My mom has always been crazy for orange chocolate, but she can’t eat more than a couple bites of any kind of sweet and that’s with coffee. I couldn’t keep her out of these! So bakers beware if your family has a sweet tooth!
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 3/4 Cup flour
- 1/2 Cup cocoa powder
- 3/4 Teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 Teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 Teaspoon salt
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 Cup white sugar
- 1/2 Cup packed brown sugar
- 1/3 Cup vegetable canola, or melted coconut oil
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 Tablespoon orange zest
- 1/2 Cup buttermilk
Frosting
- 1/2 Cup butter
- 2 Cups powdered sugar
- 2-3 Teaspoons orange extract
- 1 Tablespoon milk
- 2 Teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl.
- In another bowl whisk the eggs, white sugar, brown sugar, oil, orange zest, and vanilla together until smooth.
- Pour half the wet ingredients and half the buttermilk into the dry mixture and gently whisk for a few seconds.
- Add the rest of the buttermilk and wet mixture and switching to a wooden spoon, stir until just combined. (over stirring will result in thin batter)
- Divide the batter evenly into 12 greased or lined muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes, or until toothpick comes out clean when stuck in the middle. Cool completely before frosting.
- To make frosting, beat the butter until creamy, then add in powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Scrape bowl edges, add in the orange and vanilla extract, and milk. Mix until fully combined.
Notes
You can use 6 drops of essential oil or 4 teaspoons of orange zest in place of the extract. • You can make you own buttermilk by adding 1 1/2 Teaspoons of lemon juice into a liquid measuring cup, filling with milk up to the 1/2 cup line, and letting sit 5 minutes before using.
