Orange Sherbet and a Poptop Rose

Working my way through a backlog of random flavor requests and Corrie, your number is up.

While it’s not the most “fall like” of flavor profiles, Orange Sherbet sure does hold Queen in her court. She’s sweet, and fluffy, and tangy and creamy and pretty much the epitome of a cupcake princess. She was a little high maintenance and a little bit of a sweetheart and…I can only handle her in small doses.

After a long absence, it was back to ‘stuffed’ cupcakes for me– working on a better name– and surprisingly, this was a wonderfully successful experience. Corrie had requested “Orange Sherbet Cupcakes” and I wanted to oblige her request, but I was at a bit of a loss. How does one achieve a sherbet flavor? Every recipe I searched encouraged a straight-up layer of orange sherbet on top of regular cupcakes, but I was not a fan of losing any additional sleep for freshly frozen cupcakes. So I went after my next favorite element of orange sherbet- the texture. A whipped orange creme filled orange-yellow-cake cupcakes and were topped with a light orange buttercream frosting. As aforementioned, small doses recommended.

Recipe (makes 12):

• 2 cups flour
• 1 cup white granulated sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tbsp orange extract
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 1 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tin. Mix cake ingredients until smooth and fill liners.

Orange Creme

• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 2 tbsp orange extract
• 2 tbsp confectioners sugar
• 1 tsp salt

Bake cupcakes for 17 minutes. Once cooled, remove tops of cupcakes. Whip Orange Creme ingredients until frothy. Let sit for 1 hour in fridge to cool. Then drop a dollop of creme in each cupcake.

Frosting

• 16 oz confectioners sugar
• 3 tbsp orange extract
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup melted butter
• 2 tbsp heavy whipping cream

Mix frosting ingredients and frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Share with others and eat sparingly.

I didn’t feel any sort of exiled drinking Lise and Bertrand’s Exile Rose Petillant from the Loire Valley. Though the opening of the bottle was more similar to that of a beer than a bottle of traditional Champagne, it didn’t stop this sparkling wine from tasting just as decadent as the cupcakes. ‘Twas vibrantly pink and 100% Gamay. Smells like hard cider, but tastes deeper than that. There are savory components on the finish. Great choice for the nights when you just don’t want to take yourself too seriously.

Hope everyone has a wonderful week.

Cheers,
Jenna