You guys,

I’ve been having the best week. The work holiday calendar year was changed from financial to Gregorian, and so, to help people out with prebooked hols and plans, there was the option of rolling days over to next year and… UNPAID LEAVE. Oh yes!

So, yes. I did take a whole week off to lounge around the house in my joggers, cook and bake everything and watch lots of Netflix. And you know what, it was the actual best!

I’m so grateful that, financially speaking, I’m comfortable enough to be able to afford such a luxury.

I’m not sure I’m ready to go back to reality tomorrow, but alas.

I’ve been furiously scrawling down recipes on about four different notepads (🤷🏻‍♀️) whilst cooking, so, provided I can decipher my own handwriting, I have lots of exciting things to share with you in the weeks ahead!

One of the many things I baked this week include these incredible Terry’s chocolate orange cupcakes! ❤

Fluffy, moist, orange chocolate cupcakes, swirled with orange zest infused whipped mascarpone cream, topped with a slice of Terry’s chocolate orange.

Ugh, they’re so good!

^ I love the perfectly aligned rows of chocolate orange segments.

❤

No words – just emojis! 🍫🍊🧁

Yum!

Enjoy,

-Kay

Ingredients (12 cupcakes)

Cupcakes

• 110g plain flour
• 160g caster sugar
• 50g cocoa powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• 120ml buttermilk
• 1 medium egg
• 50g salted butter, melted and cooled
• Zest of 1.5 oranges
• 100ml boiling water
• 1 heaped tsp instant coffee

Orange Syrup

• 80ml orange juice (I just squeezed the juice from the two oranges I zested)
• 15g icing sugar

Frosting

• 600ml double cream
• 125g mascarpone
• 65g icing sugar
• Zest of half an orange
• Orange food colouring
• 1 x Terry’s chocolate orange

Instructions

Assembly

1. Make the orange syrup according to the instructions below and set aside.
2. Make the cupcakes according to the instructions below and set aside to cool.
3. Whilst the cupcakes cool, make the frosting.
4. Prepare the piping bag with a nozzle and then carefully, using a wooden skewer, draw 2-3 lines of orange food colouring along the length.
5. Transfer the frosting to the prepared piping bag and decorate the cupcakes before topping with individual slices of Terry’s.
6. Store the cupcakes in the fridge until ready to eat.

Orange Syrup

1. Add the juice and icing sugar to a small pan.
2. Heat on low, whisking occasionally, until well combined and gently bubbling.
3. Set aside and allow to return to room temperature.

Cupcakes

1. Preheat the oven to gas mark five and line a cupcake tin with 12 cases.
2. Pour the boiling water over the instant coffee in a mug. Stir to combine. Set aside.
3. Add all the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and orange zest) to a bowl, whisk to combine.
4. Add buttermilk, egg and butter to another bowl, whisk to combine.
5. Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and mix well to combine before adding the coffee. Mix again.
6. Divide the batter into the prepared cupcake liners and bake for 18mins or until a cake tester comes out clean.
7. Once done, poke each cupcake 4-5 times with a toothpick/skewer and use a pastry brush to spread on the orange syrup [I think I only ended up using about half of the orange syrup so feel free to reduce the quantity you make].
8. Once done, cool on a wire rack.

Frosting

1. Add the cream, mascarpone, icing sugar and orange zest to a large bowl.
2. Whisk until softly whipped.