Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Blood Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

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

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pans with paper liners (or just grease ‘em if you like naked cupcakes).
2. 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.
3. 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.
4. Fill cupcake wells ²/₃ full with batter.
5. 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.
6. Allow cupcakes to cool in pans for 10 minutes. Then transfer cupcakes to wire rack and allow to cool completely.
7. 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.
8. Add blood orange oil and salt, mixing well to combine.
9. With the mixer on low, gradually add the confectioners’ sugar, mixing until the everything is combined.
10. 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!)
11. Pipe or spread frosting on the cooled cupcakes. Scatter sprinkles on top, if you like.
12. Refrigerate the cupcakes until you’re ready to serve them. Take them out of the fridge 30–45 minutes prior to eating.

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Cupcakes adapted from: Valrhona
Frosting adapted from: Sugar Spun Run