Double Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes

Remember those chocolate oranges that were also flavored orange? I vaguely remember seeing them a lot when I was a kid (apparently this was because Anthony was a big fan so Mom would always get him one for his Christmas stocking).

Like most fruit, orange just goes great with chocolate. So I've wanted to make something chocolate-orange for a while. I decided that the Labor Day BBQ at my parents' house (side note: it's been 4 years and I'm still not used to not calling it my house) would be the perfect time to make something chocolate-orange. Since I hadn't made cupcakes in a while, I decided on those. I chose a recipe from one of the Simply Sweet magazine, a dessert magazine from the same publishers as Southern Living and Cooking Light (among others).

Oh, and if you're wondering where I got that chocolate orange pictured above, I found it partially hidden in a display at a sweet shop I adore called Lolli & Pops. There are several locations in the Seattle-area (two of which I can get to via transit - not exactly a good thing).

Double Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes (Simply Sweet Cake Pops, Cupcakes, & More!, on shelves until May 10, 2013, pg. 59)

Ingredients

Cupcakes

• 1 cup semisweet chocolate morsels
  
• 1 package German chocolate cake mix
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/4 cups orange juice
• 1/3 cup butter, melted (to make things even, I used a 1/4 stick of butter and 1 tbsp and 1 tsp of butter spread that I have for my waffles)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Garnish: orange rind strips (as you can see, I used the chocolate orange that I found at Lolli & Pops instead. There are 20 slices so there were 4 cupcakes without one)

Orange Buttercream

• 3/4 cup butter, softened
• 2 tsp orange zest (or extract)
• 1 16-oz. package powdered sugar
• 3 tbsp orange juice

Directions

Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 375℉. Microwave chocolate morsels in a 2-cup glass measuring cup at HIGH 1 minute, stirring after 30 seconds. Stir until smooth. Cool slightly.
2. Beat cake mix and next 3 ingredients at low speed with an electric mixer until moistened. Increase speed to medium and beat 1 to 2 minutes or until well blended and smooth. Add melted chocolate and vanilla, beating until blended.
3. Place 30 paper baking cups in 3 (12-cup) muffin pans. Spoon 1/4 cup batter into each cup (I just used a cookie scoop).
4. Bake at 375℉ for 16 to 18 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 5 minutes. Remove from pans and cool completely on wire racks. Spread with Orange Buttercream. Store in refrigerator. Garnish, if desired.

Orange Buttercream

1. Beat butter and orange zest at medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add powdered sugar, beating until well blended.
2. Stir in orange juice, adding additional orange juice if necessary to reach desired consistency.

These were a big hit. The only problem was that I don't think I mixed the frosting correctly as it was a bit liquidy and not as stable and white as the picture in the magazine. Still, of the 2 dozen I made, only 1/2 dozen was left for me to take to work the next day (which were of course gone by lunch). I ended up having a ton of frosting left over, which I put in the fridge as soon as I got home. It's still good after almost 3 weeks so I'm thinking of making this recipe in cake form for work.