InsaneJournal

Shinjiro's "Just Because Oranges Are Your Favorite Doesn't Mean I Like You" Agent Orange Cupcakes
Recipe is mostly worksafe-ish. Accompanying fic isn't, really.





Agent Orange Cupcakes
24 regular cupcakes / 350 degree oven

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 large eggs, room temperature
2-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup orange pulp/juice (From one large orange, if you're doing it right. Peel that bastard, cut it in half, and squeeze the whole thing in your fist until there's nothing left in it.)
2 teaspoons orange zest
a good dash of powdered ginger
2/3 cup (4 ounces) chopped bittersweet chocolate

1. Beat butter on high until soft, about 30 seconds.
2. Add sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
3. Add eggs one at a time, beat for 30 seconds between each.
4. Whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, powdered ginger, and salt in a bowl.
5. Measure out milk and orange juice together. Add zest. It'll look weird. It doesn't matter.
6. Add about a fourth of the flour to the butter/sugar mixture and beat to combine.
7. Add about one third the milk/juice mixture and beat until combined.
8. Repeat above, alternating flour and milk and ending with the flour mixture.
9. Mix in chopped chocolate.
10. Dump into cupcake papers about half to two-thirds full (depending on whether you want flat or domed cupcakes).
11. Bake for 22-25 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

Don't overflow your tins. It makes a goddamn mess.





Lucky-Arse Middle Class Buttercream

...It's a damn lot of butter to use up at once, but if someone leaves a pound of butter unattended in the fridge, it's fair game.

1 lb (2 cups) unsalted butter, soft and cut into smallish pieces
3/4 cup plus 1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
5 large egg whites (room temperature is best)
1/4 tsp cream of tartar (or lemon juice, or a little vinegar)
Splash of vanilla flavoring
Orange zest from 1/2 an orange

Get your egg whites ready in a bowl, with cream of tartar and 1/4 cup sugar nearby.

Heat 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup water in a small saucepan. Heat over medium high heat until sugar is dissolved. When some of the sugar almost makes a soft ball in cold water (Sheff's Note: 230F on a candy thermometer), beat egg whites on medium high. When egg whites are frothy, add cream of tartar. Gradually add the 1/4 cup sugar. When egg whites begin to form soft peaks, turn the mixer down to medium low and begin to drizzle in the boiling sugar mixture (which should be at approximately 245-250F, firm ball stage). When all of the hot sugar is added, turn the mixer up to medium high and beat until the bowl is no longer warm to the touch (seriously--you have to wait. Now's a good time to dig through your host's VHS collection and find his porn, see if he's into any really freaky shit, but wait until you're done with the cupcakes to watch it). Add the butter one lump at a time and continue beating until mixture is smooth and fluffy. It might look gross for a while--like ricotta cheese--but just keep beating it. It'll work out.

Once it is smooth, dump in vanilla and zest and mix. If you have some leftover melted chocolate from dipping the candied orange peel, throw that in, too. Don't put it in the refrigerator--it's mostly butter and it'll get hard. Smear frosting on cupcakes or get all fancy and pipe it on. You can throw some candied orange peel on it, if you want. It's a pain in the ass to make, but maybe it's worth it.




6 oranges (more if you want and have 'em, because if you're going to go through the process, might as well make it worthwhile)
1 tablespoon salt
2 cups sugar
a lot of water

Score peel of each orange in sixths; loosen from fruit and remove as much of the pith (white membrane) from the peel as you can. Add salt and peel to 4 cups of water and let stand a couple of hours. Drain and rinse thoroughly.

In a pot, cover peels with cold water. Heat to boiling and then drain. Repeat 3 times (so it's like candy, not like orange-burning in your mouth).

Cut peel into strips. In sauce pan, combine peel, sugar and 1/2 cup water. Heat and stir until sugar dissolves. Continue to cook until peel is translucent. Drain any liquid and roll peel in granulated sugar. Let it dry.

If you have a chocolate freak on your hands, you can dip the ends in melted chocolate. Put it in the refrigerator to set up.