Orange Muffins | Candied Orange Peel Muffins | Christmas Recipes | Eggless Butterless Orange Cupcakes

Orange or lemon flavor in cakes excite me blissfully specially the orange scented ones. Here's a muffin recipe that I baked after making some candied peels for the fruit cake. It tasted so good and about the texture I must tell; it was spongy soft, light and very airy in texture as I have used vinegar and custard powder both in this recipe and the citrus flavor added a punch to them. You can skip addition of vinegar and add some fresh orange juice alternatively also custard powder isn't really necessary here it makes the cake pillow soft and rich in taste but it is purely optional. Skip adding any extras like candied peels and bake it in the regular cake pans instead of muffin pans to get the eggless & butterless orange sponge cakes. Pour some orange glaze (check tip 1) or just serve them plain and simple without icing, either way it is a delight. 

INGREDIENTS

Makes 5 to 6 cupcakes
Preparation Time – 10 minutes
Baking time – 20 to 30 minutes

1. All purpose flour / Maida – 100 grams
2. Custard powder – 1.5 tablespoons (optional)
3. Baking soda – 1⁄2 teaspoon
4. Baking powder – 1⁄4 teaspoon
5. Salt – 1/8 teaspoon
6. Sugar – 75 grams
7. Orange zest – 1⁄2 teaspoon (grated orange skin)
8. Chopped candied orange peels – 2 tablespoons (click for homemade candied peels recipe)
9. Milk – 100 ml
10. Vinegar – 1 tablespoon
11. Vanilla essence – 3/4 teaspoon
12. Orange essence – 1⁄2 teaspoon (optional)
13. Orange food color – 1/8 teaspoon
14. Oil – 50 ml

PREPARATION METHOD

• Preheat an oven at 180 degree celcius for 10 minutes.
• Place cupcake liners into cupcake moulds or pans and set aside. 
• Take a bowl and add maida, salt, custard powder, baking powder and mix well with a whisk. Then add sugar into it and mix again.
• To another bowl add oil, vanilla essence, orange essence, milk and stir well. 
• Add this milk mixture into the flour mix and stir well. Add some water to adjust the consistency. It should be a thick batter.
• Add orange food color and mix well.
• Add half of the candied peels into the batter and mix. Now take vinegar in a bowl and add baking soda it will fizz up. Immediately add this bubbling mixture into the cake batter and mix thoroughly.
• Quickly pour the batter into the cupcake lined moulds, spread some candied peels over the cupcakes and set pan inside the oven. Bake for 20 minutes (180 deg celcius) and remove from oven when done. (Just check in between after 15 minutes to see if your cupcakes are done, for this insert a wet toothpick or knife into the center of the cupcake,if it comes out clean it means your cupcakes are ready; if you find batter sticking to the toothpick bake for 5 to 7 more minutes)
• Wait until the cupcakes cool down well, store or serve.

TIP 1: You can make an orange glaze and add it to the cupcakes before serving. Just add a tablespoon of fresh orange juice, 1 to 1.5 cups of icing sugar and 1 teaspoon orange zest into bowl and whisk until icing sugar dissolves. Then pour it over the cupcakes.

TIP 2: Instead of candied peels you can add tutti frutti, glaze cherries or chocolate chips also.

For homemade candied orange peels recipe click here