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These Chocolate Orange Cupcakes are incredibly delicious. These super soft orange chocolate cupcakes are filled with orange jam and topped with the most luscious chocolate orange frosting you’ll ever try. It's so smooth and soft and full of delicious flavor. This recipe is perfect for any chocolate orange lover.
These delicious chocolate orange cupcakes are super easy to put together and are full of chocolate orange flavor. They have an incredibly soft chocolate orange cupcake, a delicious orange jam core and topped with a smooth chocolate orange frosting.
These moist chocolate orange cupcakes taste so good and full of orange flavor. This chocolate orange cupcake recipe is beyond amazing and they are perfect for any occasion like the holidays, Christmas, birthdays or any other celebration.
For more cupcake recipes, try Lemon Poppy Seed Cupcakes, Red Velvet Cupcakes and Chocolate Fudge Cupcakes.
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WHY THIS RECIPE WORKS
- Chocolate orange frosting: The most luscious chocolate orange frosting. It has orange chocolate and orange juice in the frosting giving it lots of flavor.
- Chocolate orange cupcake: The chocolate orange cupcakes are incredibly soft and so quick and easy to make
- Orange jam: The core of the cupcakes are filled with a delicious orange jam.
INGREDIENT NOTES
These are some of the key ingredients for this recipe. For a full list of ingredients, check out the recipe card below.
- Dark orange chocolate: I recommend a 60-70% orange dark chocolate bar so it is not too bitter a dark chocolate, for this recipe.
- Eggs: Take the eggs out of the fridge 30 minutes to 1 hours before baking (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Sour Cream: Sour cream makes for a softer and more tender cupcake. Measure out the sour cream and let it come to room temperature 30 minutes to 1 hours before baking (depending how warm your kitchen is).
- Orange juice: Orange juice is used both in the cupcake batter and buttercream.
- Cocoa powder: I use high quality dutch processed cocoa powder for the best flavor, my favorite is from Valrhona.
- Vegetable oil: Use a flavor neutral oil, such as canola.
- Orange jam: Use your favorite orange jam to fill these cupcakes.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - CUPCAKES
Here is how to make and bake these Chocolate Orange Cupcakes. These cupcakes needs two bowl, a hand whisk and a stand mixer or electric hand mixer. You will also need a 12-cup cupcake tin and cupcake liners.
The full recipe is down below in the recipe card.
Before starting preheat the oven to 160ºC/ 320ºF conventional oven. Line a 12-cup cupcake tin lined with cupcake paper liners.
STEP 1: In a large mixing bowl, add all of the dry ingredients. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined. In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined.
STEP 2: Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter. Divide the cake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 20-23 minutes.
STEP BY STEP INSTRUCTIONS - BUTTERCREAM + ASSEMBLING
STEP 1: Melt the orange chocolate. Slowly add heavy cream and orange juice while stirring it into the melted chocolate. Stir it together until smooth. It should end up being around room temperature. Set it aside. Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and set it aside.
STEP 2: In your stand mixer, cream the butter for 4 minutes on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix 2 minutes more. Add the melted orange chocolate and mix it in until incorporated. On low speed, add the vanilla and the sifted powdered sugar/cocoa powder in 2 portions until each addition is fully incorporated.
STEP 3: Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a star piping tip, e.g. Wilton 8B. Using an end of another piping tip or similar, dig out the core of cupcakes, to make an indent for the orange jam. Add the orange jam in the middle of the cupcakes.
STEP 4: Pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes and decorate fresh orange slices and the zest of an orange.
EXPERT BAKING TIPS
- Use a kitchen scale: My default setting for my recipes is grams. It is the most precise way of measuring out your ingredients, I therefore highly recommend using a kitchen scale.
- Don't over mix your batter: I always use a spatula after everything has mixed together, to give it one final gentle fold together. This makes sure everything in the bottom of the mixing bowl has been mixed into the batter.
- Light vs. dark baking pans: For the best result, use an aluminum baking pan, greased with butter and lined with baking paper in the bottom. Aluminum pans are light in color and therefore attract less heat. That means it bakes more gently which results in a softer cake. If you use a black baking pan it'll attract a lot more heat. That will then give a darker crust, which can result in a dryer cake.
FAQ
Yes, follow the recipe and bake them for 8-10 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.
Store the unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, and unused frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. When ready to pip the buttercream on the cupcakes, let the frosting come to room temperature before giving is stir to remove the air bubbles. Then pip the frosting on the cupcakes and they are ready to be enjoyed.
I recommend using a cake tester or toothpick. Once the time has passed, per the recipe, insert the cake tester in the middle of one of the cupcakes and once it comes out clean, with no cake batter on it, they are done.
STORAGE
Store the frosted Chocolate Orange Cupcakes in an airtight container in the fridge. They are best enjoyed within 1-2 days. Store unfrosted cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days, and unused frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. Let the frosting come to room temperature before giving is stir to remove the air bubbles. Then pip the frosting on the cupcakes and they are ready to be enjoyed.
Other Cupcake Recipes To Try
Make sure leave a STAR REVIEW if you loved this recipe! Make sure to tag me on Instagram @juliemarieeats. To get more ideas by following me on Pinterest.
Chocolate Orange Cupcakes
Equipment
Ingredients
ORANGE CHOCOLATE CUPCAKE
- 160 g all-purpose flour
- 200 g granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon zest of organic orange about 2-3 oranges
- 50 g dutch processed cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 120 g sour cream room temperature
- 120 g orange juice room temperature
- 75 g vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
ORANGE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM
- 160 g orange dark chocolate
- 30 g heavy cream
- 30 g orange juice
- 290 g powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoon dutch processed cocoa powder
- 150 g butter cool room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
FILLING AND DECORATION
- 12 teaspoon orange jam
- 1 orange, sliced and cut in quarters
The US customary cup measurement serves as a rough estimate, as it can have uncertainties, so for precise results, it's recommended to weigh your ingredients using a digital scale in grams. Baking is both an art and a science, which most often requires precision and accuracy.
Instructions
CHOCOLATE ORANGE CUPCAKE
- Preheat the oven at 160ºC conventional oven and line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake liners.
- In a large bowl, add all of the dry ingredients including the orange zest. Give it a stir to make sure everything has been combined.160 g all-purpose flour, 200 g granulated sugar, 2 tablespoon zest of organic orange, 50 g dutch processed cocoa powder, ½ teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon baking soda, ½ teaspoon salt
- In another mixing bowl add all of the wet ingredients, and with a hand whisk, whisk them together until combined. Be sure to not mix the ingredients too vigorously so the eggs don’t get over mixed.120 g sour cream, 120 g orange juice, 75 g vegetable oil, 2 large eggs room temperature, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry while gently stirring it all together. Make sure there are no lumps left in the batter.
- Divide the cake batter into the 12 cupcake liners and bake them for 20-23 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the hot pan. After 5 minutes, gently remove the cupcakes from the cupcake pan and let them cool down completely.
CHOCOLATE ORANGE BUTTERCREAM
- Melt the orange dark chocolate. Then slowly add heavy cream and orange juice while stirring it into the melted chocolate. Stir it together until smooth. It should end up being around room temperature. Set it aside.160 g orange dark chocolate, 30 g heavy cream, 30 g orange juice
- Sift the powdered sugar and cocoa powder and set it aside.290 g powdered sugar, 2 tablespoon dutch processed cocoa powder
- In your stand mixer, use the paddle attachment, cream the room temperature butter for 4 minutes on high speed. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix 2 minutes more. Add the melted orange dark chocolate and mix it in until incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl and give it another mix to make sure it’s fully incorporated with the butter.150 g butter
- Add the vanilla and the sifted powdered sugar/cocoa powder in 2 portions, mixing on low speed, until each addition is fully incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and mix for 2 minutes on low speed.1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- Take the bowl off the stand mixer and with a rubber spatula or wooden spoon, beat it well by hand to make sure to remove the air bubbles in the buttercream.
- Transfer the buttercream to a piping bag with a star piping tip, e.g. Wilton 8B.
ASSEMBLING
- Using an end of a piping tip or similar, dig out the core of cupcakes, to make an indent for the orange jam. Add the orange jam in the middle of the cupcakes.12 teaspoon orange jam
- Pipe the buttercream on the cupcakes and decorate with fresh orange slices and the zest of an orange.1 orange, sliced and cut in quarters
N
Hi Julie
Want to try your recipe but does it have to be dutch processed cocoa powder or does normal cocoa powder work?
Thank you
Julie Marie
Hi. I recommend using dutch processed cocoa powder 🙂
Natalia Campos
Hi Julie!
Question:
What I can use if I don’t have the Orange Dark Chocolate???
Thank you!!
Julie Marie
Hi. You can use normal semi-sweet dark chocolate. The buttercream will have a little less orange flavor but will still taste amazing. You can add some orange extract if you have that available. Alternatively you can also use Terry's Orange Chocolate if you have that available. It's a milk chocolate so it will be a bit sweeter but also delicious 🙂