After making margaritas the other day I realized that we have triple sec just sitting around. By we I mean my friends whose house I bake at on a frequent basis. Minor correction. My friends had triple sec sitting around and who knew when we were going to make margaritas again. Too much lime squeezing for poor Migs to merit making them all the time.
Inspired by the triple sec, I decided I would make some Chocolate Orange Cupcakes like the Chocolate Chambord Cupcakes I made a while back and which is, by the way, one of my most popular posts (which I know is making you laugh because there are about 3 people who read this blog). In any case, I didn’t have any orange marmalade to substitute for the raspberry jam in the other cupcakes, so I decided to make some. I knew there were leftover oranges from some sangria and I figured it couldn’t be that hard. It turns out it’s not and I think the marmalade came out pretty well.
If you make these, however, you should feel free to skip the homemade marmalade part and just buy the marmalade from the store since it’s sure to be quite a bit faster. Also, the chocolate was a bit too powerful for the orange taste to really come through in the frosting and cupcakes so maybe using Cointreau is the way to go instead of triple sec. I haven’t tried it yet but I bet it would work well. If anyone does try it, let me know how it goes!
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (adapted from Ming Makes Cupcakes and Heartland Trails)
1 cup flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup sugar
1 egg
¾ cup milk
1 tsp vanilla
1 Tbsp Cointreau liqueur or triple sec
Directions:
1) Preheat the oven to 350ºF
2) Mix flour, unsweetened cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a mixing bowl
3) In a separate bowl, cream together butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy
4) Reduce speed to low and add vanilla and egg
5) Add milk and dry ingredients alternately while still mixing
6) Mix in jam and liqueur
7) Pour batter into lined cupcake pans, fill about ¾ full
8) Bake for 15-20 minutes or until toothpick comes out almost clean
2 medium oranges
½ lemon, zest and juice
2 cups water
1 ½ cups sugar
Directions:
1) Thoroughly wash the oranges and lemon. Using a mandoline, (or a sharp knife) cut the oranges in 1/8-inch slices. Remove any seeds, stack the orange slices and cut them into eighths.
2) Place the oranges (and any orange juice left from cutting), water, lemon zest and lemon juice in a pot and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce the heat to a rapid simmer and cook for 40 minutes, stirring frequently until fruit becomes very soft. Meanwhile, place a small plate in the freezer.
3) Increase the temperature, bringing the marmalade back to a full boil. Stir in the sugar. Using a candy thermometer continue stirring until the mixture reaches 220° F. (I will admit I skipped this part because I don’t have a candy thermometer but it came out fine) The marmalade will darken in color and thicken after approximately 15-20 minutes.
4) To test the readiness, place a teaspoon of the marmalade on the chilled plate and let it sit for 30 seconds. Tilt the plate. If the marmalade is thick and "jelly-like" it is done, if it runs, then continue cooking.
5) If you have leftovers after the cupcakes, the marmalade can be stored in the refrigerator, in containers with tight-fitting lids for up to a month.
½ cup butter (1 stick)
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups confectioner's sugar
1 tsp vanilla
¼ cup milk
1/8 cup Cointreau liqueur
Directions:
1) In a saucepan or in the microwave soften the butter until almost melted
2) Using a hand mixer, mix in cocoa and confectioner's sugar
3) Add milk and vanilla and continue mixing on low speed
4) Add in Cointreau and mix until frosting is smooth
5) Frost cupcakes and top with a dollop of jam (or fill cupcakes with jam before frosting).
