If you are an orange sickle fan like I am, you are not going to want to miss these fabulous cupcakes! Plus – dark chocolate – just amazing! This is my favorite cupcake recipe, I made these little treats very often and my family adores them! Here is my recipe for dark chocolate orange cupcakes:
Note: You can add a tablespoon of orange zest to the cupcake batter for extra orange/citrus flavor!
Servings around 20 cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2/3 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup milk (I used whole milk)
- 2/3 cup hot water
For the frosting:
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks)
- 7 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1/2 cup milk (I used whole milk)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 teaspoons orange extract
- Orange food coloring
Instructions:
To make the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350°F/ 180°C/ Gas Mark 4, and line muffin tins with cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
- Add the eggs, vegetable oil, vanilla extract, and milk to the bowl with the dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
- Pour in the hot water and mix on medium speed with the hand mixer for about 1-2 minutes. The batter will be very liquidy.
- Fill cupcake liners about 2/3 full and bake in the oven for 15-17 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middles comes out clean.
- Remove cupcakes from the oven, let cool for about 5 minutes. Then place cupcakes on a cooling rack to cool completely. In the meantime, make the frosting.
To make the frosting:
- Cut butter into cubes and put into a stand mixer bowl fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 30 seconds.
- Add 4 cups of the sifted confectioners’ sugar, the milk, vanilla and orange extracts. Mix on low for 10 seconds so the sugar doesn’t fly everywhere, then turn mixer up to medium speed for 5 minutes.
- Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl in case any butter stuck to bottom or sides of the bowl and didn’t get mixed in. Then add the rest of the confectioners’ sugar and mix again on low speed for 10 seconds. Add 2 drops of orange food coloring, then up the speed to high for 2-3 minutes.
- Prepare your piping bag with a large round tip, fill a piping bag with frosting, then pipe large dollops onto each cupcake.
- Before servings, top each cupcake with a chocolate orange slice and/or some orange peel.
Enjoy!
