I made these for Cupcake Camp London 2010! They also went down really well. I didn't actually get a chance to taste it but my friend Anne over at I ♥ Cupcakes said they were great. She should know. She won the best ingredient contest for her sprout cupcake!

This cupcake is basically a red velvet cupcake minus the cocoa powder but with some orange extract to give it a citrus flavor. I tried to make the frosting black but I totally underestimated the amount of food coloring needed and my frosting came out more gray purple.

A friend sent me these picks a few days before Cupcake Camp.

I only have 2 baking trays. One I brought from the US and the other from the UK. Guess which one made which shape!

Orange Velvet Cupcakes

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups plain flour sifted

1 cup self rising flour sifted

1 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 1/4 cups vegetable oil

2 large eggs at room temperature

1 tsp yellow food coloring

1/4 tsp red food coloring

1 tsp orange extract (I found some at Tesco)

1 cup buttermilk

1 1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp distilled white vinegar

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F/180 C. Line muffin tin with cases. Whisk together the flours and salt.

2. With an electric mixer on medium speed, whisk together the sugar and oil until combined. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Mix in food coloring and orange extract.

3. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, whisking well after each. Stir together the baking soda and vinegar in a small bowl (it will foam). Add mixture to the batter and mix on medium for 10 seconds.

4. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each three quarters full (I do 2 cookie scoops). Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester comes out clean. About 20 minutes. Transfer tins to wire rack to cool.

Cream Cheese Frosting

adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature

12 ounces full fat cream cheese at room temperature

1 pound icing sugar, sifted

1 tablespoon orange extract (or to taste)

1-2 bottles of black food coloring (optional)

1. With an electric mixer on medium high speed, beat the butter and cheese until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce speed to low.

2. Add the icing sugar 1/2 cup at a time and then the orange extract and food coloring. Mix until smooth and store in an airtight container if not using immediately.

Alternatives

Depending on orangey you want your cupcakes you can use vanilla extract in the cake and orange in the frosting or vice versa. I totally forgot to put it in the cake! Orange zest in the cake would also be a nice touch.