Fruitcake Cupcakes

Description

Source: OUT of the BOX HOLIDAY BAKING - HAYLEY PARKER

I know fruitcake gets a lot of flak, but I knew if I wrote a holiday-themed cookbook without a single fruitcake recipe, someone somewhere would be offended. Not to mention, I aim to please and took it as a personal challenge to make the most delicious fruitcake recipe I could think of: cupcakes! I think the problem people have with fruitcake is that it’s usually stale and dry, which is basically the number-one offense for a cake. My cupcakes, however, are moist, soft, and brimming with fresh flavor. Never again will fruitcake be the ugly duckling of desserts!

Ingredients

• 1 box spice cake mix
• 1 cup orange juice
• ½ cup vegetable or canola oil
• 3 large eggs
• Zest of one orange
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1½ cups fruitcake mix
• 16 tablespoons (2 sticks) butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Juice of one orange
• 3½ cups confectioners’ sugar
• ¼ cup milk
• Candied cherries for garnish

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F.
2. Line two muffin tins with 18 to 20 paper liners; set aside.
3. Combine the cake mix, 1 cup orange juice, oil, eggs, orange zest, and ground ginger in a large bowl with an electric mixer and beat until smooth, 2 minutes.
4. Fold in the fruitcake mix.
5. Portion the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling about three-quarters full.
6. Bake for 18 to 22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean or with moist, not wet, crumbs.
7. Cool completely.
8. For the frosting: Cream the butter, vanilla extract, and juice of one orange together in the bowl of a stand mixer until fluffy, 1 minute.
9. Gradually add in the confectioners’ sugar, beating well after each addition, alternating adding in the milk until the frosting is light and fluffy.
10. Pipe or spread the frosting onto the cooled cupcakes, then top with a candied cherry before serving.

YIELD: 18-20 CUPCAKES