These Boozy Blood Orange Cupcakes are incredibly moist with a big hit of citrus and a perfectly pink cream cheese frosting.
These One-Bowl Boozy Blood Orange Cupcakes are just what any busy mom or partner needs this week – they’re super easy yet incredibly decadent. The cupcakes are laced with blood orange, orange liqueur and olive oil and topped with a luxurious (and not too sweet) boozy blood orange-cream cheese frosting. Quite honestly, they are my ideal cupcake – with all the fresh citrus flavors and a density that can’t be beat. Plus, there’s the booze. We all know how I’m a big fan of the booze!
When I saw a big bag of blood oranges at my local Trader Joe’s recently, I just had to get them. They are, after all, one of my favorite winter treats. I’ve been loading up on oranges lately to get as much natural Vitamin C into my bod as possible, and the blood oranges arrived at just the right time for me to mix up my routine a bit.
I just couldn’t pass up the opportunity to make a vibrantly colored sweet treat with some of these bright red beauties, and just in time for Valentine’s Day! Tell me, do you already have big plans or are you keeping things low key? Are you a fan of celebrating this Hallmark holiday or do you prefer professing your love for your significant other all year round?
Even since before baby was born, the hubs and I have preferred to keep things fairly low key. We’d rather go out to eat at a fancy restaurant on any other night of the year than be forced into some highly overpriced prix fixe menu or crammed into an overly-packed dining establishment. That being said, Chris has a special homemade dinner up his sleeve for us on Wednesday and I plan on pulling out some of these One-Bowl Boozy Blood Orange Cupcakes for us to enjoy (maybe with some bubbles?)
And speaking of these One-Bowl Boozy Blood Orange Cupcakes, let’s talk a little bit about how ridiculously easy they are. (Trust me, this mama has no time for involved recipes OR lots of dishwashing these days.)
Really, as long as you can get a hold of a big bunch of blood oranges, you’re in good shape. In fact, I’d venture to guess you already have most of the other ingredients on hand in your refrigerator or pantry already. Once you have all of the ingredients (which, by the way, are easily measured out using only a couple sizes of dry measuring cups and using up just two entire blood oranges – zest and juice), just throw everything into the bowl of your stand mixer and let it do all the work.
I also love that you can easily make the cupcakes one day and the frosting the next because, if you’re a mama or busy woman like me, you never know how much time you’ll have to accomplish a task! I made the cupcakes the night before, then whipped up the frosting the next morning…I would also like to point out that I frosted and decorated the cupcakes and subsequently had to refrigerate them for a few hours until I had a chance to photograph them, so these bad boys really do hold up well with a little sit time.
Whether you have a special someone you want to make something for this Valentine’s Day or just want a tasty treat you can whip up with the season’s most colorful citrus, these One-Bowl Boozy Blood Orange Cupcakes are for you. The recipe yields a dozen and a half, so you’ll have plenty to share!
One-Bowl Boozy Blood Orange Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cups sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- Zest of 2 small blood oranges (about 2 teaspoons)
- 1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice (should be about 2 small blood oranges)
- 1/4 cup orange liqueur (I used Grand Marnier)
For the frosting*:
- 16 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- Zest of 1 small blood orange
- Juice of 1 small blood orange
- 2 teaspoons orange liqueur (again, I used Grand Marnier)
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
- Few drops of red food coloring, until desired color of frosting has been reached
- White sanding sugar, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line cupcake tins with paper or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- Combine all cupcake ingredients in the bowl of a stand mixer and mix - using the paddle attachment - until combined, about 3 minutes.
- Fill cupcake tins ¾ full with batter. Bake in 350 degree oven for 24-26 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean.
- Let cool for 5 minutes in tins, then remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, combine all frosting ingredients (except food coloring) in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.
- Once all ingredients are combined and creamy, add food coloring and mix until desired color is reached.
- Transfer frosting into a piping bag and cut off the tip. Pipe a generous amount of frosting onto each cupcake, but it doesn’t have to be pretty.
- Once all cupcakes are topped, use a small butler’s knife or spatula to neatly spread the frosting over the top. Sprinkle white sanding sugar over top.
- Store in covered container in refrigerator for up to 4 days.
Leave a Reply