Orange Sponge Cupcakes

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Tips for making orange sponge cupcakes:

1) Mix the flour with the eggs first, before adding orange zest to the batter. It protects the eggs from the acid in the orange peel. If you add the zest before or with the flour, the batter will become thin and bubbly. The bubbles won’t magically disappear in the oven, so your cakes will be full of big holes.

2) Use processed orange juice. Fresh OJ isn’t heat stable. Its flavour deteriorates when heated. 

3) After adding orange zest and juice, along with oil, the batter must be folded with a spatula, quickly and gently. A whisk would result in overmixing, allowing the acid to attack the eggs. If the batter becomes bubbly and runny, you can wave goodbye to your cakes.

4) The oven must be at 190°C. If the temperature is too low, the cakes set too slowly, giving the orange zest and juice time to attack the eggs.

Orange Sponge Cupcakes

Fresh OJ’s flavour deteriorates when heated. This recipe uses processed orange juice, which is heat-stable. Work quickly when you’re making the batter. Don’t let it deflate before it’s baked.
5 from 1 vote
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Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 25 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine Chinese
Servings 5
Calories 143 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 6 g glucose
  • 100 g eggs
  • 40 g castor sugar
  • 40 g cake flour
  • 1 pinch salt
  • 4 g orange zest finely grated
  • 10 g processed orange juice
  • 30 g corn oil

Instructions
 

  • Preheat oven to 190°C. Prep and measure ingredients as detailed above.
  • Whisk glucose, eggs and sugar till ribbon stage.
    6 g glucose, 100 g eggs, 40 g castor sugar
  • Sift half of cake flour into egg mixture. With a whisk, mix till almost even. Sift remaining half of cake flour. Add salt. Mix with a whisk again, this time till just even. Add orange zest.
    40 g cake flour, 1 pinch salt, 4 g orange zest
  • Stir orange juice and oil. Add mixture to batter. With a spatula, quickly scrape down and fold till just evenly mixed, banging mixing bowl against worktop 1-2 times, not too hard, to remove big air bubbles.
    10 g processed orange juice, 30 g corn oil
  • Quickly fill cardboard moulds with batter to 90% full. Arrange moulds on baking tray, spaced apart.
  • Place tray on oven’s bottom shelf. Bake till batter doesn’t move when gently jiggled, about 10 minutes. Move tray to upper middle shelf. Bake till cakes are golden brown, and springy when pressed lightly, another 5 minutes or so.
  • Remove cakes to wire rack.
  • Serve warm or leave to cool down completely. Cold cupcakes may be topped with buttercream, whipped cream or cream cheese frosting, and decorated with orange and mint leaves.