Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with Brandy Buttercream

Chocolate Orange Cupcake, christmas cupcakes

Christmas Cupcakes:
Chocolate Orange Cupcake with Brandy Buttercream

Spongy chocolate cupcakes with a dark chocolate orange ganache centre and topped with a creamy homemade brandy buttercream.

These Christmas Cupcakes are so festive they’ll please even the grinchiest of people!

If you’re looking for an alternative to Mince Pies this year then this chocolate orange cupcake could be perfect for your festive parties or even your DIY gifts this season. They’re so easy to make but are a real show stopper with all the right festive flavours.

Let’s get baking!

Don’t forget to try my Frangipane Mince Pies for a sweeter take on a Christmas classic!


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Chocolate Orange Cupcake, christmas cupcakes

Christmas Cupcakes – Ingredients 

Makes 12
Total Time: 1h30 mins

Cupcakes:

4 tbsp Boiling Water
40g Cocoa Powder
3 Large Eggs
1 tsp Baking Powder
175g Unsalted Butter (Softened)
165g Golden Caster Sugar 
115g Self-Raising White Flour
12 Cupcake Cases

Chocolate Orange Ganache:

100g Heavy Cream
100g Dark Chocolate
1-2 tsp Orange Extract

Brandy Buttercream:

150g Butter
450g Icing Sugar
4 tsp Milk
6 tsp Brandy 

unbaked cupcakes

How to Make My Chocolate Orange Cupcake with Brandy Buttercream

Christmas Cupcakes:

  1. Heat your oven to 200oC and line a muffin tray with 12 cases
  2. Mix together the water and cocoa powder until it forms a thick chocolaty paste!
  3. Add in your other ingredients and whisk with an electric mixer until a smooth batter is formed
  4. Dollop your mixture evenly between the cases and bake for 12-15 minutes until risen and baked through
  5. Leave to cool on a wire rack while we make our ganache filling!
Chocolate Orange Cupcake

Chocolate Orange Ganache:

  1. Place a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water on a gentle heat. (Don’t let the bowl touch the water).
  2. Melt your dark chocolate in the bowl until melted and smooth
  3. Add your cream and gently stir together warming it through with the heat from your chocolate – it should be silky and shiny at this point!
  4. Stir in enough orange extract until you have a rich dark orange chocolate taste and cool your bowl down in a sink of cold water
  5. Finish cooling your ganache in the fridge stirring every so often until its cold.
  6. Whip up the ganache with an electric mixer until it lightens in colour and becomes very thick
  7. Core out the centre of each muffin and fill with your chocolate orange ganache!

You can core your muffins with the end of a teaspoon, or pick up a special cupcake corer like this which does the job perfectly! It’s great for creating filled cakes like these and is so easy to use.

You can pipe your ganache into the cupcakes, or use the handle of a teaspoon to poke it in and fill the centre.

cupcake corer
chocolate orange cupcake

Brandy Buttercream:

  1. Beat together the butter, milk, icing sugar and brandy until stiff and pipe-able
  2. Pipe onto the top of your muffins (I used a Wilton 2D Flower nozzle) and decorate with Christmas Sprinkles like these!

You can add some green food colouring to your brandy buttercream and turn your cupcakes into mini christmas trees…
…or simply leave it white and go crazy with the sprinkles!

TOP TIP: Put your piping bag into a tall glass and fold the top of the bag over the rim of the glass for an easy way to fill them without getting in a mess!

Chocolate Orange Cupcake, christmas cupcakes
Chocolate Orange Cupcake, christmas cupcakes

I love love love these Christmas Cupcakes and although they seem like they have a lot of steps they really don’t take that long to make.

Store them in a cupcake holder like this one to take them to your Christmas party and keep their frosting looking perfect!

More Chocolate Orange?

You Might Also Like:
My Boozy Orange Hot Chocolate
60 Second Chocolate Orange Brownie in a Mug

Or for a healthier alternative…
Chocolate Orange Bliss Balls

PIN THIS RECIPE

Christmas cupcakes, chocolate orange cupcake

Don’t forget to tag me in your Instagram pictures @xameliax if you give my Christmas Cupcakes a go!