Orange Double Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Orange Chocolate Ganache

This recipe is a mesh of gluten-free and traditional cupcake recipes. I’m not sure of the original source–I combined multiple recipes for the final product, and it turned out pretty darn tasty.

I think I should start by warning that these are incredibly rich cupcakes, mainly because of the super-decadent frosting. You could probably substitute a simple buttercream frosting with a little orange zest or even go plain and call it a fancy muffin. Honestly, I would stick with the ganache. It’s a little extra work but worth the hassle. Plus, there is an extra giggle factor with the ganache…

Now for the ingredients…

Orange Double Chocolate Chip Cupcakes

• 1 1/2 cups Pamela’s Ultimate Baking Mix
• 1/3 cup cocoa powder (I used Hershey)
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (you’ll need 2-4 oranges for juice and zest)
• 3 tablespoons canola oil
• 1/3 cup water
• 1 tablespoon white vinegar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2 tablespoons orange zest

Orange Chocolate Ganache

• 8 ounces of bittersweet chocolate
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 2 tablespoons orange zest
• 1 tablespoon triple sec

One thing I have to constantly remind myself when baking gluten-free goodies is to make sure everything is properly cleaned and wiped out. This seems silly to mention on a gluten-free blog, but it’s easy for gluten tolerant people to forget about cross contamination. So make sure you’re not using anything that could potentially be contaminated, and if using a mixer do an extra wipe down.

Wash oranges and zest. Make sure you just get the orange part of the skin. When zesting you want to stop just before you hit the white part of the orange rind. Place zest in a small bowl. Cut oranges in half and juice. I used the zest of 4 oranges but only the juice from two.  If you have extra juice make yourself a nice cocktail or just enjoy a a fresh glass of juice.

Combine all dry ingredients in a large bowl. In a separate bowl mix all wet ingredients, but wait on the orange zest. That will be added after everything is mixed. Slowly add the wet ingredients into the dry mixture. I used a mixer, but it can easily by done by hand. Stir in the chocolate chips and orange zest. Only add 2 tbsp of orange zest put the rest aside for the ganache.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place batter in cupcake tins; try to make each section even. The batter should make 16 regular size cupcakes. Bake for about 15 minutes or until a tooth pick can be removed without any batter.

Now for the ganache: In a saucepan heat the heavy whipping cream just until boiling. Remove from heat. Slowly stir in the bittersweet chocolate chips or chunks, softened butter, orange zest, and triple sec. After everything is completely mixed, refrigerate for about 40-50 minutes. Using an electric mixer, mix ganache until it is light and fluffy. This can sometimes take a while so be patient. The ganache will form peaks similar to whipped cream when it’s ready.

Make sure the cupcakes are completely cooled before frosting. I made the cupcakes in the morning and the frosting in the afternoon, so I wouldn’t be tempted to prematurely frost. Be careful to not squeeze the air out of the ganache if using a pastry bag. These cupcakes need to be stored in the refrigerator if not eaten immediately. Personally I thought everything was better after being cooled for a couple hours.

Enjoy!