Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

It had been been a long time since i made something choclatey and i decided to make chocolate cupcakes. While making the cupcakes i substituted orange juice for milk and added some orange zest. The result were these spongy and delicious Chocolate Orange cupcakes. I frosted the cupcakes with some chocolate buttercream.

Ingredients:

For Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups cake flour

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

2 large eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup vegetable oil

1 cup orange juice

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 1/2 tsp orange zest

For chocolate Buttercream:

1/2 cup butter

1/3 cup cocoa powder

2 cups confectioner's sugar

3 tbsp of whipping cream(more if needed)

Method:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degree Farenheit. Line the muffin cups with paper liners.
• Sift together cake flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cocoa powder, set aside.
• Beat the eggs, sugar and oil untill the sugar is well blended. Now beat in orange juice, vanilla extract and orange zest untill well combined.
• Gradually beat in the dry ingredients untill the batter is evenly mixed.
• Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full with batter.
• Bake for 20-25 minutes or untill a toothpick inserted at center comes out clean.
• Transfer the cupcakes to wire racks and cool completely.
  

Chocolate Buttercream:

• Beat butter on high speed untill soft.
• Add cocoa powder and half the sugar and beat untill blended well.
• Now add the remaining sugar along with 1 tbsp of cream and beat untill well blended.
• Add the remaining cream and beat on high for 3-4 minutes. (Note: You can make the consistency of the butercream more stiff or thin by adjusting the amount of cream. You can even ad some orange zest to the buttercream)

Frost the cupcakes with the buttercream. This recipe makes about 16 cupcakes.