Chocolate Orange Cupcakes {Easy & Indulgent}

Chocolate Cupcakes

• Preheat your oven to 350F (325F convection oven). Line cupcake/muffin pan with paper liners. Set aside.
• In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, espresso powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Sift cocoa powder into flour mixture.
• To the flour mixture, directly add room temperature egg, vegetable oil, vanilla, and milk. Mix until well incorporated and mixture becomes a thick, glossy, dark brown paste.
• Add boiling water to the mixture. Gently stir the mixture until it transitions from a paste to a thin liquid consistency.
• Pour ~ ¼ cup of batter into each cupcake liner (filling cupcakes until 3/4 filled). Bake cupcakes for ~22-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean.
• Remove from the oven and allow to cool for 5 minutes in the baking pan and then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely. Once completely cooled, it’s time to frost and decorate!

Chocolate Orange Whipped Chocolate Ganache

• In a medium bowl, combine chopped chocolate and boiling hot cream. Let mixture sit for ~3 min. Slowly stir until mixture turns into a smooth, homogenous, chocolate mixture. Let mixture cool to room temperature.
• Once cool, add orange extract, vanilla, and salt.
• Whip ganache using an electric mixture on low speed, adding butter one cube at a time until all butter has been incorporated.
• Increase electric mixer speed to high and continue whipping until mixture is fluffy and holds its shape (~4 min)
• Decorate cupcakes with a generous portion of frosting, sprinkles (as desired), and enjoy!

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