Orange Cupcakes

The winter season brings with itself sweet and juicy oranges. My kids just love this fruit. My son is one year old and doesn't spare even a single piece of his clothing while eating oranges. Our morning starts with a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice (such a big relief from the tetra packed ones). I think it's everyone's second favorite fruit, first being mango.

Although I bake orange cakes during summers too using packed juice but nothing beats the freshness and the aroma that's brought by the fresh orange juice n its rind. The orange rind, also gives a beautiful pale orange colour to the cake.
It's important though that the juice is squeezed just before you start to prepare the batter or else it gets bitter. In case the juice is not sweet enough or is tangy, some powdered sugar can be added to the juice.

Rind of an orange is its outer most layer of the peel. Grate only the layer that is orange in colour n not the white one. White layer is bitter and has no flavor.

My original recipe said 2 cups of flour but it made the cupcakes a bit heavy. So I replaced 1/4 cup of flour with corn flour. Cornflour helped in making the cupcakes lighter.

Orange Cupcakes (makes 12)

Ingredients:

Flour - 1 3/4 cups
Cornflour - 1/4 cup
Baking Powder - 1 tsp
Baking Soda - 1 tsp
Eggs - 2
Vanilla/Orange essence - 1 tsp
Refined oil - 125 ml
Castor sugar - 3/4 cup
Juice of 2 oranges
Rind of 2 oranges

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degree Celsius. Line the cupcake tray with cupcake liners.
2. Sift flour, cornflour, baking powder and baking soda twice and from a height of at least 4 inches.
3. In another bowl, with a hand mixer, mix the oil and castor sugar till sugar mixes well.
4. Add the vanilla/ orange essence.
5. Add in the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition.
6. Add the orange juice and mix well.
7. Add the flour mix gradually, mixing well after each addition. Do not over beat the batter.
8. Add in the orange rind in the batter.
9. Pour the batter in the cupcake liners till they are 3/4 full.

10. Bake for 8-10 mins at 180 degree Celsius or until a toothpick when inserted in the cupcakes come out clean.

11. Decorate them the way you wish to. I have piped some chocolate ganache and decorated few with orange slices and few with chocolate sticks.