Chocolate Orange Ginger Happiness

The best part about this cupcake is eating this cupcake.  This cupcake has depth of flavors and a lot of dimension.  The orange really comes through with the chocolate but the ginger is more subtle and you would think it would be really gingery with 2 tablespoons of fresh ginger but it really sits nicely in the corner.  Nobody put baby in a corner but ginger is happy to be there in this cupcake.  This is one of those cupcakes that can impress.  It was impressive just eating it and realizing that we made it.

The recipe makes 12-48 cupcakes depending on the size of the tin and the frosting is enough with a little to put in a bowl and eat with a spoon like a fine bisque.   We made 24 cupcakes in a medium size normal cupcake tin, not 12 cupcakes in a tin large enough to feed Bigfoot and his family only. This is a share all recipe that everyone needs to make.  It's not hard and really makes you feel like you should own your own bakery.

Vegan Chocolate Ginger Orange Cupcakes


3 cups of flour (unbleached if you have it - if your like us then bleached is fine)
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon of salt
2 cups natural cane sugar
1 cup of water
2/3 cup of cold fresh brewed coffee (brew and refrigerate worked for us)
1 cup of oil (we used sunflower)
2 tablespoons of vanilla extract
4 tablespoons of grated 'orange peel (we used the zest from two whole medium oranges)
1 tablespoon of orange juice (if you have a citrus press you can use the oranges as mentioned above)
4 tablespoons of cider vinegar

Preheat the oven to 375.  Mix your dry ingredients and whisk to combine.  Add water, oil, vanilla, orange juice, ginger and orange peel.  Mix to combine.  Add vinegar and stir quickly to combine.  It will be foamy and lighter in color.  DON'T FREAK OUT, like we did.  Once the mix turns back to a darker color then you know everything is now okay and you have incorporated all of the vinegar and not ruined these mix.  Pour into your cupcakes tins and bake for 15 minutes.  Let them cool prior to icing.

Fra-Fra-Frosting


1 cup of vegan margarine
4 cups of powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla
1 tablespoon of orange juice (feel free to use the juice from your oranges from above)
4 tablespoons of soymilk
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons of cocoa powder
a pinch of salt

Blend the margarine in a mixer until creamy, add in powdered sugar a little at a time until combined (we did it in three additions).  Add remaining ingredients until creamy and amazing.

Guess what? You're ready to put the frosting on that cupcake.

This is a cupcake for all occasions.  We found that a little orange zest on top added a little zing of flavor.  To give your cupcakes the spiked out party til the break of dawn look just use a knife to spread the frosting and then in a snap of the wrist motion tap the frosting and pull back...ummm yeah just like that.

Listen to some awesome music, Mariachi El Bronx was this evening's background, and you'll find that you won't need a Yankee candle when you are baking these cupcakes.  Your house will smell amazing.

Tip of the day: when someone yells duck, always do it.

Until next time sugar kisses and cupcake dreams.