Baking with oranges? A sure win. Enjoy these fluffy soft cupcakes with a heavy hint of citrus for breakfast, tea or pop them in your child’s lunch box.
I first found the original recipe on …YouTube. I don’t watch YouTube much for anything actually but there are some really good recipes with full on tutorials on there. It was quite an experience though watching a full video of about 2 minutes compared to the 15-second reels on Instagram!
I say original recipe as I’ve tweaked it to my preference after 3 tries. We enjoyed each batch however the last batch is the recipe I’m putting down here…and it is by far the BEST batch. First up, get good oranges. I find the Valencia bunch the best value for money.
Second top tip is we want a nice 4 tablespoons of orange zest so that’s about from 2 oranges (depending on size). With this recipe you get a nice hit of the citrusy flavour in each bite – and that is largely due to the amount of orange zest.
Of course we will also need fresh orange juice which will further enhance the flavour.
As an optional step you can add some chocolate chips on top. Don’t go overboard and add too much as remember the oranges are the star of the show here. Too much chocolate will minimise the citrus flavour of the cupcake.
The cupcake itself is nice, soft and fluffy. I have quite a few cupcake recipes on this site depending on what you prefer. These moist chocolates ones are always a hit, as are these banana ones I make especially when the bananas are sitting sadly in the kitchen. These plain vanilla ones are simple and easy to bake as are these nutella ones if that catches your fancy. Most recently we’ve also discovered that we are huge fans of these cream cheese ones. Try them and let me know if you do!
Did you try this recipe?
Please do let me know if you've tried it, by leaving a comment or tagging me on IG @thesuddencook.
Orange Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 115 g butter (room temperature)
- 200 g sugar
- 4 tbsp orange zest Grate two oranges
- 2 eggs
- 220 g plain flour
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup milk
- 100 ml fresh orange juice Juice 2 oranges
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 175C.
- Place butter, sugar and orange zest into a mixing bowl. Beat until all ingredients are mixed together well.
- Add in eggs one by one. Beat well. Sift in flour, baking powder and salt. Continue to mix well. Scrape down the sides of the mixing bowl with a spatula.
- Add in milk and orange juice. Mix well. Place about 3 tbsp of batter into each muffin case. Place a few chocolate chips on top (optional).Bake for 15 -18 minutes in preheated oven until tops are golden brown and the inside is nice, light and fluffy.
Notes
- I like to buy the Valencia oranges as I find them sweet.
- We like it with 4 tbsp zest (about two oranges). If you reduce the amount you will get less of the orangy hit.
- Don't put too many chocolate chips if using as they can overpower the orange taste.
- Every oven is different. I use a 175C temp and bake for 15 mins until a nice golden top forms.
