Chocolate and Blood Orange Cupcakes

These Chocolate and Blood Orange Cupcakes are the perfectbalance of chocolate and tart, blood orange flavours – a small but mighty twistto the well-loved classic. The soft and fluffy cupcakes are topped with asmooth, extra-orange-y buttercream that is quick and easy to make, andversatile to use!

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Course: Baking, Cakes, Dessert

Cuisine: Western

Diet: blood orange, chocolate, vanilla

Prep Time: 25

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 45

Servings: Cupcakes

Author: Eff | Food Daydreaming

Equipment

Ingredients

For the Chocolate and Blood Orange Cupcakes

1 cup flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ teaspoon salt
¾ cup sugar
1/3 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons fresh blood orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
½ cup milk, room temperature
Fresh, glace or candied blood orange slices to decorate, optional

For the Chocolate and Blood Orange Buttercream

200 g unsalted butter, room temperature
300 g icing sugar
70 g cocoa powder
1 tablespoon fresh blood orange zest
2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch of salt

Instructions

For the Chocolate and Blood Orange Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C, and line two, 6-cup muffin pans or one, 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients – flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt, and whisk quickly to mix. Set aside.
1 cup flour, 1/3 cup cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
In a separate, medium mixing bowl, add the wet ingredients – the sugar, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla and the blood orange zest and juice. Whisk together until thoroughly combined.
¾ cup sugar, 1/3 cup vegetable oil, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange zest, 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice
Pour half of the wet batter and half of the milk into the dry ingredients, and whisk gently to incorporate before adding the rest of the wet batter and milk. Whisk until just combined – once you can’t see anymore streaks of flour or cocoa powder, stop!
½ cup milk
Pour the batter into the cupcake liners – ½ full for smaller cupcake patty pans and 2/3 full for muffin sized liners. Bake in the preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until skewer comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

For the Chocolate Blood Orange Buttercream

To make the buttercream, use a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or handheld electric beaters. Start by beating the butter on medium speed until pale and creamy. Add in half of the icing sugar and beat.
200 g unsalted butter, 300 g icing sugar
Once incorporated, add in the rest of the icing sugar, cocoa powder, blood orange zest and juice and vanilla, and just a pinch of salt. Start beating at medium speed before increasing it to high speed for a full minute until the buttercream comes together and is thick and creamy. Use straight away to frost the chocolate and blood orange cupcakes or store in the fridge for 3-4 days.
70 g cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon fresh blood orange zest, 2 tablespoons fresh blood orange juice, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, Pinch of salt
Once the cupcakes are cool, frost them however you prefer. I don’t like a lot of frosting on my cupcakes, so I use a butter knife or palette knife to swirl the frosting on top. I’m also not the best at piping, so I tend to avoid it. But this buttercream recipe makes enough to frost or pipe decorative icing on all 12 cupcakes. The Wilton 1M Open Star Piping Tip will give you that characteristic tall and neat cupcake frosting.
Decorate with fresh, glace or candied blood orange slices, if you like, and enjoy!
Fresh, glace or candied blood orange slices to decorate, optional

Cook along with me

Did you make this recipe?Mention @food_daydreaming or tag #fooddaydreaming on instagram. I love seeing what you all come up with!

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