I’m not sure if you’ve realized at this point, but I’ve fallen deeply in love with orange and chocolate. Dark chocolate orange brownies and dark chocolate orange cookies are two of my forays into these flavors. There’s something very comforting about them to me, and it’s the perfect mix of airy summer citrus with my favorite taste in the whole world.

These orange cupcakes are paired with a thick and rich dark chocolate icing for your next picnic date or summer party… or for eating over the course of a weekend with your boyfriend because you can’t just make them for your blog and leave them lying around! You know, broad situations like those.

They are a quick and fun dessert to bake, and you can play with piping and decorating to your heart’s content. Another fun idea: create some candied orange peel garnish to top them off instead of sprinkles. Try out this fun recipe for orange cupcakes with dark chocolate icing and let me know what you think!

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Orange Cupcakes

by Megan Breukelman of Taste & Taste July-22-2018

Light, flavorful orange cupcakes for a sunny picnic.

Ingredients

• 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1 grated orange zest
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 cup orange juice
Instructions
1. Preheat oven to 350ºF.2. Prepare cupcake pan with liners.3. Cream together the butter and sugar until fluffy. Add eggs and orange zest.4. In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.5. Once combined, add dry ingredients to your egg mixture in small parts, alternating adding the dry ingredients and the orange juice.6. Mix well until a smooth, thick liquid batter.7. Fill cupcake liners until just over half full.8. Bake for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.9. Allow to cool completely before icing.

Details

Prep time: 20 mins Cook time: 18-20 mins Total time: 38-40 minutes Yield: 12 cupcakes

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Dark Chocolate Frosting

by Megan Breukelman of Taste & Taste July-22-2018

A rich dark chocolate icing, perfect for piping.

Ingredients

• 3/4 cup confectioner’s sugar, sifted
• 1/4 cup Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa Powder
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tsp whole milk
Instructions
1. Sift dry ingredients and combine with butter and milk until thick.Tip: Double the recipe for lots of extra icing to pipe with.Tip: If it’s too thick, add a little more milk. If it’s too thin, add a little more confectioner’s sugar. If it’s too sweet, add a little more dark chocolate cocoa powder.

Details

Prep time: 5 mins Cook time: N/A Total time: 5 minutes