Chocolate-Orange Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Cupcake ingredients

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 cups flour
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• Two large eggs
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1/4 cup Triple Sec
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• Finely grated rind of one orange

Frosting ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 2 cups icing sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 3/4 teaspoon Triple Sec
• 1 tablespoon fresh orange juice
• 1.5 teaspoons grated orange peel

Cupcake Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line muffin tins with liners.  Sift all dry ingredients into the bowl of your mixer.   Add eggs, orange juice, Triple Sec, milk, butter, vanilla and orange rind and mix until smooth, about three minutes.

Fill liners with batter, bake for 20 minutes.

While cupcakes are baking, add all frosting ingredients into the mixing bowl (freshly washed, of course) mix for about two minutes until smooth.  Wait until cupcakes are completely cooled before icing.