Chocolate and orange cup cakes!

I know that I already have a recipe on here for chocolate orange muffins but these are slightly different so I thought I'd post it anyway.

Makes 12 large cup cakes

Pre-heat the oven to 160° fan oven/gas mark 4/350f/180 conventional

5oz/125g Stork margarine/butter
5oz/125g light moscavado sugar
3 medium eggs
50z/125g self raising flour
1 teaspoon orange extract (not essence, it has to be the natural stuff otherwise they will taste like cheap orange pop)
2 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 tablespoon buttermilk or yoghurt

For the topping:

8oz/200g icing sugar
4oz/100g butter (softened)
1 teaspoon orange extract
finely grated orange rind (about half a large orange)
Orange food colouring

Mix the margarine and sugar until pale and fluffy, I prefer margarine to make sponge cakes as it keeps them light and moist, butter is better for frosting and for shortbreads and biscuits.

Add the eggs and orange extract mix well.

finally add flour, cocoa and buttermilk, mix just long enough for a smooth batter (overmixing with cause your cakes to go tough as it overworks the gluten in the flour)

put about a heaped tablespoon of mixture into each case and bake for around 20 mins or until risen or the cake skewer come out clean.

Turn out onto a cooling rack immediately and allow to cool before adding the buttercream.

Mix the icing sugar with the butter and orange extract and rind and beat until smooth and fluffy.

You can either spread over each cake using a palette knife or if you are giving them away as an edible gift use a piping bag with a flower nozzle on to make your own design on the top.

I made the roses using a flower nozzle and piping a swirl underneath first.