Is there any combination better than orange and dark chocolate?? Well, maybe peanut butter and chocolate. But orange and dark chocolate is a close second! You know those chocolate oranges you get at Christmas? That you have to smack on the table to open? These cupcakes are like those. Only even better. The tartness of the orange combined with the richness of the chocolate is perfection.

I don’t know about you guys, but I love fresh fruit. It’s one of my favorite parts of summer! Unfortunately, the selection of delicious fresh fruit is diminished during the winter months here, and I feel like I’ve been eating oranges forever! I’m getting tired of them. I just want some pineapple and strawberries and mangos…is this too much to ask?!

I had a whole bag of Minneola Tangelos staring back at me, making feel guilty about wanting fresh fruit. I had some right here! These guys are a cross between a tangerine and a grapefruit. They’re super juicy, a little tart and such a perfect color. I decided to bake with them instead of letting them go to waste, and introduced them to my best friend: chocolate.

For the cupcake I needed more than just a normal chocolate cake. I wanted the rich-fudgy-ultra-chocolatey flavor. I found these Death By Chocolate Cupcakes from Sally’s Baking Addiction and they were perfect. Just look at all that chocolate goodness!

I added fresh squeezed orange juice into both the cupcake batter and the buttercream frosting, however you could use store-bought orange juice as well. If you don’t have buttermilk on hand (I know I never do) you can just as easily make your own! See how here. Also I should mention that this cupcake batter is thick. Like, really thick. Not like the batter you’re used to. Don’t worry about it, it’s going to taste delicious.

Let’s not forget to mention the health benefits here. You’ve got vitamin C in the oranges and antioxidants in the dark chocolate. I’m no dietician, but I’m pretty sure these cupcakes are a healthy snack! At least I’m going to tell myself that as I go devour another one 😉 Enjoy!

~Stephanie

Dark Chocolate Orange Cupcakes (cupcake base from Sally’s Baking Addiction)

Cupcakes

• 1/2 c butter
• 2 oz semisweet baking chocolate
• 1/2 c cocoa powder
• 3/4 c flour
• 1/2 tsp soda
• 3/4 tsp powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 c brown sugar
• 1/2 c sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 c buttermilk
• juice of one orange (~1/4 c)

Orange Buttercream Frosting

• 1/2 c butter (softened)
• juice of one orange (~1/4 c)
• 3 c powdered sugar
• 1 tsp orange zest

1. Melt butter and chocolate together. Set aside to let cool.
2. Combine cocoa powder, flour, soda, powder and salt.
3. In separate bowl, mix eggs, both sugars and vanilla.
4. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk into wet ingredients until all is combined.
5. Bake at 350 18-20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.
6. For Frosting: Combine all ingredients and beat until proper  consistency. Add more or less powdered sugar to taste. Frost cupcakes and decorate as desire (I used orange zest and shaved dark chocolate pieces).