Orange and Amaretto Cupcakes

Warm orangey sponge with chewy amaretto biscuit chunks. Swirls of Dissarano buttercream and a sprinkling of crunchy amaretto.

Ingredients (to make 8 large cupcakes)
For the sponge:
125g  self raising flour (double sieved)
125g  light brown sugar (sieved to remove any 'rocks')
125g  Stork or margarine
2  eggs
1/2 tsp baking powder
Zest and juice of 1 orange
12 medium sized crunchy amaretto biscuits ( plus 3-4 extra for decoration)

For the buttercream:
75g unsalted butter (softened)
150g icing sugar
2-3 tbsp Dissarono or any amaretto liquor (to taste)

Instructions
1. Line a cupcake tin with cases, or use a muffin tin if you want to create really large cupcakes.
2. Make basic cake batter by mixing the flour, sugar, eggs, Stork and baking powder together using a mixer. If you don't have a mixer cream the sugar and butter, then add the flour and baking powder, followed by the eggs.
3. Add the orange zest and juice.
4. Crush the biscuits (I like to use a rolling pin!) and fold into the batter.
5. Fill the cupcake cases to 2/3 full
6. Bake at gas mark 4 (180c / 350f) for 15 - 20 minutes. In my gas oven they were done after 18 minutes.

Topping
1. Sift icing sugar into a bowl and add the softened butter
2. Whisk until creamy
3. Add Dissarono to taste (don't taste too much of it!)
4. Pipe buttercream on to cooled cakes. Less is more with this buttercream, or you may not be able to taste the orange in the sponge. If you want lots of buttercream, consider adding a little orange zest before piping.
5. Finish with a sprinkling of crumbled amaretto biscuits.

Thanks for reading xx


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