Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

I was craving chocolate orange ice cream, so I made these to go with it. You can never have too much dessert ;). They were very good. My roommate ate the frosting out of the bag. The cupcakes tasted like the chocolate oranges you get at Christmas.


Chocolate Orange Cupcakes:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flower
3/4 cup cocoa powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup milk
zest of 1 orange

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 24 muffin cups with paper liners.
In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars, then beat in the eggs 1 at a time. Add vanilla and orange zest.
Alternating, beat in the flour and milk at low speed (start with milk--it starts off a little dry; and end with flour).
Evenly distribute into preparted muffin tins and bake at 350 for 15 minutes. (When done, a toothpick will come out clean and they will spring back when pressed.)

Cool completely before frosting.

* These dry out particularly quickly. Make sure you keep them in an airtight container.

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting:

1/2 cup, softened (1 stick)
8 oz cream cheese (1 block)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tbsp orange juice
1 1/2 tsp orange extract
3 drops each yellow and red food coloring

Beat butter and cream cheese until really smooth.
Add powdered sugar in small additions (so you don't make a mess).
Add orange juice, orange extract and food coloring.

* Can add orange extract to taste, but start with 1 1/2 tsp. Don't use too much food coloring or they look really fake.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~


Chocolate Orange Ice Cream

2 cups whole milk
3/4 cup sugar
4 tsp flour
1/4 tsp salt
6 oz frozen orange juice concentrate
2 whole eggs
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups light cream
12 oz semisweet chocolate chips

Scald milk. (Bring it just to a boil. Don't leave it, because it can happen really fast. Safer to do it in a double boiler, but not necessary)
Add the vanilla and whisk.
Mix the sugar, flour and salt. Pour the dry ingredients slowly into the hot milk, whisking briskly to mix and disolve them. Allow the mixture to heat again, stirring occasionally until it thickens slightly.

Break the 2 eggs into the mixture, whisking briskly to mix in eggs well. Allow mixture to heat again unitl it thickens, whisking often (to prevent it from curdling; if it begins to curdle, just whisk vigorously until smooth). Heat for at least 2 minutes.

Pour the chocolate chips slowly into the mixture, whisking slowly to melt the chips and blend the mixture. When the chips are melted, move to a countertop and whisk until mixture is smooth and a uniform brown color.

Use a fork to break up the frozen orange juice and add the chunks to the hot mixture. Stir slowly until they melt.

Cover tightly and put in the refrigerator for AT LEAST SIX HOURS.

Mix the custard and the two cups of cream and freeze the ice cream in a machine.

* MAKES A LOT! Mix before you put it in the maker and it might not all fit.
* You may not want to use that much OJ Concentrate. It ended up very orangey.
* I made the light cream using one cup of heavy cream and one cup of milk.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

FYI: I made this with Chicken and Rice Caserole. Orange goes really well with chicken.