Fresh Cranberry Orange Cupcakes With Cream Cheese Frosting Recipes

CRANBERRY ORANGE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Combine the 1 cup of sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook over medium heat until the sugar is dissolved. If the water gets too hot and starts to boil, remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly, then add the cranberries. (You don't want the cranberries to burst, which is why you don't want the water too hot.) Pour the simple syrup and cranberries into a bowl and cover. Refrigerate overnight.
• Drain the cranberries. Place the superfine sugar in a shallow bowl and add the cranberries. Shake to coat the cranberries with the sugar. Transfer to a surface lined with waxed paper and allow to dry for at least 1 hour.
• Preheat the oven to 350ºF. Line 14 muffin tins with cupcake liners.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt.
• In the bowl of a mixer, beat the sugar and butter together until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, scraping down the bowl between additions. Beat in the orange zest.
• In a liquid measuring cup, combine the buttermilk and the orange extract. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the butter and beat until combined. Follow that with 1/2 of the buttermilk. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, the remaining buttermilk, then the remaining flour mixture, beating to combine between each addition. Fold the cranberries into the batter.
• Fill each of the prepared cups about 2/3 full of the batter. Bake until a tester inserted in the middle comes out clean, about 18 minutes. Allow to cool completely.
• Beat the butter in a mixer until light and fluffy. Add in the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until completely combined. Beat in the orange zest. Add in the cream, 1 tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Beat in the cranberries.***
• Pipe the frosting on top of the cooled cupcakes. Top each cupcake with several sugared cranberries.

ORANGE CRANBERRY CUPCAKES

Steps:

• Cupcakes:
• Preheat the oven to 325°F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners.
• In a medium bowl, whisk together 1 1/2 cups of the flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a small saucepan, heat the milk and orange zest over low heat until hot (but not boiling); cool to lukewarm, 4 to 5 minutes. Stir in the vanilla.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to medium-low, add the egg and egg whites one at a time, and beat until creamy, 1 to 2 minutes. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture, beating until just blended after each addition. In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon flour. Using a silicone spatula, gently fold the cranberries into the batter.
• Divide the batter evenly among the liners and bake until the tops are just dry to the touch (some may be slightly golden on the sides before this happens) and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 17 to 19 minutes. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool completely before frosting with orange frosting.
• To bake as a cake:
• Butter two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottoms with parchment paper cut to fit, and butter the parchment. Flour the pans, coating the bottom and sides of each pan, then tap out the excess flour. Divide the batter between the two pans and bake until the tops are dry to the touch, the sides of the cake start to pull away from the pan, and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean (for generally the same amount of time as in the cupcake recipe). Let cool on a wire rack, then remove each cake from its pan, discard the parchment paper, and set one cake layer on a cake round, frosting turntable, or the final serving platter. Frost the top of that cake layer with the frosting, stack the second layer on top, and frost the top and sides with the remaining frosting.
• To make the orange frosting:
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and salt on medium speed until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce the speed to low, gradually add the confectioners' sugar, and beat until incorporated. Increase the speed to medium, add the milk, orange zest and juice, and vanilla and beat until fully blended, 1 to 2 minutes, making sure not to incorporate too much air into the frosting.

CRANBERRY STUFFED CUPCAKES WITH CRANBERRY CREAM CHEESE FROSTING

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cupcake pans with 15 cupcake liners, spacing them out evenly between the two pans.
• Sift together the flour and baking powder in a medium bowl, then lightly stir in the salt and set aside. Combine the heavy cream and 1/2 cup corn in a food processor and puree until smooth, being careful not to overblend so the cream doesn't turn into butter. Add the sour cream and blend just to combine, then set aside.
• Cream together the butter, coconut oil and granulated sugar in a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium-high speed, scraping down the sides occasionally with a rubber spatula to make sure everything is incorporated evenly, until light and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add the vanilla. Reduce the mixer to medium-low and add the dry mixture and corn puree mixture in 3 alternating additions, then fold in the remaining 1/2 cup corn kernels with a rubber spatula. Using an ice cream scoop, distribute the batter evenly among the cupcake liners.
• Bake for 10 minutes, then rotate the pans and continue to bake until the cupcakes are thinking about starting to turn brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few crumbs on it, 6 to 10 minutes more. If the cupcakes need more time, continue to bake and check them frequently (like every 30 to 45 seconds). Let them cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
• For the buttercream: If desired, press the cranberry sauce through a fine-mesh sieve to get rid of the cranberry skins, which will yield a smoother buttercream. This step is not necessary, though. Beat together the cranberry sauce, butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, until smooth. Add the powdered sugar, salt and vanilla and continue beating until combined. Beat in the heavy cream. Transfer to a piping bag.
• To assemble: Use an apple corer to extract the centers of the cupcakes. Transfer the thick cranberry sauce to a piping bag or resealable plastic bag with the corner snipped off, then pipe it into the centers of the cupcakes. Pipe a blob of frosting onto the cupcakes and decorate with sliced cranberries and rosemary sprigs. Enjoy! These are best enjoyed within a day or two.

CRANBERRY-ORANGE CUPCAKES

Steps:

• For the cupcakes: Position an oven rack in the center of the oven, and preheat to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners, and coat the liners and the top of the tin with cooking spray.
• Whisk the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, clove and salt together in a medium bowl. Beat the sugar and eggs in another medium bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and creamy, about 2 minutes. While continuing to beat, gradually pour in the butter, then beat in the orange zest. Adjust the speed to medium-low, and add half the flour mixture. Add the milk, then the remaining flour mixture, taking care not to overmix the batter. It will be thin, like pancake batter; transfer it to a liquid measuring cup to make filling the muffin cups easier.
• Divide the batter evenly among the cups of the prepared muffin tin. Bake until the tops spring back when pressed, 20 to 22 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the tin for a few minutes, then transfer to a rack to cool completely. (The cupcakes can be baked a day ahead and stored in an airtight container at room temperature.)
• For the frosting: Bring the cranberries, granulated sugar, orange juice and ginger to a simmer in a small saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring frequently, until the sugar dissolves, the cranberries burst and the mixture thickens, about 10 minutes. Let cool completely. Set aside 1/3 cup for garnish.
• Beat the cream cheese and butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth. Beat in the confectioners' sugar. Add the cooled cranberry mixture, and beat until completely incorporated.
• Divide the frosting evenly among the cupcakes, and use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to swirl. Garnish each with a dollop of reserved cranberry sauce and a piece of orange zest.