Ingredients
Scale
- INGREDIENTS FOR CUPCAKES
- 3 cups cake flour
- 1 tbsp. baking powder
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1 vanilla bean split long ways
- 2 sticks unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 cups sugar
- 5 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 1/3 cups buttermilk (room temperature)
- 1 tbsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. orange extract
- 1/2 tsp. orange zest
- INGREDIENTS FOR CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- 9 oz. chopped bittersweet chocolate
- 1 cup heavy whipped cream
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- INGREDIENTS FOR BUTTERCREAM ICING
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 stick unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 tbsp. whipping cream
- 1 tsp. orange zest
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 tsp. orange extract
- INGREDIENTS FOR CANDIED ORANGE SLICES
- 1 1/2 cups water
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 3–4 Oranges cut into half moon slices
Instructions
- DIRECTIONS FOR CUPCAKES
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- In a bowl, whisk together your dry ingredients (cake flour, baking powder, salt)
- In a separate bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the vanilla beans to the butter and beat.
- TIP: Those vanilla bean seeds can be very difficult to get out of its pod. But what I did was split the bean down the middle, split it in half, take one half of the bean and open it up, take the back of a knife (not the sharp part) and scrap the seeds out of it. It is so much easier that way.
- With the vanilla bean added to the butter, slowly add the sugar. Your mixture should start to become fluffy.
- Start to beat in the eggs one at a time. Before adding the next egg, make sure that the each one is blended well. Make sure you scrape down the sides of the bowl as you go along.
- Add the buttermilk and beat.
- NOTE: If your buttermilk is cold, your mixture will start to take on curdled effect. It won’t look good. So make sure that your milk is at room temperature. When baking, it is always better that your milk, butter, and milk are at room temperature.
- Now that all of your wet ingredients are combined, start to add your dry ingredients slowly.
- Lastly, add your extracts and orange zest.
- Start to fill your cupcakes tins 2/3 of the way.
- Bake for 15- 18 minutes or until your toothpick is clean.
- Allow the cupcakes to cool before icing.
- DIRECTIONS FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE
- In a saucepan, warm up your cream
- Once your cream is really warm, pour over chocolate.
- Begin to stir with a spoon slowly. Keep stirring until the chocolate is dissolved. It will be a little thin. But as it starts to cool down, it will begin to thicken.
- Place the ganache in a squeeze bottle so you can squeeze over the cupcakes.
- DIRECTIONS FOR BUTTERCREAM
- Add all ingredients together and blend slowly pouring in the whipping cream to reach desired consistency.
- DIRECTIONS FOR CANDIED ORANGE SLICES
- In a large heavy skillet, bring the water and sugar to a boil. Then add the orange slices.
- Turn every few minutes and let simmer for about 30 minutes.
- The water and sugar will start to look “syrupy” and your orange slices will start to look glassy. That is how you know they are just about done.
- Place the orange slices on a cooling rack and save the rest of the syrup for later use. You can use the syrup for whatever you like.
- Once the orange slices are cooled just enough to move, place them in the refrigerator until it is time to garnish.
- Now that you have all the compartments complete, let’s assemble this cupcake.
- Assembly
- Pour the ganache over the cupcakes. It is okay if it runs off the sides. Before icing the cupcakes, allow to cool.
- Ice the cupcakes with the butter cream icing. Finally, add the candied orange slices. Before you serve let chill once again. And TA-DA! There you have it!
- Boy, am I pooped! These cupcakes take some time don’t they?
- Enjoy!