Chocolate Orange Buttercream Topped Cupcakes

 

Chocolate orange buttercream is something I made for the first time for my birthday cake last year by adding a melted Terry's Chocolate Orange to standard buttercream.  It was unbelievably delicious.  I then made it for the cupcakes I brought in for my colleagues at work when we were working the Boxing Day shift.  They went down extremely well and I was asked for the recipe and to make them again a few weeks later.  I've not really made it since, mainly because getting hold of a chocolate orange that is not ridiculously expensive at this time of year is a bit hard.

However, tomorrow I am working the Bank Holiday shift and figured I would make cakes to take with me.  I really wanted to make the chocolate orange buttercream but really didn't want to fork out the money for a chocolate orange (our food bill is already high enough).  After uhming and ahhing, I decided that, since I had milk chocolate left over from a previous bake and orange extract sitting in my cupboard, I would try and create a mock version of it.

What can I say?  It was a complete success!  You can't taste the difference at all.  It's deliciously chocolatey and orangey.  The boyfriend even said it could be better than the original.  So yay!  Hopefully they'll pass the test tomorrow.  My work colleagues also agreed they couldn't taste the difference and my supervisor, who also bakes, wanted the recipe.

 

Recipe - makes 12:

For the cupcakes, I used my standard recipe.

For the buttercream:

• 140g/5oz butter
• 280g/10oz icing sugar
• 100g/3.5oz milk chocolate
• 1 tsp orange extract
• Edible golden pearls or other decoration of your choosing (optional) 

1. Melt the milk chocolate in a bowl placed over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally.
2. Set aside to cool.
3. Mix the butter, icing sugar and orange extract together until very smooth and creamy.
4. Add the cooled chocolate and stir into the buttercream until well combined.
5. Put into an icing bag fitted with a large star nozzle and pipe swirls on top of the cooled cupcakes.
6. Add decorations if using.