Wooo hoooo back in the kitchen today and raring to get cooking. The in-laws came back the other day with a big bag of beautiful oranges… and we all know what that means…. Chocolate Orange time!

I thought I’d freestyle it a little bit with the frosting, there’s no icing sugar in this one, I just love peanut butter in my cookies and cakes these days and I thought it would serve me well as a frosting and I was proved correct, it worked really well with the almond and orange juice… I had to taste it frequently to make sure it was right… such a hardship… I think not!

The last time I made these kind of cupcakes I was still using oil in my baking, but just by adding a little extra oat milk the cakes turned out just deliciously, lovely and moist, I was so pleased!

And because I’ve not made anything in a while, I thought I’d just go mad today and also made some raw fudge bites (recipe tomorrow), I’m in dessert heaven at the minute!

Luxury Chocolate Orange Cupcakes with a Zesty Chocolate Frosting (Vegan & Gluten Free)

MyInspiration Feel The Difference Range

Makes 6 Cupcakes, ready to eat in under an hour

3/4 cup oat milk (or your favourite non dairy milk)

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

3 tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp almond extract

Zest of one large orange

3/4 cup organic buckwheat flour (or all purpose/whole wheat)

2 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/3 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

For the Frosting

2 1/2 tbsp peanut butter

2 tbsp maple syrup

Juice of one large orange

1/2 tsp almond extract

2 tbsp cocoa powder

Method

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees and line a muffin tin with paper cases

2. Add the vinegar to the milk and briskly stir and then set aside for a few minutes then add the almond extract and maple syrup and whisk together.

3. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa, orange zest, baking soda & baking powder, then add the wet ingredients to the dry and beat the mixture until it is smooth.

4. Spoon the mixture into the muffin cases, I filled mine about three quarters of the way (they will rise when cooking) and pop in the oven for 15 – 20 minutes. Remove from heat and allow to cool completely.

5. To make the frosting, cream together the peanut butter and maple syrup, then add in the orange juice, almond extract and cocoa and stir until it’s lovely and smooth, then transfer to a piping bag and ice the top of the cupcakes and sprinkle with some grated orange zest! (I think this would also work with some sesame seeds sprinkled on top too… I’ll remember for next time!