Chocolate Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

Last week I was in NYC for a meeting with a client and stopped in at Chelsea Market. I went in specifically for saffron and cocoa, but once there realized I needed lots of stuff that I did not really need. So while I did purchase my saffron threads and cocoa, I also walked out with milk and white chocolate curls, various chocolate blocks, various chocolate chips and some blood oranges!

When I get home all I can think about is what I should make, after all I need to prove to my husband that I really needed all of this. I decided to make dark chocolate cupcakes with blood orange cream cheese icing. I used my stand by chocolate cake recipe and added the juice and zest of one blood orange for my cream cheese icing. The result was amazing, the hint of orange in the icing complimented the very chocolaty cupcake perfectly.

Dark Chocolate Cupcakes (makes 12)
http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Dark-Chocolate-Cake-I/Detail.aspx

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2/3 cup and 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup and 1 tablespoon white sugar
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line muffin tins. In medium bowl, pour boiling water over cocoa, and whisk until smooth. Let mixture cool. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt; set aside.


2. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at time, then stir in vanilla. Add the flour mixture alternately with the cocoa mixture. Spoon mixture into muffin tins, 1/2 full.


3. Bake in preheated oven for 18 - 20 minutes. Allow to cool.
   

Blood Orange Cream Cheese Icing

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup of butter (1 stick), room temperature
8 oz of cream cheese (1 package), room temperature
2 Tbs juice from one blood orange
1 tsp zest from one blood orange
3-4 cups of powdered sugar (sifted)
1 tsp of orange extract

DIRECTIONS

1. With an electric mixer, mix the butter and cream cheese together, about 3 minutes on medium speed until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing.


2. Add the orange extract, blood orange juice and zest and mix. Slowly add the powdered sugar. Keep adding until you get to desired sweetness.


3. Either spread on with a blunt knife or spatula, or spoon into a piping bag and decorate your cupcake.
   

The Best Strawberry Cupcakes

I love anything strawberry, ask my closest friends what my favorite food is and sadly they would all say a Dunkin Donuts Strawberry Frosted Donut!!

Since I started baking a couple of years ago I've been on the hunt for the best starwberry cake/ cupcake recipe. Most recipes out there start with a box mix, but I prefer to bake from scratch. I was on the hunt for a moist, fresh delicous strawberry cupcake, and I finally found it.

This is the recipe I used to make the cupcakes for my sister's baby shower, they went over so well, that I am making it my go to strawberry cake recipe.

Strawberry Cupcakes (makes 18 cupcakes):
1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
3 egg whites
2 teaspoon strawberry extract
1 cups pureed fresh strawberries
1/4 cup sour cream
1 1/2 cups cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt

Strawberry Cream Cheese Frosting:
1/4 cup butter-softened
1 8oz package cream cheese-softened
2 teaspoon strawberry extract
6 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted)
Pink Food Coloring

Directions :

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees
• In a large mixing bowl,beat sugar and butter at medium speed with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add egg whites one at a time,beating well after each addition.
• Stir in strawberry extract,pureed strawberries,and sour cream.
• In a medium mixing bowl,sift together flour,baking powder,soda,and salt.
• Gradually add to butter mixture,beating until combined.
• Pour batter evenly into prepared cupcake pans.
• Bake for 15-20minutes or until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
• Let cool in pans for 10 minutes then remove onto wire rack.
• Cool completely before frosting

Frosting:

• In a large bowl,beat butter and cream cheese with an electric mixer at medium speed until smooth.
• Add strawberry extract beating until combined.
• Add food coloring until desired color is reached
• Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until smooth.