Spicy orange cupcakes

The orange flavour and spices make these cupcakes especially Christmassy. This is the first time I try them (and it’s my own recipe) and I’m sure they will definitely become a favourite of mine. Beautifully moist, they confirm, once again, that we don’t necessarily need milk, butter and eggs to make amazing baked goods.

Makes 14-16 cupcakes.

Ingredients:

For the cupcakes

1 ½ cup semi-wholemeal wheat flour
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground cloves
½ teaspoon ground ginger
¼ teaspoon whole sea salt
½ cup brown rice malt syrup
1 teaspoon apple vinegar
½ cup fresh orange juice
½ cup plain (unsweetened and unflavoured) soy milk
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
5 tablespoons maple syrup (grade C, or B)

For the topping

zest of 2 oranges (it’s important that they are organic), cut into strips
1 cup filtered water
1 tablespoon brown rice syrup

2 cups fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons brown rice malt syrup
3 teaspoons cornstarch (GMO-free), dissolved in 2-3 tablespoons filtered water

maple syrup (grade C, or B), to taste
almond flour, to taste

Directions:

Cupcakes

Preheat the oven to 180°C. Combine all the dry ingredients (except cream of tartar), including the spices, in a bowl, then stir in the wet ingredients and mix until you have reached a smooth texture. The batter should not be too thick, so feel free to add some more soy milk or orange juice if necessary. When you achieve the desired thickness, add the cream of tartar and stir. Spoon the mixture into 12 greaseproof cupcake cases (or paper cases) placed inside a muffin tray. 2 to 4 tablespoons of dough should be enough to fill two-thirds of each cupcake case. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the cupcakes are golden. Set aside and leave to cool for 5 minutes then remove from the muffin tray and allow to cool completely on a rack before decorating.

Topping

Use a vegetable peeler to remove the rind from the orange, discarding the pith as it can taste bitter. Slice the rind into more or less thin, 2-3 cm long strips and set aside. In the meantime, combine 1 cup of filtered or mineral water with 1 tablespoon of brown rice malt syrup and heat until the syrup has dissolved. Stir in the orange strips and cook for 5 to 10 minutes until tender. Remove from heat, drain, and let cool.

Pour the orange juice into a pan, add the rice malt syrup and stir over low heat for a couple of minutes or until the syrup has dissolved. Add the cornstarch-water mixture and keep stirring until the sauce has thickened. Remove from heat and let cool.

To assemble

Scoop some orange topping onto the cupcakes and smooth evenly with an icing spatula or knife. Garnish with some orange strips and sprinkle with maple syrup and almond flour.

Posted in: cooked

Tagged as: cinnamon, orange