Chocolate orange cupcake: recipe. How long can they be stored at room temperature or frozen?

As you know, one of the most popular options in dessert cuisine is cupcakes. They may vary in taste. And chocolate orange cupcake is the most popular among customers.

Required ingredients for a cupcake with chocolate and orange: notes

To make moist chocolate orange cupcakes, you need a few basic ingredients, namely:

1. Orange peel. This component requires about 3.5 tablespoons. This suggests that you have to remove the zest from two medium-sized oranges. If this is not enough, then you can use orange extract.
2. Orange juice. You can squeeze the fresh orange juice that has been peeled. You can also take ready-made orange juice, which is sold in all stores. Often, orange juice is considered concentrated. So, the muffins with added orange juice acquire a pleasant orange flavor.
3. Milk. You can use any component. Milk can be regular or vegan without sugar.
4. Vegetable oil. The best solution would be sunflower or canola oil. If you don’t have one, you can use coconut or olive oil.
5. Flour. Any flour will work for making chocolate orange cupcakes. However, you need to correctly measure the right amount to get a lush texture for the finished dessert.
6. Cocoa powder. Choose options that do not contain sugar.
7. Sugar. It is better to use white sugar in granules. Brown or other sugar will not be the best option, as they can change the texture of the dessert.
8. Cream butter. First, it needs to be softened and used to prepare the cream.

You can also combine vegetables and butter. This gives you a thicker cream. Especially if you plan to use vegan oil.

Categories of ingredients

To make chocolate orange cupcakes, you will need several categories of ingredients. The first category is dry foods. It includes flour, sugar, powdered sugar, cocoa powder, salt, and baking powder.

The second category is wet components. It includes eggs, milk, oils, vanilla extracts, and orange peel. In addition, cream-based cheese is required, and Philadelphia is the best option. It is the main ingredient for the cream.

If you are decorating your dessert, you can use candied orange peels.

However, doing so is completely optional. You can prepare such crusts yourself by preparing a huge orange, as well as powdered sugar.

Instruction

To make a chocolate-orange cupcake, first, you need to beat the butter with sugar. It is recommended to soften the butter first. Then add the eggs one at a time and continue beating. Finally, add orange zest and vanilla extract.

Remember to scrape the sides and bottom of the mixer bowl. Thanks to this, the components will mix, and the texture will be homogeneous. Next, you need to start mixing the dry ingredients in a large container. All of them must be sifted.

Gradually add the dry ingredients mixture to the batter and set the mixer to low speed. It is better to make three additions, each of which alternates with an infusion of milk. Blend all ingredients until they are smooth and light. The dough should be slightly liquid.

After, you need to divide the formed dough into cupcake liners. It is installed in the oven, which was preheated. Dividing and measuring dough is easier if you use an ice cream scoop. This will ensure that all chocolate orange cupcakes are the same size.

On average, baking will take about 20 minutes. If the oven is equipped with convection, the baking time is reduced to 18 minutes. The chocolate orange cupcakes will be ready if the dessert springs back when pressed. You can check with a toothpick, which is inserted in the center of the cake. It should be dry when it comes out.

It makes sense to start decorating if the cupcakes are cool completely.

Chocolate orange cupcake recipe

If you decide to make a classic chocolate orange cupcake, everything will take about 40 minutes. This will take more time to prepare. From the components, which will be discussed later, you can make 20 chocolate orange cupcakes.

Equipment list

To make chocolate orange cupcakes, you should first prepare the equipment, namely:

• 2 muffin trays with 12 holes;
• cupcake liners or baking dishes;
• mixer. It can be manual or automatic;
• container for mixing;
• ice cream dosing spoon;
• pastry bag with a large nozzle.

List of ingredients

You need to understand that it is easier to divide the ingredients into groups, depending on the preparation of a portion of the cake.

Cake dough ingredients

To make the dough, prepare:

• softened butter based on cream without salt – 70 g;
• powdered sugar – 0.2 kg;
• light brown sugar – 0.1 kg;
• large eggs – 2 pcs.;
• vanilla extract – 1 tsp;
• orange zest – 1-1.5 tbsp;
• flour – 0.25 kg;
• cocoa powder – 50 g;
• baking powder – 20 g;
• salt – a quarter of a teaspoon;
• milk – 0.25 l.

Glaze ingredients

To make the frosting, you need:

• powdered sugar – 0.6 kg;
• butter without salt – 0.1 kg;
• high-fat cream cheese – 0.25 kg;
• cocoa powder – 60 g;
• orange peel – 3 tsp.

Candied Orange Peel Ingredients

To make candied orange zest suitable for garnishing, you need:

• big orange;
• powdered sugar – 0.2 kg.

Cooking process

The cooking technology is also divided into several stages.

Cooking cupcakes

To make chocolate orange cupcakes, you must first preheat the oven to a temperature of 375 ℉. If the oven is equipped with convection, the temperature should be 340 ℉.

Forms for cupcakes or muffins should be covered with parchment paper.

Place the butter and sugar in a separate bowl and beat with a mixer until fluffy. It takes a few minutes to beat. After you need to gradually add eggs, vanilla extract, and orange zest to have an amazing orange flavor.

Engage in sifting dry ingredients, and pour the mass gradually into the main mixture. Alternate pouring with the addition of milk. You need to mix everything at low speeds to get a homogeneous dough. Next, the dough must be divided into baking trays, filling each of them with 2/3. The easiest way to do this is with an ice cream scoop.

Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for about 18-20 minutes, depending on the appliance you use. Refrigerate the chocolate orange cupcakes for a few minutes.

Glaze Preparation

When the chocolate orange cupcakes have cooled, you can start pouring the icing. For cooking, mix powdered sugar and cream-based butter. The beat speed of the mixer should be slow. The texture of the glaze should be crumbly, and not contain lumps.

Add cream cheese and unsweetened cocoa powder. Increase mixing speed to medium. Keep working until the consistency with cream cheese and cocoa powder is smooth and light. Add orange zest, and at the end mix everything by hand.

Transfer the frosting to a pastry bag fitted with a nozzle. And squeeze the contents over the cupcakes. It needs to be smoothed out a bit.

Preparation of sugared orange peels

This is a great solution for decorating chocolate orange cupcakes. To prepare candied orange peels, first, you need to cut wide strips from the fruit. For convenience, use a vegetable peeler.

Cut off the white centerpiece with a sharp knife. Then proceed to cut the peel to make thin matches. Pour 0.2 liters of water into a deep container, and add 0.2 kg of powdered sugar.

Put on moderate heat, and wait for the sugar to dissolve.

Place chopped orange zest in caramel, and cook for another quarter of an hour. Then take out the orange and lay it on a paper towel. It needs to cool down. Then you can start decorating cupcakes.

How beautiful to decorate cupcakes?

In the process of decorating, you can completely rely on your imagination. You can use a pastry bag, which makes it much easier to cover the dessert with icing. It is allowed to pour over the butter-based cream with chocolate, which must first be melted.

It is not necessary to use only oil-based cream. You can sprinkle the muffins with grated orange zest. You can make multicolored creams, and sprinkle ready-made desserts with them. If you prefer desserts without milk, you can use orange slices soaked in chocolate for decoration.

Candied oranges look beautiful. Some masters make curls from orange peel and put them on top of the product.

How to peel an orange properly?

Quite often, people cannot figure out how to peel an orange properly so that it is suitable for cooking or decorating muffins. You can use a sharp knife or vegetable peeler to make the job easier. You need to cut to the pulp.

Ingredient substitution options

Often there are situations when the client is allergic to certain components, or they are not at hand. In such cases, it is appropriate to look for alternatives.

If all-purpose flour is not suitable for a particular recipe, you can use gluten-free flour. Fortunately, the choice today is quite large.

You should not seek alternatives to granulated sugar because the texture of the dessert will change.

Orange juice is not always possible to use. Instead of orange juice, you can use plain warm water. If the client asked for a dessert without eggs, you can replace them with sugar-free applesauce. To replace two eggs, you only need half a glass of mashed potatoes.

If you do not have baking powder, you can replace it with baking soda and vinegar. The vinegar will activate the baking soda, making the cupcakes fluffy. You can use regular or apple cider vinegar for baking soda. If the orange emulsion is not available, orange extract or orange zest can be used.

If you can’t find unsalted butter, you can use the one you have at home. In this case, it is better to abandon the salt that is prescribed in the recipe. Vegan oils are also allowed. If you don’t have heavy cream for the glaze, you can use whole milk. Allowed to use almond and soy milk.

If you run out of unsweetened cocoa powder, powdered sugar can be used as an alternative. If the client does not want cupcakes with dark chocolate cocoa powder, you can use milk chocolate. The main thing is that it is of high quality and melts well.

Cooking options

You don’t have to sell classic cupcakes. You can make an original submission, namely:

1. Imitation of a cake. To do this, you need to make the biscuit dough. Use cream cheese frosting to decorate.
2. Surprise. Remove some biscuits from the top and use caramel or chocolate-based paste as the filling. You will get a very original solution that will appeal to most customers.
3. Lots of chocolate. You can make chocolate chips that make a great addition to a chocolate filling or icing.
4. Version for adults. You can add a little alcoholic liquor to the glaze. This makes the chocolate orange cupcakes taste more festive.

Storage features when frozen and at room temperature

Quite often, ready-made cupcakes with great orange flavor are not eaten immediately, and it is a pity to throw them away. In such cases, it would be appropriate to consider the storage of cupcakes. You can store cooked cupcakes in the refrigerator by placing them in an airtight container first or at room temperature.

Before serving, they should be thawed and warmed to room temperature. If you want to extend the shelf life, you can freeze the cupcakes. In this case, their shelf life is up to 3 months. Before serving, they need to be thawed for 8 hours and warmed to room temperature.

If you plan to freeze dessert, then each cupcake needs to be wrapped in several layers of plastic wrap. Then put them in containers or freezer bags.

It is not necessary to store ready-made cupcakes that have amazing orange flavor in the refrigerator. You can put them in an airtight container and leave them at room temperature for a few days. If your cupcakes still have chocolate orange buttercream left over, you can also freeze them for up to 90 days.

To do this, fold the chocolate orange buttercream into bags that have a zipper. Then try to remove the maximum amount of air before sending it to the freezer. After you can use the chocolate orange buttercream, if you defrost it for 8 hours, and warm it up.

Before you start decorating cupcakes with thawed icing, you will need to prepare them. To do this, beat it manually or with a mixer for 1 minute. Chocolate orange buttercream can also be refrigerated and will keep for about 1-2 weeks. Chocolate orange buttercream storage should be in an airtight container to keep odors out.

Before use, you also need to warm to room temperature, then beat for a minute. If you plan to freeze cupcakes that have been decorated, don’t put them in a bag right away. After all, all the beauty is removed by the package.

It is better to place the cupcakes with orange flavor on a tray or baking sheet and put them in the freezer for half an hour. This is enough for the cream-based cream to harden. Then wrap each cupcake in several layers of plastic wrap and place it in bags or containers.

You need to defrost the cupcakes gradually so that they do not lose their texture.

Therefore, from the freezer, dessert should be put in the refrigerator for 7-8 hours. After you need to take it out of the refrigerator and leave it at room temperature. Remove the plastic wrap first so that the icing does not suffer. As soon as the cake becomes soft, you can start tasting it.

If you plan to keep the cupcakes in the freezer for more than a week, it’s best to wrap them in foil. This extends the shelf life. At the same time, you won’t feel the difference between a freshly prepared cake and a defrosted one if you do everything right.

Some helpful tips

If the client doesn’t like cream cheese, or if you don’t like it yourself, make buttercream frosting as an alternative. It can be supplemented with orange extract or orange zest. You can make a cream based on butter and chocolate to make a thick and dense glaze.

To keep chocolate and orange cupcakes even, you don’t need to set the temperature in the oven too high. Otherwise, humps form immediately.

You can slightly change the temperature, depending on the type of oven. However, provided that the model is modern.

Results

As you can see, making chocolate-orange muffins is not difficult. For a classic recipe, you will need simple ingredients that you can find in the house as fresh orange juice, zest and eggs, and sugar. You can also look for alternative component options, depending on your preferences, as well as the wishes of the client.

The process itself will not take much time. On average, preparation takes up to 20 minutes, and baking takes only 18-20 minutes. During this time, you will get about 20 delicious and fragrant cupcakes.

It is allowed to add fruits and berries, which will go well with the chocolate-orange flavor. However, you will first need to coordinate everything with the customer or your guests so that no one is allergic to the new ingredients.