
Yield: 18–24 cupcakes, depending on size
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:
- 1 cup (227g) hot coffee
- ¼ cup (25g) Valrhona (or other Dutch-process) cocoa powder*
- 2 Tbsp (10g) black cocoa*
- 1 cup (227g) whole milk, room temp
- 1 cup (198g) neutral oil
- 2 eggs, room temp
- 2 ¼ cups (270g) all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups (295g) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
Blood Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:
- ½ cup (113g) unsalted butter, softened
- 8 ounces (226g) full fat cream cheese, softened
- 1 tsp LorAnn Blood Orange Oil
- ¼ tsp salt
- 4 cups (454g) confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- gel food colouring, optional
*If you don’t have black cocoa on hand, you can simply use 3/8 cup (35g) Dutch-process cocoa powder total.
Directions
- Heat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners (or just grease ‘em if you like naked cupcakes).
- In a large bowl, whisk coffee, cocoa powder, and black cocoa to dissolve cocoas. Mix milk and oil in a small bowl, then add to coffee/cocoa mixture. Next, mix in eggs. Set aside.
- Sift flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium bowl. Fold dry mixture into wet ingredients in large bowl and beat until smooth.
- Fill cupcake wells 2/3 full with batter.
- Bake for 10–15 minutes, depending on cupcake size. Cupcakes are done when a wooden pick inserted in the centre comes out clean with only a few fluffy crumbs attached.
- Allow cupcakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then transfer cupcakes to wire rack and allow to cool completely.
- Once the cupcakes are totally cool, make the frosting. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat butter and cream cheese until creamy and free of lumps.
- Add blood orange oil and salt, mixing well to combine.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, mixing until the everything is combined.
- Stir in food colouring, if desired. (We made one batch of our frosting light orange to highlight the flavour profile. We made the other batch golden yellow for the Steelers!)
- Pipe or spread frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Scatter sprinkles on top, if you like.
- Refrigerate the cupcakes until you’re ready to serve them. Take them out of the fridge 30–45 minutes prior to eating.
Did you try this recipe? Tag @fikabrodbox or #fikabrödbox!
Cupcakes adapted from: Valrhona
Frosting adapted from: Sugar Spun Run

Leave a Reply