Are you crazy about citrus season as we are? It’s one of our favourite things to utilize because it’s the most versatile ingredient. From sweet desserts to savoury meals, to refreshing cocktails, there isn’t anything citrus can’t do!
Ingredients
Directions
Position a rack in the centre of your oven and preheat to 180ºC.
Add muffin liners to a 12-cup muffin pan and set aside.
In a medium-sized bowl, combine all-purpose flour, cake flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds and salt; set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, combine grated orange zest and white sugar. Using your fingers, rub the mixture together until it becomes fragrant.
With an electric mixer, whisk together the orange sugar mixture, extra-virgin olive oil and eggs until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl halfway through.
Add the sour cream, blood orange juice and vanilla extract and mix until well combined. About 1 minute.
In 2 additions, sift in the dry ingredients (flour, baking powder, baking soda, poppy seeds & salt) and mix on low speed just until combined. Do not overmix!
Evenly distribute the batter into each cupcake liner, filling each about ⅔ full. Use a standard ice cream scoop to make distributing the batter into the liners much easier.
Bake for 16-18 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
Allow the cupcakes to cool completely before making the cream cheese frosting.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together cream cheese and butter until smooth. Add 3 ½ cups of powdered sugar, 3 tablespoons of blood orange juice and ½ teaspoon of vanilla; mix on low speed until combined. If you’d like a thicker frosting, add another ½ cup of powdered sugar.
Transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a star tip and frost your cupcakes. Alternatively, you can just spoon frosting onto your cupcakes and spread with an offset spatula for a rustic look. Enjoy!
