A summery cupcake recipe for the chocolate orange lovers. A delicious chocolate sponge, topped with chocolate and curd buttercream. Whip this recipe up in less than 45 minutes and feed all your guests.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC Fan/ Gas 4/350ºF. Line a cupcake tray
with 12 cupcake cases.
Add the flour, cocoa powder, caster sugar, baking powder, salt and
butter to a large mixing bowl. Use a handheld electric whisk to beat the
ingredients together until they are the consistency of sand. Add the orange
zest and thoroughly mix it in.
In a separate bowl add the orange juice, milk and eggs and whisk
together.
Pour half of the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and beat well.
Pour the remaining wet ingredients into the mixing bowl and beat for a couple
of minutes until the mixture is fully combined and smooth.
Divide the cupcake batter between the 12 cupcake cases. Bake in the
centre of the oven for 20-25 minutes or until the sponge bounces back when
touched.
To make the buttercream chop chocolate orange into small pieces and put
it into a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water to melt it. When it
has melted set aside to cool.
Put the softened butter into a mixing bowl and beat it with a handheld
electric whisk until creamy. Add the icing sugar and beat until the mixture is
the consistency of sand. Add the cocoa powder and (cooled) melted chocolate
orange and beat again. The mixture will look like lumpy sand. Add the milk and
continue to beat until the buttercream becomes smooth and fluffy. You can add a
little more milk if it looks too thick.
Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag fitted with a piping nozzle.
When the cupcakes are completely cool, cut a hole out and spoon a small amount
of Tangy Orange Curd into the cupcake and then pipe swirls of buttercream on
top and decorate with freshly grated orange zest.
