prevents lumps from forming. Put the pan over medium heat and stir constantly until steam starts rising but it doesn't quite boil. This takes about 5-7 minutes and you'll see tiny bubbles forming around the edges.

Remove from heat and let it cool for about 2 minutes, then sprinkle the agar-agar powder over the top while whisking constantly. Don't just dump it in or you'll get clumps everywhere—I learned that the hard way my first attempt. Whisk for a full minute to make sure every speck dissolves completely and the mixture starts thickening slightly.

Blend the cream cheese with a hand mixer or immersion blender until it's completely smooth and there are zero lumps. Add the honey, melted butter, and ground cardamom, then blend again for about 30 seconds. This step is crucial for creamy dreamsicle popsicles because lumpy cream cheese ruins the whole texture experience.

Slowly pour the warm milk mixture into the cream cheese mixture while blending on low speed. Take your time here—rushing this means your popsicles won't come out smooth. Once everything's combined, taste it and adjust sweetness if needed (I sometimes add an extra tablespoon of honey).

Pour the mixture into your popsicle molds, filling each one three-quarters of the way up. Insert the sticks and freeze for about 30 minutes until they're semi-solid enough for the sticks to stand up straight. This prevents them from floating around while the rest freezes.

Return to the freezer for at least 3.5 more hours until completely frozen solid. I usually freeze these overnight because it guarantees they'll come out of the molds without sticking. You'll know they're ready when you can't budge the stick even a little bit.

Run the molds under warm water for about 10 seconds to loosen the creamy dreamsicle popsicles, then gently pull them out. If one gets stuck, just run a little more warm water around the edges and wait another 30 seconds. Store them in the freezer between parchment paper so they don't stick together.