Introduction: Orange Peel-Lined Chocolate Cupcakes. Hey guys! This is a spin off of the classic campfire cake that you would wrap in tinfoil and throw into the campfire to bake. It's a super easy, super delicious chocolate cupcake with an orange peel as the cupcake liner. These cupcakes will be an autumn treat that everyone will enjoy! Step 1: Gathering the Ingredients and Equipment. To make the cupcakes you will need:
- 1 box of chocolate cake mix, or your own recipe for chocolate cake mix
- the ingredients for your recipe, or according to your cake box
- 12 oranges
- 1 wooden spoon
- 1 smaller, metal spoon
- 1 ladle
- 1 knife
- a cutting board
- 2 bowls, 1 large and 1 medium
- 2 cupcake pans
To make the frosting you will need:
- 2 tbsp of softened butter
- 4 cups of powdered sugar
- 1 tsp of vanilla
- 4 tbsp of milk
- 1 medium mixing bowl
- an electric mixer
- a sifter
- a spatula
- plastic wrap Step 2: Mixing the Batter. Mix together the box of cake mix with the appropriate ingredients, or prepare your own recipe as you normally would in your large mixing bowl. I used a mix from the store because it was a lot faster and easier. Set aside. Step 3: Slice 'N' Scoop. Take the oranges and, using your knife and cutting board, cut each in half so that you now have 24 orange halves. Then, take your metal spoon and scoop the flesh out of the peel. Place the fruit of the orange in one of your medium-size bowls and set aside. Step 4: No More Boring Liners!. Now, take your cupcake pans and place each orange peel inside each cupcake hole as though you were lining the pan with normal, boring paper liners :). If any of the peels are too large, cut a line down from the edge of the peel to the bottom of the peel and overlap the two edges when you put them in the holes. The great thing about using the orange peels is that when the cakes bake, some of the orange flavor will be transferred into the cupcake. This helps keep it moist, but it also makes it taste delicious! Step 5: Fill 'Er Up!. Take the bowl of batter and, using your ladle, fill the peels with the chocolate batter. I filled each liner with about one ladle-full of batter. Place them in the oven at the appropriate temperature for the appropriate amount of time.  Step 6: The Icing on the Cake. Take your last medium mixing bowl and place the softened butter in it. Beat only for a few seconds with the electric mixer. Now, take your powdered sugar and sift, obviously using your sifter, into the bowl. Sifting the sugar helps make the frosting nice and smooth with no lumps or grainy texture. Add the vanilla and milk, and mix (on a low speed!) until all ingredients are incorporated. Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until cupcakes are out of the oven and completely cooled. Step 7: Frosting Cupcakes. After the cakes have come out of the oven and have completely cooled, take your icing out of the refrigerator and, using your spatula, frost each cupcake. Another option is to pipe the frosting on like I did. For a quick garnish, I sprinkled some orange zest on the top. If you want, take some of the white vanilla frosting and dye it fun fall colors to make the cupcakes interesting. Well, after you frost, you're done! I hope you love yummy cakes these as much as I do!