If you follow this site more or less regularly, you already know that I love small desserts… I love the fact that they are (almost) guilt free and even more I love the fact that you can eat 2 or 3 different desserts for the calories of a single big one. You see, I love to taste and hate to choose! So, the more I can try, the merrier I am! Today I want to share with you the recipe for some chocolate mini cupcakes, topped with a delicious orange flavoured butter-cream and decorated with candied orange zest. Divine. I think chocolate and orange make one of the best flavour combinations EVER! And don’t they look pretty? Perfect for a classy tea party or a more informal get together. Enjoy them with a hot cup of tea and click here, here and here for more mini cupcakes ideas !
Chocolate and Orange Mini Cupcakes
The recipe for yummy and pretty tea time treats: Chocolate and Orange Mini Cupcakes.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 188 gms – 1 ½ cups flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp sea salt
- 115 gms – 4 oz. unsalted butter at room temperature
- 125 gms – 1 cup + 2 tbsp packed brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla
- ½ cup buttermilk or yogurt
- 2 tbsp milk
- 3 to 4 tbsp cocoa powder
Orange Icing
- 125 gms – 4.4 oz. butter
- 225 gms – 8 oz. icing sugar
- Orange essence to taste
- Orange food coloring optional – I did not use any as my orange essence was already coloured
- Candied Orange Zest to decorate
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
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Preheat the oven to 165°C - 330°F and line muffin trays with papers.
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Then cream the butter, vanilla and brown sugar until pale and fluffy.
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Add the eggs, one at a time, beating until well incorporated. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
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Add the flour and cocoa powder mixture in three batches, alternating it with two additions of buttermilk (or yogurt) and milk. Beat until well combined.
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Put the batter into the lined muffin tray cups, filling each to about half.
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Bake for about 15 to 20 minutes (25 minutes if you make bigger cupcakes).
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When cooked, let them cool down in the tray for 10 minutes, then put them on a wire rack to cool down completely.
Orange Icing
To Assemble the cupcakes
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Put the orange icing in a piping bag and decorate the chocolate cupcakes with it.
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Top them with some candied orange zest and enjoy!
Recipe Notes
This recipe will give you a little bit more butter-cream than you require for the cupcakes. You can store the remaining butter-cream in an air tight container and keep it in the fridge for up to 10 days or in the freezer for up to a few months. Just let it thaw/bring it back to room temperature and re whip it on low before using it.
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YUM! The icing looks so good, and I love how little they are 🙂
xx Come visit me at http://andgeesaid.blogspot.com.au/
The combination of chocolate and a fruit (mainly passion fruit) is very popular in Brazil. Your chocolate-orange cupcakes look moist and very tempting…I love how beautifully decorated they were.
I would love to frost how you did, what size/type nozzle is this?
Hi Sam! I used a 1M Wilton tip (http://www.wilton.com/technique/1M-Swirl)… it’s a big open star tip. Hope it helps! 🙂
Yep I love chocolate and orange together. Just made a mousse the other day with the flavor combination and we devoured it happily. Your mini cupcakes would be much welcomed here too!