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Cranberry Orange White Chocolate Cupcakes

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White Chocolate Cupcakes with Orange Emulsion and Zest, filled with Cranberry Compote, Frosted in White Chocolate Orange Buttercream, Rolled in White Sprinkles and Topped with Sugared Cranberries.
Servings 24 cupcakes

Ingredients

White Orange Cupcakes

  • 2/3 cup buttermilk room temperature
  • 2/3 cup sour cream room temperature
  • 4 egg whites room temperature
  • 1/3 cup vegetable oil
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon orange emulsion
  • 1 15.25oz White Cake Mix I prefer Duncan Hines brand for this one

Cranberry Compote Feeling

  • 1/2 cup + 2 teaspoons water
  • 1/2 cup sugar
  • 2 cups fresh cranberries
  • 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
  • 2 teaspoons cornstarch

White Chocolate Orange Buttercream

  • 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream
  • 3 sticks (1 1/2 cups) unsalted butter left out at room temp for 10 minutes
  • 1 pinch of salt
  • 1 Tablespoon vanilla
  • 1 Tablespoon orange emulsion
  • 5-7 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/8 cup more heavy cream if needed

Sugared Cranberries

  • 1/2 cup water
  • 3/4 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 cup fresh cranberries

Extras

  • white sprinkles
  • washed cedar pine leaves (remove before eating)
  • sugared cranberries (recipe above)

Instructions

White Orange Cupcakes:

  • For the cupcakes: Preheat oven to 325 degrees and fill cupcake pan with 24 liners for 24 cupcakes. Set aside.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg whites, emulsion, zest, buttermilk, sour cream, oil, and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Whisk in the cake mix until just combined (don't overmix).
  • Scoop batter evenly into each prepared cupcake liner, about ½-2/3 of the way full for each one.
  • Bake for 12-15 minutes (don't overbake - cupcakes are not to be golden, just a soft white).

Cranberry Filling

  • In a small saucepan, combine sugar, ½ cup water, cranberries and vanilla. Bring to a simmer with a lid on and cook for about 5-7 minutes until the cranberries start to burst. Make the slurry by stirring together the cornstarch and 2 teaspoons water in a small cup.
    Add into the cranberry filling and stir to thicken over low heat. Add in a touch more water if it's too thick. Pour filling into a glass dish and place in the fridge to cool completely before adding them to the inside of cupcakes.

White Chocolate Orange Buttercream

  • In a small glass bowl, stir the white chocolate chips and heavy cream together and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir until there are no lumps. Set aside.
  • In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, whip up the butter until it's light and fluffy. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Add in the vanilla, emulsion, and salt and whip up to combine. Slowly stir in the ganache (white chocolate and heavy cream) and thoroughly combine. Scrape down the sides of the bowl.
  • Slowly add in the powdered sugar. You may use all of it, you may use only 5 cups. It depends on how thick of consistency you desire. If it's too thick, add in a touch more heavy cream. If it's too thin, add in more powdered sugar. Taste as you go.
  • Whip up the buttercream on the highest speed for 2-3 minutes to add volume and lighten color, then on low speed for about 30 seconds to help beat out any air bubbles.

Sugared Cranberries

  • Whisk water and ½ cup sugar in a small pot and simmer until sugar is dissolved. Stir in the cranberries and make sure they're coated in the simple syrup. Place the lid on and remove from the heat. Steep for 10 minutes.
  • Strain cranberries, and roll cranberries in the rest of the sugar (you can always add more sugar to the plate you roll them on) and place on a parchment sheet to "dry" for 10 minutes.

Assembly

  • Scoop out the inside of the cupcakes (I like to do this frozen and with a melon baller) and fill with compote (I used a piping bag for this step). Frost with a large french tip (Wilton 8B) and roll the outside edge in white sprinkles. Top with sugared cranberries and sprig of cedar garland.