Raspberry & Orange Cupcakes

Happy New Year followers!
The Christmas & New Year season was a busy one. Mr Hungry Squirrel and I had a lovely time catching up with friends and family, as I hope you all did too!

I am most definitely finding my baking feet after a bit of a break from blogging over the festive season, so I decided to ease myself in with an old faithful… My first bake of 2012 was Raspberry & Orange Cupcakes. I have used this recipe on many occasions now, and it always goes down a treat!
The orange compliments the raspberry so well, and the orange-tinged cream cheese frosting is divine.

I am also entering this post into the Citrus BlogHop. Check out Mike’s, from Mike’s Baking (one of my favourite blogs), post  on his delicious looking Clementine Basil Mojito Loaf Cake, not to mention all the other fab posts in this #citruslove event!

The Recipe

Ingredients
Cupcakes 225g unsalted butter at room temperature 150g caster sugar finely grated zest of 2 oranges 3 medium eggs, beaten 225g self-raising flour, sifted pinch of salt 4 tbsp orange juice 125g raspberries, lightly crushed	Frosting 150g unsalted butter at room temperature 75g low fat soft cheese 500g icing sugar, sifted ½ tsp vanilla extract 2 tsp finely grated orange zest pink food colouring

Method

Preheat the oven to 170°C.

In a freestanding mixer beat the butter and sugar together, until pale and creamy.
Add the orange zest, then gradually beat in the eggs, little by little.

Add the sifted flour and a pinch of salt, and gently fold in using a large metal spoon.
Finally fold in the orange juice and raspberries.

Spoon the mixture into cupcake cases, and bake in the middle of the oven for 15-20 minutes.

When ready, they will be golden brown on top, and a skewer inserted should come out clean.

Cool in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, use a freestanding mixer to beat the butter and cream cheese together until creamy.
Add the icing sugar, mix on a slow speed initially. Once incorporated, turn the speed up to maximum and beat for 4-5 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract, orange zest and a little pink food colouring, and beat well.

Spread or pipe onto the little cakes, and decorate as you wish.

Enjoy!

This recipe makes 14-16 cupcakes.

This recipe is adapted from a Rachel Allen recipe for Kerrygold.

 

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