A combination that the hubby absolutely adores, and I have, through him, learned to love as well. I’m not exactly a chocolate kind of girl but this union has made me crave it at times.   It’s now my combination of choice when it comes to chocolate. If you’re wary of the fusion, one taste of this will make you a believer.

The recipe I found was weak in orange flavor, so I added grated orange and orange liqueur, preferably Grand Marnier, on the frosting.

And because a quarter has almost past that I’ve been silent on the blog front, here’s the recipe without further ado…

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (tweaked from a Williams-Sonoma Cake Recipe)

What You’ll Need:

• 3 tablespoons Dutch-processed cocoa powder
• ¼ cup hot water
• 1 ¼ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon each baking powder and baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• 1 -2 oranges (depending on the size; I used 1 large orange)
• 2 large eggs, at room temperature
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup buttermilk, at room temperature
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract / essence
• ¼ cup unsalted butter, melted and cooled to room temperature

For the Frosting

• 6oz. (170g) bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 2 cups confectioner’s (icing) sugar
•    2 tablespoons orange liqueur
• 1 tablespoon orange zest

What You Do:

1. Preheat the oven to 350ºF (180ºC). Line 12 standard muffin cups with paper liners.
2. In a small bowl, stir the cocoa powder into the hot water until dissolved; set aside. Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into a bowl. Grate the zest from the orange into the bowl. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs and granulated sugar until well combined. Whisk in the buttermilk and vanilla, then the dissolved cocoa. Whisk in the melted butter, then the dry ingredients.
4. Using a tablespoon, divide the batter among the muffin cups, filling each about half full. Bake until the cupcakes are puffed, and a skewer inserted into the center of one comes out clean 15-20 minutes. Let cool completely on a wire rack. Remove the cupcakes from the pan.
5. To make the frosting, melt the chocolate and let cook to room temperature. Meanwhile, using a stand mixer, beat the butter and confectioner’s sugar with the paddle on medium speed until creamy and smooth, about 3 minutes. Beat in the melted chocolate, orange liqueur, and zest until combined. Fill a pastry bag fitted with a ½ inch (12mm) star tip with the frosting and pipe a spiral on top of each cupcake. Refrigerate the cupcakes for 30 minutes before serving to set the frosting. Makes 12 cupcakes.

Melting Chocolate

To melt chocolates, chop it into small pieces and put it in a stainless-steel bowl. Set the bowl in a saucepan over but not touching, barely simmering water. Heat until the chocolate melts, stirring occasionally. Do not allow any water or steam to come in contact with the chocolate, or it will become stiff and grainy. Or, chop the chocolate into large pieces, place in a microwave-safe dish, and microwave on low for 1 minute. Continue to microwave if necessary, checking every 20 seconds, until the chocolate looks softened, then stir until smooth and liquid.