Orange Cupcakes

Oranges other than giving you your daily dose of vitamin C is also a great ingredient to any baker. Just by adding a dash of orange juice or a teaspoon or 2 of its zest, cakes and desserts are immediately transformed.

Furthermore the whiff of an orange cake in the oven is simply indescribable. With this in mind I decided I'd bake a batch of orange cupcakes. I had read somewhere that Valencia oranges are best for juicing, beverages, sauces, cooking and baking.

The recipe that I had come across was really simple and judging from the number of ingredients it required it shouldn't take long.




Ingredients:

1 3/4 cup cake flour (I had used plain flour)
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 large eggs, separated and whites beaten until stiff
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup orange juice
1 stick of butter, softened
1 tsp orange zest (optional)

Method:

1) Combine butter, sugar, egg yolks, orange zest and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Cream ingredients together thoroughly.

2) Mix flour, salt and baking powder together in a separate mixing bowl. Add dry ingredients to creamed ingredients 1/3 at a time alternating with adding portions of the orange juice to the creamed mixture. Fold in beaten egg whites.

3) Spoon batter into cupcake liners until 1/2 full.

4) Bake in a 350 degrees preheated oven for 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Orange Buttercream

Ingredients:

50g/2oz Softened Butter
100g/4oz Icing Sugar
1 tsp orange zest
2 tsp orange juice

Method:

1) Place the softened butter in a mixing bowl and sift the icing sugar over the top.

2) Add orange juice and zest and cream all the ingredients together until well blended.