Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
This is a fabulous cupcake recipe ? almost like chocolate brownies in cupcake form, with a couple of spoonfuls of?In A Pickle?s Christmas Morning Marmalade?in the mixture to cut through the richness and make the cake really moist in the middle. Decorated with orange buttercream and a slice of Terry?s Chocolate Orange (surely the ultimate Christmas confectionery), these pretty cupcakes are the perfect festive treat.
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 200g plain dark chocolate
- 200g margarine
- 100g soft brown sugar
- 100g caster sugar
- 100ml tap water
- 250g self-raising flour
- 2 tbsp In A Pickle Christmas Morning Marmalade
- 2 eggs
For the buttercream:
- 300g margarine
- 150g icing sugar
- Red and yellow gel food colouring
- A few drops of orange essence (optional)
To decorate:
- Chocolate orange
Instructions
Makes 12
- Preheat the oven to 160?C (140?C). To make the cupcake mixture, first put the chocolate (broken up into pieces), the margarine, both types of sugar and the water in a large microwaveable bowl. Microwave in thirty second bursts, stirring each time, until everything is completely melted and smoothly combined.
- Next, weigh out the flour and add to the chocolate mixture. Beat really well until there are no lumps left. Add the In A Pickle Christmas Morning Marmalade and stir well again.
- Finally, break the eggs into the mixture one at a time, beating really well until completely combined.
- Grease a muffin tray, and then fill each hole about half way up with the cupcake mixture. Place in the oven and bake for 35 minutes.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool in the tin for about ten minutes, then gently loosen each one with a knife round the edge, and carefully take out ? they?ll be quite delicate, so go slowly. Place them upside down on a wire rack (they should have fairly flat tops, and the bottoms will be especially delicate) to cool.
- Once the cupcakes are completely cold, you can ice them. Beat together the margarine and icing sugar until smooth, then add a little red and yellow gel food colouring (much better than the water-based stuff, which can curdle your buttercream) and the orange essence (if using) and mix until you have the desired colour.
- Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes with a star nozzle, and then finish each one with a slice of chocolate orange.