Tuesday 22 April 2008

chocolate orange cupcakes - a humble tribute to the great Terry!


oh Terry, Terry, wherefore art thou, Terry? you are always there when i need you, through thick and thin, in celebrations and commiserations in good moods and bad and so, in humble tribute, i offer you the chocolate orange cupcake, in thanks for all those moments when i have taken pleasure from your delicious chocolate orange...

for those of you already acquainted with Terry, well then, you will COMPLETELY understand the need to pay tribute to such a fabulous creation as the chocolate orange. for those of you not yet acquainted with dear Terry, well, let me just say that once tasted never forgotten. you will become rather dependant on Terry. Terry will be there to see you through many a difficult moment in your life!



so of course, with such a history together, i set about today making a cupcake in tribute to the very yummy, and very more-ish, Terry's Chocolate Orange. it is a clever creation, because it comes wrapped up in foil like an orange, packaged nicely in a box. when you take the chocolate orange out of the box, you are met with the instruction to 'whack and unwrap' - which of course you do with delight (or frustration depending on ones mood) and when you unwrap, each little chocolate orange segment delicately falls away and nestles on the foil waiting to be devoured. so perfect - no peeling, no seeds - just delightful chocolate orange!

so what did i come up with...well, i started with a chocolate orange cupcake that incorporated delicious dark couverture chocolate as well as orange juice and rind. this was then topped with a hint of orange buttercream icing and topped with a lovely segment of chocolate orange! final result...so good. there was a nice richness to the cupcake and the hint of orange buttercream was just enough so as not to overpower the overall taste of the cupcake...and the chocolate orange segment, well one is left in a quandry as to whether to eat it first or save it last. such are the tough decisions of the day!

and what might Terry say?...one can only hope he feels honoured and pleased and continues to grace our planet with his little chocolate orange delights!

the recipe....


Chocolate Orange Cupcake

2½ oz semi sweet chocolate - coarsely chopped
1 tsp orange rind, grated
2/3 c. orange juice
3½ oz butter - softened
1 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2/3 c. self raising flour
2 tbsp cocoa powder
1/3 c. almond meal

1 Pre-heat the oven.
2 Line a 12 cupcake pan, with cupcake papers.
3 Place the chocolate, orange rind and juice in a small saucepan.
4 Stir over a low heat until melted and smooth.
5 Put the butter, sugar and eggs in a bowl and beat with electric beaters until fluffy.
6 Sift the flour and cocoa into the butter mix. Add the almond meal and chocolate mix.
7 Mix until just combined.
8 Divide the mixture evenly between the cake cases.
9 Bake for about 25 minutes - until firm to touch.
10 Allow to cool for a few minutes and then transfer to a wire rack.
Makes 12 cakes.

A hint of orange buttercream icing

4 oz butter
2 c. icing sugar
¼ c. orange juice

cream butter until light and fluffy.
slowly add icing sugar, alternating with orange juice until preferred consistency is reached.
colour accordingly.
pipe and decorate.

15 comments:

G said...

Airy Fairy, I'm not sure I can handle this!! What heaven! A cupcake tribute to one of my favourite treats... can't wait to try this. You really are the best cupcake fairy ever!

Anonymous said...

Its not Terry's - it's mine! Ha! These look fantstic - I can't wait to have a go. Hx

defientchef said...

OMG I love those things

Gigi said...

Very cute cupcakes! I just love the shade of orange you used on the buttercream.

Anonymous said...

A day without chocolate orange cupcakes is a day without sunshine.
Life without chocolate orange cupcakes is like a beach without water.


I do have a chocolate site too, check this out
http://www.sarahs-sweet-fountains.co.uk

Thanks for letting me comment on your site :D

Unknown said...

thanks blog princess! it's one of my fav treats too hence why i just had to make a tribute to it!

hi helen...it's not yours....it's mine!!!!

hey defientchef, terry's chocolate orange is the best. have you tried the dark chocolate variation??? also very good!

hi gigi, thanks...the colour was by good ol' fashioned trial and error...using liquid food colouring!

thanks alex, love your chocolate fountains...and life with any cupcakes is really not worth living in my opinion!

Anonymous said...

Oh my ..those look very very good!

The Caked Crusader said...

Have you tried the dark chocolate mint version? I think it would work well with your concept too.

Tempered Woman said...

Wow these look divine! I love those chocolate oranges too~ great idea, very creative!

Unknown said...

thanks marye, they were really good...a perfect tribute to a perfect chocolate treat!

hi caked crusader...i have only seen the dark chocolate version...not the dark chocolate mint version. must have a look for it next time...wonder if it's available here???

hi tempered woman, it's pretty difficult NOT to feel creative around terry's chocolate orange...it just has that uplifting effect on the soul!

Morticia said...

Wow!! Terry's blows my mind, like my fav chocolate evr, especially the dark one. Sinead, you are the cupcake queen!

Unknown said...

hey michelle...next time i make these i'll be sure to send gav off with one for u!

marae said...

ha ha this is soooo cute!!! i love the orange icing, yummy!

Anonymous said...

For awhile now, I've been using carob in place of chocolate now for awhile for any fruit cooking and the results have been fabulous.
The trick is to find the right brand of carob that tastes really good. My favorite brand is from Holy Food Imports

Unknown said...

thanks for the tip, brianna, will check it out!