Chocolate Orange Spooky Spider Cupcakes

INGREDIENTS

CUPCAKE

• 200g unsalted butter
• 200g caster sugar
• 4 large eggs
• 150g self-raising flour
• 50g cocoa powder
• Zest of orange
• Juice ½ orange

 

ICING

• 250g unsalted butter
• 500g icing sugar
• Juice ½ orange
• Zest of orange
• 3-4 drops orange food colouring

 

DECORATION

• 200g dark chocolate
• 50ml double cream
• 6 Oreo cookies
• Optional: white and black readymade writing icing

METHOD

1. Line a muffin tin with 12 deep cupcake cases and preheat the oven to 180 degrees fan.
2. Beat together your unsalted butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in the eggs, beat until combined.
3. Add flour, cocoa powder, orange juice and zest and beat again until smooth.
4. Spoon equal amounts into each cupcake case and bake for 15-18 minutes.
5. Remove from oven, leave in the tin for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. To make the spiders web and legs, line a baking tray with greaseproof paper.
7. Make the ganache by combining the dark chocolate and cream into a microwavable bowl and heat for 30 seconds, stir well until smooth and glossy, if needed pop back in for a further 10 seconds and stir again.
8. Using a spoon drizzle on to the greaseproof paper 36 leg shapes and 6 spider webs. Chill in the fridge for 30 mins.
9. To make the buttercream, beat the butter until pale and fluffy, then add the icing sugar, orange juice, zest and food colouring and beat again until soft and creamy.
10. Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes
11. Once set, peel the spider’s webs off the greaseproof paper and pop on to the top of six of the cupcakes.
12. For the spiders, place an Oreo cookie on to the top of the buttercream of the remaining six cupcakes, then add 3 legs on each side of the spider by pushing into the icing. Optional: Using ready-made writing icing draw on two eyes.

 

ENJOY! If you opt for Chocolate Orange Spooky Spider Cupcakes, please do share a picture!

Chocolate Orange Vegan Muffins

I love experimenting with new ingredients, new spreads, unusual flavours and different types of chocolate is no different, however this can normally be more of a challenge when looking for Vegan chocolate, no more…if you haven’t already tried it The Wizards Magic plant based chocolates are delicious, so in this recipe I am using their Chocolate Orange plant based chocolate that tastes exactly like milk chocolate orange.

INGREDIENTS

Muffin
150g plant based butter
375g caster sugar
325g plain flour
30g cocoa powder
100g vegan dark chocolate melted
1/2 orange zested
350ml soya milk
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1tsp bicarb of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp strong instant coffee dissolved in 30ml of boiling water

Icing
300g salted plant butter
25g cocoa powder
50g The Wizards Magic plant based orange chocolate, melted
1/2 orange zested
400g icing sugar
1-2 tbsp plant based milk (I used soya)

METHOD

1. Preheat your oven to 160 degrees fan and line a muffin tin (12 hole) with muffin cases.

2. Beat with a fork together the soya milk and apple cider vinegar in a jug and leave to one side.

3. Beat the plant based butter and sugar either in a stand or electric hand whisk until soft and creamy, then beat in half of the instant coffee mix.

4. Combine the flour, bicarb, salt and cocoa in a bowl. Then tip into the sugar and butter mixture, add the soya/cider vinegar mix and melted dark chocolate, beat again until completely smooth.

5. Add the zest of half and orange and stir through the mixture with a wooden spoon

6. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases equally across the 12, they will be quite full.

7. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Remove from the oven and cool in the tin for the 10 minutes then pop onto a wire rack to cool completely.

8. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl with the other half of the instant coffee mix, using either an electric hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until completely smooth.

9. Pipe or spread on to the top of the cooled muffins and enjoy!

ENJOY! If you opt for Chocolate Orange Vegan Muffins, please do share a picture!

Chocolate Orange Chip Cookies

Sometimes all you want is a cookie, well that’s what Henry told me earlier this week, like it was a truly life or death moment, he’s not known for underreacting!! This cookie recipe never fails, they are slightly chewy but also crunchy, a little like shortbread too, they have it all. They take 25 mins from start to finish so can be made up in an emergency bake if you suddenly have people coming over. They are perfect for baking with kids too.

INGREDIENTS

100g caster sugar
100g unsalted butter
2 egg yolks
1 tsp orange extract (I like the valencia orange extract the best)
150g self raising flour
100g dark chocolate chips

METHOD

1. 1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees fan and line one large tray or two small
   2. Beat the butter and sugar together in a stand mix until creamy and smooth. Add the egg yolks and orange extract and beat again.
   3. Add in the flour and mix, then add in the dark chocolate chips and beat until combined
   4. Divide into 10 balls of dough and pop on to the tray, space them apart
   5. Bake in the oven for 10-12mins then leave to cool on the tray on top of a cooling rack.

Enjoy!

ENJOY! If you opt for Chocolate Orange Chip Cookies, please do share a picture!