Cupcakes for my birthday!

I recently came across a recipe for these orange ginger cupcakes on Instructables that I just had to try. Conveniently, my birthday gave me a good excuse to bake something I wanted to eat, and then force my co-workers and softball teammates to eat it for me.

I edited the recipe a bit, to cut down on the butter of course. My next updates to this recipe will include using more orange zest and adding some chopped candied ginger to the batter. However, here’s the recipe I used for the pictured cupcakes. They were pretty good after all.

Ingredients – Orange ginger cupcakes

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 sticks (4oz) unsalted butter, softened
• 1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 large eggs
• zest of 1 orange
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/8 cup milk
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Ingredients –  Buttercream frosting

• 6 tablespoons unsalted softened butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar (you may end up adding more)
• 1 tablespoon milk (you may need more)
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Steps – Cupcakes

1. Cream the butter, sugar and applesauce together in a large bowl until fluffy.
2. Mix the flour, baking powder, salt and ginger together in a smaller bowl and set aside.
3. Add the eggs, one at a time and mix well between each.
4. Add the orange zest and vanilla.
5. Add the milk and dry ingredients mixture, alternating and mixing between the two until the batter is smooth.
6. Since I didn’t have cupcake liners, I greased my cupcake pan well. Definitely grease the pan well if you do this and use a knife to loosen up the cupcakes when you try to remove them!
7. Fill the cupcake holes 2/3 of the way full. You should get 22 – 24 cupcakes.
8. Bake in a 350 degree oven for 20 – 22 minutes. The cupcakes are done when golden and they spring back when touched. Use the toothpick test if you’re not sure.
9. Allow the cupcakes to cool for a few minutes before removing and putting on a cooling rack.

Steps – Frosting

1. Once the cupcakes are cool, you’re ready to frost them!
3. Cream the butter until nice and smooth.
4. Add in half the powdered sugar.  Mix until well combined.
5. Add the rest of the powdered sugar, the milk and vanilla and beat until smooth.
6. If the frosting is too thick, add more milk. If it’s too thin, add more sugar.
7. Frost your cupcakes! I like just a thin layer of frosting. If you like more, you may want to double this recipe.

Butter, applesauce and sugar mixed until fluffy.

Orange for the zest. I really like this little zester – it catches the zest and is easy to hold.

Batter after mixing in the eggs, and adding the zest.

Mixing in the dry ingredients.

Finished batter.

Cupcakes, pre-baking.

Cupcakes on the cooling rack.

Frosting in the mixer.

Yum!