Orange and Hazelnut Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

After a month of deliciously decadent sweets, Cassy Morris of Fig & Salt farewells us today. Where did the weeks go!?

For her final recipe Cassy shares with us her all time favourite cupcakes, featuring the classic combo of orange and chocolate. To these key ingredients, Cassy adds roasted chopped hazelnuts, rich chocolate frosting and chewy, sweet dehydrated orange slices to finish. A total crowd pleaser – enjoy!

Written

Cassy Morris

Orange with chocolate icing. Milk white bread plate from Mud and small white plate (to right) from Astier de Villatte. Recipe by Cassandra Morris of Fig and Salt. Styling – Lucy Feagins, Styling assistant – Nat Turnbull, photo – Eve Wilson for The Design Files

Writer

Cassy Morris

27th of October 2015

Orange and hazelnut cupcakes with chocolate icing could perhaps be my favourite cupcakes to bake. I think I’m partial to these cupcakes in particular because I love the main ingredients featured in them. In general oranges are one of my top fruits, I love nothing more than making a quick snack of big slices of oranges with halva sprinkled on top.

Orange in a cake or cupcake is even better, the flavour is subtle but still present. I add toasted hazelnuts to this recipe as it gives the cake itself a different texture. Lastly I top the individual cupcakes with rich chocolate frosting to create a decadent little cake. A cupcake always needs to have frosting!

4 cups baking flour

2 tsp baking powder

2 tsp baking soda

1 1⁄2 tsp kosher salt

2 cups caster sugar

2 tsp pure orange extract

2 cups butter milk

4 eggs

225g unsalted butter

1⁄2 cup toasted hazelnuts chopped finely

600 grams icing sugar

200g unsalted butter at room temperature

100g Dutch cocoa powder sifted

100ml fresh milk

A packet of dehydrated orange slices (can be bought from your local health food store)

Method

For the cupcakes

Preheat oven to 170°C.

Place hazelnuts on a lined baking tray and roast for 15 minutes in oven.

Remove hazelnuts from oven and while still hot place them onto one half of a clean towel. Fold over the tea towel and gently roll to remove the hazelnut skins. Once your hazelnuts are cleaned, chop them finely and set aside.

In a bowl beat together the sugar and butter with an electric mixer with the paddle attachment, until the mixture is light and fluffy.

On medium-low speed, add the orange extract and eggs one at a time making sure you beat well after each addition.

Add baking powder, baking soda and kosher salt to the mix. Now add sifted flour in three batches alternating with the buttermilk until well combined.

Gently fold through hazelnuts.

Spoon the mixture into the paper cupcake cases until two-thirds full and bake in the preheated oven for about 20-25 minutes or until the center of the sponge bounces back when touched. (I like to use a paper cupcake case which I place into a normal cupcake tray, as it makes it much easier to remove them once cooked.)

Leave the cupcakes to cook slightly in the trays before turning out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.

For the chocolate frosting

Beat the icing sugar, cocoa powder and butter in an electric mixer with paddle attachment until completely combined.

Add milk slowly to incorporate on low speed.

When all combined turn up to high speed and beat for around 7 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy. Don’t over beat.

Icing can be piped on or spread with a knife across the top of the cupcake. Do whatever you find easier! I like to top my cupcakes with a dehydrated orange slice. These are easy to find at your local health food store or gourmet local delicatessen.