Vegan Treats for Two: Orange Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Day two of Vegan MoFo for me. Day 527 of Vegan MoFo for all the participants who started when they were supposed to. Doh!

Do you like the orange and chocolate flavor combo? It's one of those love them or hate them things. I'm a fan! These are zesty little orange cakes with a thin layer of semi-sweet chocolate ganache on top. They are made with fresh orange juice and zest, and there is an optional extra step where you poke holes with a toothpick all over the tops of the cupcakes and then pour some more OJ in there. Because we just don't know when to stop, do we?

Orange Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache for Two INGREDIENTS FOR THE CAKES: 25 g sugar 5 g all purpose flour (plus more later) 15 g vegetable oil or melted coconut oil 20 g vegan milk zest of 1/2 orange, about a rounded 1/2 teaspoon 25 g all purpose flour 1/16 salt 1/16 baking soda 1/8 baking powder 15 g fresh orange juice 1. These baking directions are for the Cuisinart TOB-60. You'll probably need to experiment with your toaster oven settings to get the best results. More on that here: How to Bake Perfect Cupcakes in a Toaster Oven. Preheat the toaster oven to 325 degrees F (160 degrees C) and spray two cupcake liners with cooking spray. Place the liners in a small muffin tin. For the Cuisinart TOB-60, preheat the oven on the WARM function so that only the bottom heating elements are activated. 2. In a small bowl or coffee cup combine the sugar and 5 grams flour and give them a good whisking. Add the oil, milk, and orange zest and whisk vigorously for at least 30 seconds. 3. Sift in the 25 grams of flour, add the salt, baking soda, and baking powder and fold everything slightly until you end up with a somewhat lumpy batter. Take care not to over mix the batter at this point! No more vigorous whisking or beating. 4. Add the orange juice and fold gently again until everything is incorporated. Try not to over mix the batter. 5. Pour the cupcake batter into the prepared cupcake liners and bake on the WARM setting for 12 minutes, then switch to the BAKE setting and bake for an extra eight minutes at 350 degrees F (180 degrees C.) If you're using a different toaster oven you may be able to use the BAKE setting from the start. 6. Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool in the muffin tin for a few minutes before transferring them to a cooling rack. Let them cool down to room temperature before spreading the chocolate ganache on top. INGREDIENTS FOR THE CHOCOLATE GANACHE: 30 g semi-sweet chocolate chips 15 g vegan milk (or full-fat coconut milk for a rich ganache) 1. Combine the chocolate chips and milk in a small microwave-safe bowl. I like to use a glass bowl or cup so I can keep an eye on it and make sure it doesn't bubble up in the microwave. 2. Microwave on high for 15 seconds. Stir. Microwave again if necessary for 10 more seconds. Stir. Repeat if necessary until the ganache is smooth and silky. 3. Let the ganache cool down completely before spreading it on the cupcakes. If your kitchen is warm and the ganache is not firming up, pop it in the fridge for a few minutes until it's a bit thicker and spreadable. Check it every five  minutes so it doesn't get too stiff in the fridge. 4. Use a small spatula or the back of a small spoon or non-serrated knife to spread the ganache over the cooled cupcakes. 5. At this point you can decorate the cupcakes with a bit of orange zest or some shaved chocolate. Or leave them as they are! RECIPE NOTES: . Sometimes I like to add some extra orange juice to these after they have baked. It gives them some extra moisture and an extra orangey kick. But I only do this if my orange is sweet. I tried it with a tart orange and it was not good. If you want to do this, just let the cupcakes cool down for about ten minutes after you've taken them out of the oven, then use a toothpick to poke several holes all over the tops of the cupcakes (the more holes you poke the more juice will drip down!) and evenly pour fresh orange juice all over the cakes. I like to do about 10 grams of juice, 15 at the most, otherwise they can go a bit soggy. GENERAL NOTES: . Check out my blog post about baking cupcakes in a toaster oven. . You've probably noticed that I added a bit of flour separately from the main flour. I'm using it as a binder in lieu of eggs or egg replacers. It's become my favorite way to replace eggs in baked goods. . All the ingredients are weighed, even the liquids, and I'm using the metric system. Grams are more convenient than ounces or cups when it comes to baking tiny batches of things. I use an Escali Digital Scale which has a handy "tare" button that lets me reset the weight after I add each ingredient.Screw you, unreliable cups and tablespoons! Except for baking soda and salt and all those tiny pinches of things. For those I use my tiny 1/8 tsp from my set of +Wilton measuring spoons. How do you measure 1/16 tsp of salt and baking soda? I eyeball it using half of an 1/8 tsp. . I bake everything in a Cuisinart TOB-60 toaster oven. You may need to experiment with your toaster oven to get the best result. . I had a hard time finding a small cupcake pan that would fit my small toaster oven. Luckily I found a +Wilton six-cavity muffin pan that has been excellent, except for the fact that some pink Wilton cupcake liners stained it!

Well, I've done my damage here. Orange you glad I shared these? Ha ha *snort* ha ha *snort* ha ha *snort*

I am sorry.



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