With much deeper flavour than ordinary oranges, these blood orange cupcakes are a real treat! The blood orange frosting is also great with chocolate cupcakes.
Prepare your cupcake baking tray, either by lining a cupcake tray with greaseproof paper or using a stand-alone cupcake cases.
In a large bowl cream together butter with sugar, until pale and fluffy. You can do this using wooden spoon, but it's much easier to use electric whisk.
Add the eggs and carry on whisking on a medium to high speed. Don't worry if you see that the mixture has split at this stage. It will come back to normal once you add the flour.
Add the blood orange zest and juice and gently whisk in
Finally, add the flour, but don't over mix it at this stage. Only stir it in until it all come together.
Fill your cupcake baking tray, each muffin case to about 3/4. The cupcake batter will raise during baking, so it needs a bit of a space to grow.
Place in the oven and bake for about 20 minutes until the cupcakes are golden and firm in the middle. Check that they are done by testing with a wooden skewer.
Leave the cupcakes to cool down in the tin first before removing them to a wired cooling rack to cool down properly.
Blood Orange Frosting
To make your blood orange frosting, cut up the butter into a large mixing bowl.
Add the icing sugar.
Start slowly mix both ingredients together using a handheld whisk or standing mixer
Add the blood orange zest, tiny pinch of salt and 1-2 teaspoon of the blood orange juice.
Carry on whisking on a medium to high speed for at least 5 minutes to make sure your frosting is light and fluffy.
To make your frosting extra orange, add orange food colouring.
Taste and add more blood orange juice if the frosting seem very thick.
Use for decorating your cupcakes straightaway or keep in a sealed container for 3-4 days in the fridge.