Orange Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

These cupped cakes are loaded with the brightness of orange. They are super fragrant and and have a moist, dewy crumb. Cream cheese adds a sort of fresh that can only complement the citrus here.

Minus the frosting, these could make for some mindblowing breakfast muffins.

Orange Cupcakes~
Ingredients:

• 1 stick (1/2 cup) unsalted butter. softened
• 1 c sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 1/2 c all purpose flour
• 3 tbsp cornstarch
• 2 tsp orange rind
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 c orange juice

Method:

• Preheat oven to 350° F,
• Using either stand or hand held electric mixer set to medium high,combine butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla until combined and creamed together.
• In another bowl sift together flour, cornstarch, rind, baking powder and salt until well distributed.
• By keeping mixer speed at medium, alternate by adding dry ingredients with orange juice into the butter/egg mixture, gradually beating with each addition until all ingredients are combined and batter is smooth .
• Spoon batter into cupcake lined pans, 3/4th full for each.
• Place cupcakes in preheated oven for 15 minutes or until done.
• Allow cupcakes to cool on a wire rack.

Makes 12 cupcakes.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting~

Ingredients:

• 1 8 oz package cream cheese, softened 
• 1/2 c butter, softened
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tsp orange juice
• 2 tsp grated orange zest
• 3-4 c confectioner's sugar 

Method:

• In the bowl of an electric mixer, beat cream cheese, butter, vanilla, orange juice and zest on medium speed until light and fluffy.
• Reduce to low speed and add confectioner's sugar, gradually, one cup at a time, beating well with each addition.
• Increase speed to medium high and beat until smooth, adding more sugar if needed to get a slightly thick consistency to pipe onto cupcakes.
• Put frosting into pastry bag fitted with large star tip and start from the center of the cupcake, working your way around, circling entire area of each cake. Move the tip concentrically around the center until you loop and reach the outer rim and edge of cupcake.
• Garnish with orange rind or orange slices (optional).

Notes:

Instead of piping you could spread on frosting with spatula in which case you could make do by halving the frosting recipe, for 12 cupcakes. 

The number 17 is nothing but melted candy melts piped onto wax paper. After it dried hard, I placed it on a cake.

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"Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13: 4-8 (NIV)