Orange Cardamom Cupcakes Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°F.
• Spray insides of paper molds with spray.
• Arrange on 2 baking sheets.
• Sift flour, cardamom, baking powder and salt into a large bowl.
• Whisk eggs, orange peel, flower water, and vanilla in a bowl.
• In a medium bowl beat butter with an electric mixer, gradually add sugar, beating well.
• Add egg mixture.
• Beat in dry ingredients alternating with buttermilk.
• Spoon 1/3 cup batter into each paper mold.
• bake about 25 minutes, switching racks after 12 minutes.
• Transfer to racks to cool completely.
• For frosting, beat butter until softened, beat in sugar, cream, vanilla.
• Divide into 2 bowls.
• Add vanilla to one bowl; stir.
• Add almond extract and food coloring to the other bowl; stir.
• Frost cupcakes,.
• Enjoy.

Steps:

• Heat oven to 170C/150C fan/gas 3½. Line 2 x 12-hole muffin tins with muffin cases. Put the butter and caster sugar in a large bowl and blend with an electric hand whisk until pale and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, whisking well between each addition. Add the flour, almonds, baking powder and a pinch of salt. Mix again, then add the orange zest and juice, and almond extract. Give a final mix to combine everything.
• Use 2 dessertspoons to divide the mixture between the cases. Bake for 22-25 mins, changing the tins over after 15 mins. Remove from the oven, leave to cool for 10 mins in the tins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Can now be frozen for up to 3 months.
• To make the icing, tip the butter into a large bowl and blend with an electric hand whisk until smooth. Add the icing sugar, cream cheese, almond extract and orange juice. Mash everything together first with a spatula (to avoid a mess), then go in with the electric whisk and mix until smooth. Add your food colouring and mix again until you have an even colour. (If you're using liquid food colouring, it will make the icing runny, so add a little more icing sugar.)
• Fit the piping bag with a large curved star point piping nozzle, then fill the bag with half of the icing and twist the end closed. To pipe, hold the piping bag directly above the centre of the cake and, applying a steady pressure, pipe in a swirl, working out towards the edge of the cupcake. When you reach the edge, swipe the nozzle to create a smooth finish - you can always cover this bit with leaves, so don't worry too much if it looks messy. When you have piped 12 cupcakes, empty any remaining icing from the bag back into the bowl with the reserved icing. Add a little more colouring to create a deeper shade (and a little extra sifted icing sugar if the icing gets too runny). Whisk again, then refill your piping bag and ice the remaining cakes. Can be stored somewhere cool for up to 1 day (the fridge is fine, just make sure that you remove 30 mins before eating).
• Before serving, add a few leaves, if you like: pinch off small pieces of green sugar paste or fondant icing and shape into leaves. Use a sharp knife to add detail, then stick onto the cupcakes. See tips, below left, for how to build your bouquet.

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Line 2 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners and grease with butter spray.
• Make the base carrot cupcake batter: In a food processor, process the carrots until finely chopped.
• In a large bowl, whip the butter with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add the granulated and brown sugars, and beat until smooth, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
• In a small bowl, beat together the eggs and vanilla extract.
• Add the egg mixture to the butter mixture in thirds, beating on medium speed between each addition until fully incorporated.
• In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ginger, and nutmeg.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients in thirds, beating on low speed between each addition until incorporated.
• Add the coconut oil and beat on medium-low speed for 1 minute, until fluffy.
• Finish making the cupcakes according to your desired variation.
• For the Cardamom-Spiced Carrot Cupcakes: When making the batter, add the cardamom to the dry ingredients. Gently fold in the carrots and 1⅓ cups Fisher Pecans. Divide the batter evenly between the prepared muffin cups, filling each about ¾ of the way full. Bake the cupcakes for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let cool completely before frosting.
• Meanwhile, make the orange, cardamom, and ginger-spiced cream cheese frosting: In a large bowl, whip together the cream cheese and vanilla extract with an electric hand mixer on medium speed until fluffy, 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the powdered sugar and beat on low speed until smooth. Add the orange zest, cardamom, and ginger, and beat until incorporated. Transfer the frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round tip. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• To frost, place the tip of the piping bag upright at the center of a cupcake and squeeze until the cupcake is covered with frosting. Repeat with the remaining cupcakes, then garnish the edges with the remaining cup of Fisher Pecans.
• Enjoy!