Orange Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Icing
Makes 12 cupcakes
Orange Cupcakes
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 cup cake flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
1/2 cup sour cream
Orange Cream Cheese Icing
2 (8-ounce) blocks cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh orange zest
For chocolate orange cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a muffin tin with paper liners; set aside.
2. Sift together cocoa, flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Cream butter and sugar together with an electric mixer in a separate medium bowl until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each, then beat in vanilla and orange zest.
4. With mixer on low speed, alternately add flour mixture and sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin, filling each cup 2/3 full.
5. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Cool in pan 5 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before icing.
For orange cream cheese icing:
1. Beat together cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until fluffy.
2. With the mixer on low speed, add powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until icing is smooth and creamy.
3. Beat in vanilla extract and orange zest; beat icing on high speed until fluffy.
4. Spoon icing into a large piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Pipe icing onto cooled cupcakes.
What to drink: Pour a sweet little bubbly – Nicolas Feuillatte Rose Doux.
Recipe courtesy Jens Dalhman,