When I think about the holidays, I always think about all things cranberry and orange. I love sweet citrus and the bright tartness of cranberries together.
So when I recently made a batch of candied cranberries I knew I needed to come up with a delicious cake or cupcake to use them for garnish!! I mean I guess that is kind of working backwards, but this delicious cupcake was a result of that backward thinking so who cares.
These sweet orange cupcakes are filled with tart cranberry filing, topped with more orange flavor in the butter cream, and topped with a pretty little candied jewel of a cranberry. These cupcakes are so pretty and so tasty! They would be perfect on any holiday table this fall or winter, or as long as you can find fresh cranberries in season.
I used homemade cranberry sauce for the filling but canned will work just as well. I really do encourage you not to skip out on making the candied cranberries. They are great for garnishing desserts, using in cocktails, or just as at sweet and tart little snack.
Tis the season to make cranberry everything, while the getting is good so to speak!!! So go stock up on some fresh cranberries, and add these cupcakes to your holiday “to make” list! You won’t regret it!
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups all purpose flour
2 cups white sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2/3 cups fresh orange juice juice
zest from 1 large orange
2 cups plant milk (I like to bake with oat milk)
1/2 cup melted vegan butter
1 teaspoons vanilla extract
CRANBERRY FILLING
6 tablespoons Homemade or canned cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
2-3 tablespoons orange juice (use the orange you zest for the frosting)
VEGAN ORANGE FROSTING:
1/4 cup vegan butter
1/4 cup shortening
3-4 cups powdered sugar
Zest from one orange
juice from orange to thin out the frosting
candied cranberries for garnish
INSTRUCTIONS:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, whisk together dry cake ingredients. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients along with the zest.
Combine the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until well combined.
Line a muffin tin with 24 cupcake liners. We actually have a tin that holds 2 dozen cupcakes, but if yours holds 1 dozen, you will need to bake in batches.
Fill the cups 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the cupcakes comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely.
Make a small hole in the center of each of the cupcake. You can use a small knife or turn a large piping tip upside down, twisting it into the cupcake and puling out a perfect little bit of cake from the center. Mix the cranberry sauce, sugar and juice in a small blow. My homemade cranberry sauce is super thick. If the sauce you are using is kind of thin, you likely won’t need the juice or as much juice. You need the sauce just thin enough to pipe into the cupcake, but not too thin. Fill a piping bag, or zip lock bag with the corner cut with the cranberry filling and pipe a little into each cupcake.
In a stand mixer, or using a hand mixer, cream together the butter and shortening. Add in the vanilla and orange zest. Begin adding the powdered sugar a little at a time and beat it in until the frosting is the desired stiffness. If the frosting is too thick you can use some juice from the orange to thin it out.
Pipe or spread frosting onto cooled cupcakes and garnish with a candied cranberry
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