If you have been following Manu’s Menu for a while, you would have noticed that the site got a bit of a make-over. I have been thinking about changing the look of my blog for a while, but never really took the plunge… until now. There are still a few issues to fix and I am continuously working on them, but I hope you like the new look and feel. So, to celebrate these changes, I thought of posting a special recipe: Orchid and Chocolate Cupcakes. I already have a couple of recipes that use Orchid essence on the blog: Orchid and Matcha Macarons and Orchid Panna Cotta, so make sure to check them out too if you are intrigued by this flowery flavour. It kind of tastes like vanilla, but it has “flowery” undertones to it. Delicious and perfect to celebrate spring… remember, after all, it is spring here in Australia! Enjoy!
Orchid and Chocolate Cupcakes
The recipe for delicious chocolate cupcakes decorated with orchid flavoured buttercream.
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
Orchid Buttercream
- 125 gms – 4.4 oz. butter
- 225 gms – 8 oz. icing sugar
- Orchid essence to taste – I use Artgato Orchid Essence, you can buy it here
- Purple food coloring powder or paste
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 25 minutes or until cooked through.
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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.
Orchid Buttercream
To Assemble the cupcakes
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Put the orchid icing in a piping bag and decorate the chocolate cupcakes with it.
Recipe Notes
This recipe will give you a little bit more buttercream than you require for the cupcakes. You can store the remaining buttercream 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.
Love the new look Manu… and these divine cupcakes. I must get my hands on some of that Orchid Essence.
Gorgeous cupcakes, very stylish and elegant… do you think a little bit of rose water could substitute for the orchid essence?
loved the way you iced them, I don’t have the genes that give that skill, unfortunately 😉
Hi Sally! You can use rosewater, the taste will be different, but the look can be the same if you colour it the same way. 🙂
Dear Manu your blog Always is beautiful and the recipes awesome 🙂
This recipe is absolutely beautiful and elegant 🙂
xo
Manuela, just gorgeous! Love the new look, and these cupcakes are just divine.
Wish I had one of these cupcakes to devour right now.. they look SO incredibly delicious. Loving that thick layer of frosting especially. Great recipe!
Those are beautiful cupcakes and I love your blog’s new dress! Well done!