Chocolate And Orange Fairy Cakes Recipes

CHOCOLATE FAIRY CAKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Line a 12-hole bun tin with paper cases. Put the sugar and butter in a bowl and beat together until light and fluffy. Gradually mix in the eggs and vanilla until combined.
• Add the flour, cocoa powder and baking powder to the bowl and mix to make a smooth batter. Fold the milk through to loosen. Divide the mixture between the cases using a spoon. Bake for 20 mins, or until a cocktail stick poked into the centre of one of the cakes in the middle row comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 5-10 mins, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely
• While the cakes are cooling, make the icing. Beat together the butter, icing sugar and cocoa powder in a bowl for 5-10 mins, until you have a smooth, creamy consistency. Add the milk to loosen if needed. Pipe or spread on top of the cooled cupcakes.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Mix together the softened butter and 1 tablespoon of the cocoa to make a thick paste. Use this paste to paint the inside of the Bundt pan. Set aside.
• In an electric mixer, combine the flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt, cinnamon and remaining 1/2 cup cocoa and mix until blended. Add the orange juice, mayonnaise, vinegar and vanilla and mix until just combined, 1 to 2 minutes. Fold in the orange zest. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean, 45 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
• For the chocolate glaze: Mix the confectioners' sugar and cocoa together. Whisk in the orange juice, 1 tablespoon at a time, until it reaches a good consistency to drizzle. Drizzle the glaze over the cake.

CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE FAIRY CAKES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 190°C.
• Line 2 muffin pans (12 hole) with paper cases.
• Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
• Mix eggs together in a separate bowl and gradually beat into creamed mixture a little at a time, adding 1 tablespoon of flour if the mixture begins to curdle.
• Stir in chocolate and orange zest.
• Fold in flour, adding orange juice to bring mixture to a dropping consistency.
• Divide mixture between cases so each is two-thirds full.
• Bake in middle of oven for about 20 minutes or until the cakes are well risen, golden and feel spongy to fingertips.
• Cool on a wire rack.
• Make icing.
• Orange: Place icing sugar and orange zest in a bowl, add enough orange juice to mix to a fairly stiff consistency.
• Icing should hold a trail when dropped from a spoon but gradually find its own level.
• It needs little liquid.
• Chocolate: Melt chocolate and milk together.
• (I use a microwave oven for this- take care, chocolate burns easily.) Stir well to mix.
• Ice cakes with orange icing and swirl the chocolate on top.

CHOCOLATE ORANGE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Put the sugar, flour, cocoa, pinch of salt and baking powder in a large bowl. Whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil and milk. Gradually whisk the wet ingredients into the dry until you have a smooth mixture. Fold in the dark chocolate and orange zest. Put 12 cupcake cases in a 12-hole tin. Divide the mixture between the cases, then bake for 20 mins until risen. Leave to cool.
• Meanwhile, make the icing. Beat the icing sugar and butter together until pale and fluffy. Whisk in 2 tbsp hot water to loosen and fold in the orange zest. Divide the icing evenly between two bowls. Add a few drops of orange food colouring to one bowl and stir until the icing turns bright orange. In the other bowl, add the cocoa powder and 2 tbsp milk, then beat until combined.
• Fill one side of a piping bag (use one with a large round nozzle) with the orange icing, then fill the other side with the chocolate buttercream. Pipe on top of each cupcake. Decorate with some extra orange zest and a grating of dark chocolate.

ORANGE CHOCOLATE LOAF CAKE FROM FLORIDA

Steps:

• Adjust rack one-third up from the bottom of the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees. You will need a loaf pan measuring about 8½ x 4½ x 2¾ inches, or one with about a 6‑cup capacity. Butter the pan and dust it all over lightly with fine, dry bread crumbs, shake out excess crumbs, and set the pan aside.
• Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, cocoa, and sugar and set aside.
• Beat the cream and vanilla in the small bowl of an electric mixer until the cream holds a definite shape. On low speed, add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula and beating only until the egg is incorporated after each addition. (The eggs will thin the cream slightly.)
• Transfer to the large bowl of the mixer and gradually, on low speed, add the sifted dry ingredients, scraping the bowl and beating only until smooth. Remove from the mixer and stir in the grated zest. That's all there is to it.
• Turn the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for about 1 hour and 5 minutes, until the top springs back when lightly pressed with a fingertip.
• For the glaze:
• As soon as the cake goes into the oven, mix the orange juice with the sugar and let it stand while the cake is baking.
• After you remove the cake from the oven, let it cool for 5 minutes. Then, a little at a time, brush the orange juice/sugar mixture all over the cake; encourage most of it to run down the sides between the cake and the pan, but thoroughly wet the top also. The cake will absorb it all.
• Let the cake stand in the pan until it is completely cool. Then cover the pan loosely with a piece of wax paper. Invert the cake into the palm of your hand-easy does it-remove the pan, cover the cake with a rack, and invert again, leaving the cake right side up.