Valentine's Day Choco-Orange Cupcakes ♥ (Vegan & Gluten-free)

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Valentine's Day is just a week away and what better way to surprise the one you love than with some yummy homebaked treats. If you didn't already know during my holiday in Japan I got obsessed with Kamen Rider Gaim and its handsome male lead Gaku Sano and so I thought I would bake something in his honour and what could be more perfect and delicious than some choco-orange cupcakes.

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups self raising gluten-free flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 cup brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup rice bran oil
• 1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 tbsp cacao powder

For the frosting...

• 1/4 cup dairy-free butter
• 1 cup icing sugar
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 2 tsps orange juice
• 1/2 tsp cacao powder

(Makes 12)

♥ Preheat and oven to 180 & line a cupcake tray with 12 cupcake cases

♥ In a one bowl mix together the flour, sugar, baking powder and orange zest.

♥ In another bow mix together the orange juice, oil, vinegar and vanilla.

♥ Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and mix it into a smooth batter.

♥ Divide the batter in half so you have two bowls and add the cacao powder into one of the batters and mix together thoroughly, if you don't want two different flavours you can omit the cacao for a plain orange cake or double it so the whole batter is chocolatey.

♥ Divide the batter equally into the cupcake cases and bake in the oven for 15 - 20 minutes.

♥ Once baked removed the cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool on a wire rack.

♥ Mix together all the ingredients for the frosting leaving the cacao powder until last unless you want your frosting to be all chocolate in which case again double the amount or if you don't want a chocolate flavour you can leave it out altogether.

♥ Spoon about a teaspoon of the frosting onto the cupcakes, making sure the cupcakes are completely cool before frosting or the frosting will melt.

♥ Decorate with some love hearts or cute sprinkles.

♥ Eat and enjoy with your special someone ♥

Happy Valentine's Day

Cate

xoxo