Orange Dreamsicle Cupcakes

Vegan Dreamsicle Cupcakes with Orange Buttercream Frosting

Bake at 350 degrees for 20-22 minutes

FOR THE CUPCAKES:
1/3 cup canola oil
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup soy or rice milk
1/2 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/3 cups all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon finely grated orange zest

FOR THE FROSTING:
1/4 cup shortening
1/4 margarine, softened
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons orange juice
1 tablespoon finely grated lemon zest
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

* Hi it's me Rachel. You can make this unvegan by replacing the shortening and margarine with 1/2 cup unsalted butter, or a combination of butter and cream cheese. Some of the powdered sugar can be replaced with corn starch so the desired texture can be reached without having it too sweet. In fact, I don't even really measure powdered sugar when making frosting; I just add a little bit at a time until the flavor is right.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line a muffin pan with cupcake liners.

Combine the milk, vanilla, sugar, oil, and orange juice with one tablespoon of flour in a large bowl.
In another bowl, sift the baking powder, salt, baking soda, and flour together. Add the dry mixture to the wet ingredients a little bit at a time, usually in about three batches, mixing until smooth after each addition.
Finally, fold in the orange zest.

Fill each of the cups 3/4 full of batter, and bake for 20-22 minutes; the cupcakes will be springy on top and golden with a slightly orange hue.

To make the frosting: Cream the margarine and shortening together in a small bowl, then add the sugar a little at a time, mixing well with a small amount of orange juice after each addition.
Add the vanilla and mix well for about 5 minutes until fluffy.

You can add coloring to the frosting if you like, but I decided to stripe the frosting with orange, rather than tint all of it. To do this, put a stripe of food coloring down opposite sides of a decorating bag before filling it with the frosting. It will give the frosting a striped look when you apply it to the cupcakes. Striping is a great way to add a little something without weighing the frosting down under sprinkles or candy, and you can mix it up different ways just by using 2 or 3 colors at a time. For the little candied orange peel on top, I just dipped a small piece of rind in sugar and curled it on top of the frosting.

Another option, recommended in the book, is to spread a small teaspoon of orange marmalade on top and cover it with chocolate ganache.