Chocolate dipped chocolate cupcakes with orange cream cheese frosting
4 Mar
Editor’s Note: I’ve reworked this cupcake recipe to make it IMMENSELY better, so if you want to make Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Orange Cupcakes, check out the updated recipe here!
Chocolate Dipped Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
Yield: 20 cupcakes
Cupcake Ingredients
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
2/3 cup dark cocoa
1 tbsp. ground coffee
3/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
3/4 cup dark brown sugar
2 large eggs
1/2 cup orange juice
3/4 cup sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract
Frosting Ingredients
4 oz. cream cheese, softened
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened
6 tbsp. orange juice
1 tsp orange extract
5 cups powdered sugar
orange food color (gel preferred)
Chocolate Dip Ingredients
4 oz semisweet chocolate
2 tbsp heavy cream
4 tbsp powdered sugar
4-5 tbsp water, warm
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and position the racks toward the center. Combine flour, cocoa, coffee, baking powder and salt in a bowl; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter and brown sugar until fluffy and light. Add eggs, one at a time, and beat until combined. Add sour cream and vanilla; beat until smooth.
On low speed, add flour mixture and orange juice alternatively, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.
Spread batter into prepared cupcake tins. Bake 18 minutes, until inserted toothpick comes out nearly clean. Allow to cool completely before frosting.
For the frosting, beat cream cheese and butter on medium-high speed. Add orange juice and orange coloring; continue to beat until smooth. Add powdered sugar gradually, and beat on medium-high speed about 5 minutes.
Pipe frosting onto cupcakes and freeze at least 15 minutes before dipping into chocolate.
For the chocolate dip, place chocolate and heavy cream in a bowl over simmering water. Let chocolate and cream sit for 2-3 minutes to melt without stirring. Then slowly stir mixture to combine. Add powdered sugar and mix to combine. Add water 1 tablespoon at a time, mixing after each addition until pouring consistency is reached. Set aside and let sauce cool to warm. Taking the cupcakes out of the freezer one at a time, dip the tops of the cupcakes into the chocolate and pull up with a slight twirl, catching any additional chocolate. Decorate with sprinkles if desired.
(Cake recipe inspired by , chocolate dip adapted from Bakers Royale)
Sigh. At one point in the night, I tweeted that if the frosting had a face, I would punch it. Five cups of powdered sugar, and I could not get the frosting to firm up. I decided to avoid putting anyone into a sugar coma, so I stopped at five cups and just made do. In the recipe, I say to pipe the frosting onto the cupcakes. Well, I would have been better off just spooning it on. Argh.
That said, Ray and I each sampled a cupcake, and I have to say the flavor saves it all. And if nothing else, this is a recipe I can always work to perfect.
Okay, I have to write this while the flavor is still wandering around my mouth. This was perhaps my favorite cupcake of all, which is saying a lot, because each one has been superb. Partly it’s because I’m a chocolate cake fanatic, but mostly because it hit all the right notes for a dense chocolate cake, with the strong, wonderful presence of dark cocoa! And like your earlier cupcakes, this cake had some real substance and weight to it, which I what a definitely prefer.
The frosting, despite the hurdles you describe, actually was delightful, both in appearance (the orange and black) and the wonderful cream cheese flavored taste. Now I know why Mike made the early call to devour 3 of these chocolate wonders . . .
I agree with the opposite of everything Melissa said. The frosting was easily my favorite part: strong and tart, it tastes exactly like an orange creamcicle, with a bit of the cream cheese flavor at the front. The chocolate dip was also rich and a perfect complement to the orange.
The cupcake was a little dry, and the chocolate flavor wasn’t as pronounced as in the past. This could partially be due to the overwhelming strength of the frosting, or the overwhelming tastebud-dulling power of my upper respiratory infection.
While good, this was my least favorite cupcake so far. But I’m still thankful for it, as the orange juice in the frosting is the closest I’ll come to vitamin C this week.
Ok, Melissa. I’ve officially decided what your greatest cupcake-related skill is: pairing cake and icing recipes that are perfect compliments to one another (in flavor and texture). I so so appreciate a cupcake that is sweet, but not too sweet, and this has been achieved in every cupcake I’ve taste-tested so far. ::applause::
This cupcake was fab. I see what you’re saying about the consistency of the icing, but good shout on stopping with the powdered sugar – I thought the end result was a great texture (not too heavy) and, as I already mentioned, not too sweet that I’m in sugar-shock. Great orange flavor, too. I think the chocolate ganache made this cupcake for me. The cake was yummy and dense, but when I tasted it by itself, it took me almost full chew-time to experience the chocolate cocoa flavor of the cake in all its glory. However, when I ate the cake together with the orange cream cheese and chocolate ganache, I got the chocolate/orange flavor that I wanted at first taste, and then the flavor in the cake came in at the end and provided the perfect finish to each bite.
Yum, yum and yum.
The highlight of this delightful dessert for me was the icing, per usual. It REALLY tasted like orange sherbert, which is an amazing flavor. The chocolate on top of the frosting was a great combo with the orange flavor. I really dug it.
The cake was good too, for sure, but my personal preference is a milk chocolate flavor, not dark chocolate so it was a bit overwhelming for me. Also, not the hugest fan of coffee flavor, which is why I’ve never been a coffee drinker, but I think the coffee flavor was subtle and more of an aftertaste.
Regardless, when the cake mixed with the icing, it was a very good combination of flavors. I really enjoyed it. Another mission accomplished.
The first thing I noticed about this week’s cupcake was its heft-a lot for such a little cake. I liked the denseness of the cake, just the right thing for a cold morning, and the chocolate was appropriately subtle. I really don’t like milk chocolate much at all, so this worked well. The frosting was maybe my 2nd favorite you’ve made for us, Again, flavorful without being overwhelming. And, just about the right conistency, although in warmer, humid conditions, it would probably melt more easily.
If I had to tweet about this cupcake, it would be one word: Winning!
Sorry, no tiger blood needed here.
Everyone reading this blog: I did not eat three cupcakes. The extra two I didn’t eat are for some friends who are visiting.
BEST PART: The orange frosting. Very good and different.
ALSO THE BEST PART: Unpunishing sweetness. This cupcake wasn’t as sweet as some of the others, which I thought was nice. Not that the other cakes were too sweet, this one just had a different “flavor profile” is all. Smoother and quieter, if that makes sense.
ALSO THE BEST PART: The whole cupcake overall was really good. I like the cake, chocolate and everything.
MINOR ISSUE: I know you mentioned you had trouble with it above, but there was a slight granularity in the frosting. Nothing major, and it definitely tasted awesome, just a little grainy here and there.
OVERALL: This was an awesome cupcake. I semi-agree with Kyle: This cupcake wasn’t “Punch an orphan out of joyous rage” good like the Limoncello ones were, but it was still super-good. I feel like it’s a strong, different flavor that’s worth mastering and would be good offering at your bakery.
This cupcake is just what the doctor ordered after a stressful week. Chocolate delight. As usual, I LOVED the icing. Everyone was pretty right on with their descriptions (this is what happens when you’re the last to respond). The only thing that was different about this cupcake was, it was a little messy to eat. When I unwrapped it, it was a little crumbly (but, the cupcake did not have a dry taste) and the icing was moving around and dripping off the cupcake. This may be because I didn’t eat the cupcake until 10:30 a.m. (I think it was) and I believe it was placed on my desk at 8:00 a.m. No one else mentioned any difficulty so that is my theory. Nevertheless, it was well worth every bite…another success!
Yet another cupcake that fulfills all of its promises! The orange pops right out at you as soon as you bite down, while the roasty chocolatiness slowly fills your mouth and lingers just long enough for you to think, “Oh man, y’know what’d be great with this? Some orange! Hey wait here’s some right here!”
And then you run out of cupcake and you are sad.
- The Huzz Band