Chocolate Orange Cupcakes - Christmas Treat | Greedy Gourmet

Question 1

What’s the difference between a cupcake and a fairy cake?

Accepted Answer

A fairy cake is typically old-fashioned English – a light Victorian sponge topped with a small amount of icing. They are quite sweet and relatively light – think old English tea parties.

Cupcakes, on the other hand, are all about full blown decadence. They don’t hold back when it comes to flavour. Denser than their British cousins, cupcakes are normally topped with an elaborate decoration of icing.

They are also normally higher in sugar and are a lot bigger than fairy cakes.

Nowadays, the names are a lot more interchangeable than they used to be, so cupcakes and fairy cakes are mixed and matched.

Question 2

How do you make chocolate orange cupcakes look professional?

Accepted Answer

It’s all about the presentation. For this chocolate orange cupcakes recipe I have sprinkled grated chocolate on top of each orange chocolate cupcake.

I then added a wedge of Terry’s chocolate orange, to give these chocolate orange cupcakes an extra professional look.

Question 3

What makes a cupcake fluffy?

Accepted Answer

Fluffiness comes at the mixing stage. The air in your cake mixture is what’s going to give your cupcakes that lovely, light fluffy texture.

That’s why it’s so important not to overmix your cake mixture. Mix at a low speed and stop mixing as soon as all the ingredients have been properly blended together.

Question 4

Why are my cupcakes gummy?

Accepted Answer

Make sure you leave your cupcakes on a wire cooling rack to cool for at least 10 minutes. If you don’t do this, the moisture at the bottom of your chocolate orange cupcakes won’t be able to escape. This will mean you’ll be left with gummy cupcakes – nobody’s idea of appetising.

Also, as I mentioned above, get the mixing right. Not too fast and definitely don’t over mix.

Question 5

Why are my cupcakes dry?

Accepted Answer

This is either due to too many dry ingredients or over baking. Follow the recipe measurements below (don’t forget, you’ll need a good set of baking scales) and you won’t go wrong.

Follow the baking times and, again, you should be fine. If you do end up over-baking your cupcakes, you’ll need to adjust the baking times for the next batch. All ovens are different, so be sure to check your cupcakes after 15 minutes. They’ll be cooked when they are springy and return to shape when lightly pressed on top.

Question 6

What can you use instead of orange extract?

Accepted Answer

If you can’t get hold of orange extract, double the amount of orange zest called for in this recipe. You could also use a teaspoon of orange liqueur, for a boozy little twist.

Question 7

What can you use instead of cupcake cases?

Accepted Answer

If you forget to buy cupcakes cases, or you can’t get hold of them, there are a few alternatives:

You can use foil or baking paper to make your own cupcake cases. Just cut them into 4x4 inch squares, place each square over each cupcake compartment and mould it into place (use the bottom of a small glass to twist it into shape).

Once your chocolate orange cupcakes are baked, they’ll be really easy to take out of the cupcake tray.

You could also simply grease each cupcake compartment with butter.

Description

Ingredients

Cupcakes

Orange Icing

Instructions

Notes