You might remember last month when I announced that today, February 24th, is Canada’s Second National Cupcake Day for SPCAs and Humane Societies. That’s right it’s a day all about cupcakes. About using cupcakes to raise money to help SPCAs and Humane Societies all around Canada.
I hope today’s post and recipe will help me reach my fundraising goal for this important cause. Since I’m not in a position to hold a bake sale today (Although I am sure my students would much rather host a bake sale than have French class!), I am hosting a virtual/ in real life event. So, I’m posting the recipe for these cupcakes here and “in real life” I take them to work today to share with my colleagues.
To be honest, I had a bit of a tough time deciding what type of cupcakes to make this year. But then when I was planning my lamington re-invention with choux pastry, I suddenly thought that I might try to make a lamington cupcake. I’d also had the idea that I might want to make a Jaffa-inspired lamington (no, not a Jaffa cake, a Jaffa – according to Wikipedia “the registered trademark for a small round sweet consisting of a soft chocolate centre with a hard covering of orange flavoured, red coloured confectionery. The name derives from the Jaffa orange. The sweet is part of Australian and New Zealand cultural folklore“) – thus, combining two of my very favourite memories of my Australian childhood – Jaffas and lamingtons. But – in a cupcake…
So I present, the Jaffington Cupcake. A small, denser-than-your-average cupcake orange and almond flavoured cake topped with chocolate marmalade ganache and sprinkled with coconut. Jaffa flavours, inside out, with lamington features in a cupcake.
Jaffington cupcakes
A cupcake inspired by both lamingtons and Jaffas - two Australian childhood favourites - for National Cupcake Day 2014.
Ingredients
For the cupcakes:
- 90g unsalted butter, room temperature
- 60g sugar
- 2 eggs, separated
- zest of one large orange, divided
- 60g almond meal
- 70g all purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon powdered food colouring (optional but makes for a better "Jaffa" effect!
- 1/4 cup orange juice
For the ganache:
- 75g marmalade
- 15g liquid honey
- 150g semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 25g unsalted butter
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350˚F.
- Prepare 12 muffin tins by lining with paper cases.
- Cream butter and sugar using an electric beater until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks, one at a time, mixing until just combined.
- Add 1/2 of the orange zest, almond meal, flour, and baking powder and mix with a rubber spatula to combine all ingredients thoroughly.
- Whip the egg whites to soft peaks and gently fold through the batter with the food colouring.
- Fill each paper cupcake liner about 3/4 of the way full.
- Bake for 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the centre of the cakes comes out clean.
- Allow to cool thoroughly.
Make the ganache:
- Heat the marmalade and honey in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.
- Once the syrup is boiling, pour over the chocolate whisking constantly.
- Once the mixture is smooth add the butter and whisk to incorporate.
- Drizzle over the cupcakes with a small spoon.
- Sprinkle the cupcakes with coconut.
Notes
There will be leftover ganache - you can keep it in the fridge and re-heat gently over a bain marie or in the microwave at low power and use to drizzle over ice-cream etc…
Follow the reinvention of the lamington 2014 on Twitter – #lamingtons2014 and don’t forget to check out Peter Hallsworth’s lamington reinvention efforts so far this year (hint: they involve clotted cream, Wintergreen Tic Tacs, Pink Grapefruit and Seville oranges, just to name a few!)
Like the look of these? Want to support a great cause? Please head to my personal page on the National Cupcake Day website, where you will be able to donate a little something to support the SPCAs and Humane Societies.
Donations towards my cupcakes will help shelters across Canada give a surrendered cat or dog a new forever home, rescue a neglected or abused animal and give them a second chance at a new life, and provide emergency surgery injured animals. Go on, the cats and dogs of Canada will thank you 🙂
Other cupcakes you might also enjoy:
National Cupcake Day 2013: Chocolate Coconut Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2014: Jaffington Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2015: Little Orange and Almond Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2016: Jam and Cream Butterfly Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2017: Strawberry Yoghurt Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2018: Double Chocolate Buckwheat Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2019: Fudge-y Chocolate Cupcakes
National Cupcake Day 2020: Lemon-Blueberry Financiers
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Marvellous looking cupcakes for a wonderful cause! Best wishes with your fundraising efforts Mardi!
P.S. Sweet picture of Chloe on your fundraising site 🙂
CLEO!!! Sorry 🙁
No worries and thanks for your donation Paula!
i love the color. they sound amazing!
Thank you !
What a great idea!!! And so ‘aussie’ too. They look great!
Unfortunately I’ve never been a fan of Jaffas (how un-Australian of me!) but the lamington part sounds delicious hehe!
– Taryn Elise xx
blog.sugarpushcakes.com
Wait no Jaffas for you? They’ll take away your passport!
Great looking cupcakes!
Thank you!
Such a great cause!
My pets throughout the years have always been rescued animals. In fact, my family’s first dog was one that was moments away from being put down until a vet’s assistant grabbed him, took him out of the shelter and pledged to find him a home, which turned out to be our home. He was the sweetest!
I’ve had lamingtons but never had a Jaffa cake! I must try this 🙂
Rescue pets and cupcakes – what better combo is there?
What a great duo. My Aussie hubby loves both.
I’ll have to make these after he finishes his big endurance mountain-bike race this April
to celebrate!
Thanks, Mardi!
A perfect way to recover!