It's almost time for me to go back to school so I thought I would squeeze in a recipe or two before I head back to dorm life. I have enjoyed my time home but I am anxious to get back into routine...even though I do not have unlimited access to my kitchen supplies. I wanted to make something I have not made before but also something that was not too difficult. I had a craving for cupcakes so I was looking at what flavor combination I have not made yet. I came across a recipe for orange cupcakes and thought it was the perfect choice considering I had orange juice and fresh oranges on hand. I was so pleased by the cupcakes. I think they could have been more orange-y but they were good for the first time. Also, I whipped the egg white by hand, which is something I have not done before. It took a lot of arm muscle but that justified why I could eat multiple cupcakes later!
In the past, I have had difficulties folding in egg whites but I did it perfectly this time. The only problem is that I baked the cupcakes too long. I do one thing right and I mess something else up...isn't that how it is always is? Next time, it'll be a delectable cupcake, I just know it! Two key things that I did in this recipe: not overfolding the egg whites and sifting the dry ingredients. The cupcakes came out nice and airy with a hint of orange! I am a fan!
I was debating whether I wanted to make a buttercream frosting or cream cheese frosting and since I had some cream cheese on hand, I made an orange cream cheese frosting. It was so good, it's like eating orange cheesecake (my latest obsession is cheesecake)!
I love the specks of orange zest in the frosting!
Orange Cupcakes
adapted from Cupcake Recipes
Ingredients: Cupcakes
1 3/4 cups cake flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoons salt
2-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
2 large eggs, separated and whites beaten until stiff
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
1/2 cup orange juice
1 stick of butter, softened
Ingredients: Cream Cheese Frosting
8 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 teaspoon orange juice
1 teaspoon orange zest
5-1/2-6 cups powdered sugar
Directions
1. Combine butter, sugar, egg yolks, 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 butter mixture, 1/3 at a time, alternating with the orange juice. End with the flour mixture. Do not overmix.
3. Fold in beaten egg whites. Spoon batter into cupcake liners until 1/2 full.
4. Preheat oven to 350 F. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
To make frosting
1. In mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, orange juice, and orange zest on medium speed until light and fluffy
2. Gradually beat in powdered sugar to reach spreading consistency
NOTE: the frosting should be enough for ~24 cupcakes so you can half the recipe for 12 cupcakes but a little extra frosting never hurts!
3 comments:
I made tese last night and it did not turn out at all, te cup cakes sunk from the middle and where crisp around the top, I felt like it was such a wast of food :(. Did I miss something? should I have added more orange juice, the dough was not runny as it is with regular cup cakes.
I made tese last night and it did not turn out at all, te cup cakes sunk from the middle and where crisp around the top, I felt like it was such a wast of food :(. Did I miss something? should I have added more orange juice, the dough was not runny as it is with regular cup cakes.
Thank you for your post! These cupcakes are tricky but are quite easy once you get a hang of making them. The key to success is the folding of the egg whites. Potentially your egg whites were not stiff enough or you deflated the egg whites as you were incorporating it into the batter.
To be completely honest, folding of egg whites is not my specialty and I was expecting these cupcakes to come out disastrous but I did something right! Let me know if give you any more tips.
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