Wanting to make these cupcakes a little bit more special than just a frosting topped sponge, I included a few extra delicious element providing a range of different textures. Firstly the chocolate-orange Victoria sponge was marbled with a vanilla
sponge. The baked sponge was partially hollowed out and filled with a chocolate orange ganache. The cupcakes were then topped with a vanilla buttercream swirl before having a chocolate orange glaze drizzled over them. They were then finished with a Terry's chocolate orange segment. The vanilla elements helped to lighten these chocolate packed cupcakes,
producing a delicious cake which really worked.
The chocolate orange ganache itself was delicious. Having made the creamy chocolate mixture I sampled it and soon found that I'd eaten two or three teaspoons of it! Beware it's seriously yummy! The quantity below makes a little more than you will need to fill the nine cupcakes but any remaining ganache could be shaped into a few handmade truffles....that's if you have more will power than I do 😉
Even though there may seem to be many elements to these chocolate orange marbled cupcakes, each element takes only a few short minutes and are straightforward to make. After a little effort you are rewarded with a batch of lovely cupcakes which will be warmly accepted by those who you choose to share them with.
Now, I'll openly admit that these delicious cupcakes may contain a few calories, but who's counting? If you fancy having a cupcake you might as well have one with bells and whistles. As Mum and Mr E often say, "you only get one sit on the swing so you may as well have a push 😉"
If you love the classic chocolate orange flavour combo then these cupcakes are for you! They're packed with the delicious Terry's chocolate
orange flavour presented with different textures; a sponge, silky smooth ganache, a shiny glaze and a solid chocolate orange segment.
So let's get to it and bake!
Chocolate Orange Marbled Cupcakes. Yum
Yield: 9 cupcakes
Serves: 9
Difficulty: Easy
Time: hands on time about 45 minutes; plus 20 - 23 minutes bake time; cooling time.
Freezable: Yes, undecorated
Storage: Airtight container for 3 or 4 days, ideally in the fridge due to the cream. Serve at room temperature.
You will need:
2 Mixing Bowls
Electric Hand Held Beater (optional)
Wooden Spoon
Sieve
Spatula or large Metal Spoon
Muffin Sized Paper Cases
Muffin Baking Tray
Piping Bag
Piping Nozzle (I used a star shape)
Glass Mixing Bowl
Pan
For the sponge mixture
140g Unsalted Butter, softened
70g Golden Caster Sugar
70g Caster Sugar
3 large Eggs, beaten
2 tablespoon Milk
1 capful Orange Extract
70g + 55g SR Flour
15g Cocoa Powder
For the chocolate orange ganache
120ml Cream (either single or double)
1 whole Terry's Chocolate Orange (157g) (I used the milk chocolate version)
For the buttercream
150g Softened Butter
300g Icing Sugar
1 capful Vanilla Extract
1 tablespoon Milk
For the chocolate orange drizzle
7 Terry's Chocolate Orange Segments (I used the milk chocolate version)
1 - 2 tablespoon milk
For the orange segment decoration
9 Terry's Chocolate Orange Segments (I used the milk chocolate version)
How to make them:
1. Make the chocolate ganache. Pour the cream into a pan and set over a medium heat. Allow the cream to heat through but avoid letting it boil. Meanwhile break the segments from the chocolate orange into small pieces. Place into a bowl. Pour the heated cream over the chocolate. Use a teaspoon to stir the ganache, gradually the chocolate will melt and the ganache will become smooth. Once the chocolate is completely melted and the ganache is smooth, set aside to cool and firm up.
2. Pre-heat the oven to 190c / Fan 170c / Gas 5. Place the paper muffin cases into the muffin tray.
3. Start to make the sponge. Place
the
softened butter and sugar into a good sized bowl and beat together with a
wooden spoon or electric beaters until pale and fluffy. Gradually add
the beaten egg a little
at a time, beating well after each addition. Place half of the beaten mixture into a second bowl.
4. Finish the vanilla sponge. In first bowl add a tablespoon of milk and the vanilla extract. Beat the mixture again. Sieve 70g of flour into the
bowl and fold in gently using a large metal spoon or spatula. Ensure
that there are no white pockets of unmixed flour in the bottom of the
bowl. The batter should be smooth.
5. Finish the chocolate orange sponge.
In second bowl add a tablespoon of milk and the orange extract. Beat
the mixture again. Sieve the 55g of flour and 15g of cocoa powder into the
bowl and fold in gently using a large metal spoon or spatula. Ensure
that there are no pockets of unmixed flour and cocoa in the bottom of
the
bowl. The batter should be smooth, chocolaty and streak free.
6. Fill the paper cases.
Use a teaspoon to fill the paper cases. Place half a teaspoon of the
vanilla batter into the paper case followed by half a teaspoon of
chocolate orange batter. Continue filling the cases alternating between the two batters until the paper case are around half
to two-thirds full. You may decide to weigh
each muffin to ensure equal sizes. Each filled paper case will weigh
about 64g.
7. Marble the two batter. Run the handle of a teaspoon through the two batters to ripple. Avoid over mixing.
8. Bake.
Place the muffin tray in the pre-heated oven and bake for about 20 - 23
minutes. You may need to rotate the tray after 15 minutes of baking.
Remove the tray from the oven once the cupcakes are fully baked, the sponge will spring back when gently touched.
Carefully remove each cupcake from the baking tray hollow and place on a
cooling tray.
9. Fill the cupcakes with chocolate orange ganache.
Once the cakes are completely cold and the ganache has firmed up, take a sharp knife and cut a circle out of the top of each cake about
1cm from the edge. Set the sponge tops aside. Use the prongs of a fork to scrape out a little more of the sponge if necessary to make a slightly deeper hole, though avoid going too deep. Use a teaspoon to place some thickened chocolate orange ganache into the cupcake's hollow. Replace the sponge tops.
10. Make the vanilla buttercream. Place
the softened butter into a good sized bowl. Beat the butter either with
a wooden spoon or handheld beater until it is soft enough to
incorporate the icing sugar. Sieve most of the icing sugar
into the butter. Use a wooden spoon to combine the two ingredients.
Once combined beat well to create a creamy frosting. Taste and add
the rest of the icing sugar if necessary. Add a tablespoon of milk and vanilla extract and beat again. Spoon the mixture
into a piping bag fitted with a star nozzle.
11. Decorate the cupcakes with the frosting. Pipe a swirl of the vanilla buttercream frosting onto the top of each cupcake.
12. Make the chocolate orange drizzle. Break up the chocolate
orange segments into pieces and place into a glass bowl. Suspend the
bowl over a pan of water, ensuring the water
doesn't touch the base of the bowl. Sit the pan and bowl over a low
heat and allow the chocolate to melt, stirring regularly. Once the chocolate has melted remove the bowl from the pan. Add a tablespoon of milk to the melted chocolate. Stir the mixture thoroughly, it will seem as though the chocolate is seizing but thorough stirring will bring it back to being smooth and glossy. Add a little more milk as necessary, you're aiming for the chocolate to drizzle nicely from the spoon but without being too runny.
13. Finish the cupcakes. Use a teaspoon to drizzle some of the chocolate over the buttercream frosting. Sit a chocolate orange segment into the top of each cupcake.
Enjoy!
Notes:
a) If you prefer your cupcakes to have a stronger
chocolate flavour, simply remove a dessert spoon of flour (from the 55g batch) and replace it
with the same quantity of cocoa.
b) The ganache can take a couple of hours to firm up sufficiently. To speed this up simply cover the cooled ganache and place in the fridge for about 30 - 60 minutes until it is firm enough to spoon into the cupcakes.
c) If you have any ganache remaining after filling the cupcake hollows, consider using the remnants to make a few homemade truffles.
Jenny - Monkey and Mouse
Mmm, yumm! I love the look of these and the extra elements with the chocolate orange ganache and glaze sound mouth wateringly delicious! Thanks so much for linking these up to #Howtosundays x
Leandra Bramham
Oh wow these look delicious! #howtosunday
Blissful Domestication
These look and sound amazing! I'm trying to be good at the mo, so will have to wait for a special occasion to try them out x #HowtoSunday
Sarah James
You got me at chocolate and orange Angela, always a winning combination and your cupcakes look so pretty as well as delicious. Thanks for sharing x
Rebecca Beesley
wowee how amazing do these look! Fabulous photos. x
MissPond
I absolutely LOVE Terry's Chocolate Orange (It's definitely mine)! I shall be pinning these to make in the future 🙂 #BakeOfTheWeek
Pebble Soup
What a great bake, if mum said so, you can add it to the inheritance recipes challenge. 2 posts per bloggers, double the chances and moreover we love your recipes
Jo
These sound seriously delicious. The chocolate orange ganache definitely adds a touch of luxury. I think I'd find it difficult to stop at one cupcake!
Coriander Queen
Oh my goodness these look amazing, chocolate oranges are the best - and in a cupcake as well? YUM!!
Kirsty Hijacked By Twins
Simply delicious! I do have a weak spot for chocolate orange, it is such a perfect flavour combination! Thank you for sharing with #CookBlogShare x
Honest Mum
They look utterly incredible!
Alison
How pretty do these look. Almost too pretty to eat, but not quite!
Cliona Keane
OH WOW! These look completely amazing! My mouth is watering and I have sudden very strong chocolate cravings 😉 Will definitely be rolling this recipe out for friends and family soon 🙂 x
Eb Gargano
Oh my - these look gorgeous!! I bet they taste amazing...I love the chocolate orange combo. Eb x
Jasmin Charlotte
Wow these look amazing! Chocolate orange is one of my fave flavours, I love having it at Christmas especially!
Jasmin Charlotte
Jenny
i adore chocolate orange and will eat pretty much anything with these flavours! your cupcakes look so pretty - and pretty tasty! x