Cupcake 4 - Chocolate Chip Orange Cupcakes

Still in search of a solid yellow cupcake, while this was very good, not a stand alone yellow cupcake.

Thoughts - Nice flavor combo, the chocolate and orange work well together. (note to self: this might work well with other citrus) The texture was more muffin than cake. I purposely made the ganache bitter and it worked well with the sweet cupcake. Scale of 1-10, I'd give these an 8.5, worth revisting.

Chocolate Chip Orange Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
10 T unsalted butter, softened
1 c sugar
2 large eggs
finely grated zest of 2 navel oranges or manderian oranges
1 t vanilla
2 c AP flour
3 t baking powder
1/2 t salt
1 c (or buttermilk)
2 1/2 c semisweet mini chocolate chips (15 oz)
1/2 c heavy cream
Special equipment: a muffin tin with 22 (1/2-cup) muffin cups, plus paper liners (could not eke 24 cupcakes out of this reciepe)

Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer until light and fluffy, then beat in egg, zest, and vanilla. Sift together flour, baking powder, and salt and mix into butter mixture at low speed, alternating with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Fold in 1 1/4 cups chips and divide batter among lined muffin cups.

Bake in middle of oven until pale golden and a tester comes out clean, 18 to 22 minutes. Turn cupcakes out onto a rack to cool completely.

Bring cream to a simmer in a small heavy saucepan and add remaining 1 1/4 cup chips, whisking until smooth. Cool in refrig until desired consistancy Spread frosting on cupcakes.

Adapted from Gourmet Magazine, Feb 2002