Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cupcakes!
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Chocolatey cupcakes studded with chunks of Terry’s chocolate orange, topped with an orange buttercream, and even more chocolate orange!
Chocolate orange cupcakes
It’s no secret that I LOVE the chocolate & orange combination – it’s my addiction – and I have had many people ask for a cupcake version of my chocolate orange bundt cake so I thought I would oblige (and I seriously craved some anyway).
After doing a little research, I noticed that most chocolate orange cupcakes feature chocolate orange buttercream, which is amazing, of course, but I wanted to try something a little different. I wanted the chocolate to shine through in the sponge itself, giving each bite a little surprise, and making the cupcakes extra special compared to the usual versions.
These cupcakes are perfect for gifting, for parties, or just because you deserve a sweet treat. They have that classic chocolate-orange zing that feels festive yet comforting, and they’re super easy to bake, no complicated techniques required. Honestly, these went down an absolute treat with my taste testers, and let’s just say they didn’t last long at all.
Cupcakes
I compensated for the lesser amount of chocolate-orange flavour in the buttercream by adding chunks of Terry’s Chocolate Orange directly into the sponge, and wow… what a game-changer! The chocolate pieces melt slightly in the oven, creating little pockets of gooey, citrusy chocolate in every bite. The sponge itself is light, fluffy, and tender, perfectly complementing the buttercream that tops it.
These cupcakes are super simple to bake, just like any other standard cupcake, but they have a definite “wow factor.” They’re ideal for making ahead for a party or sharing with friends, and the added chunks of chocolate make them look and taste so much more indulgent. I promise, even your most skeptical taste testers will be converted.
The method itself is really satisfying, beating the butter and sugar until fluffy, folding in the cocoa, flour, eggs, and chocolate orange chunks, and then scooping them neatly into cupcake cases is a really tactile and fun process. Using an ice cream scoop ensures each one has the perfect portion, and it makes the whole tray look so neat and uniform.
Buttercream
These cupcakes are topped with a dreamy orange buttercream that I genuinely could eat with a spoon (don’t judge me). I add a little orange juice to the buttercream for a fresh, zingy flavour that perfectly balances the chocolate in the sponge. If you prefer, you can use orange extract instead, whatever you have to hand will work beautifully.
For a fun twist, I like to colour my buttercream a soft orange to match the flavour and theme. It’s completely optional, of course, but once you’ve done it, it’s hard to go back to plain buttercream. The texture is smooth, creamy, and holds its shape really well when piped, making the cupcakes look super professional without needing advanced skills.
Piping the buttercream is the best part, whether you swirl it into a classic peak, pipe it into a neat spiral with my favourite 2D closed star piping tip, or just dollop it on with a spatula, it’s all about fun and presentation. The rich, citrusy flavour combined with the chocolate chunks in the sponge makes these cupcakes completely irresistible.
Chocolate orange alternatives
Terry’s Chocolate Orange is one of my most requested flavours in every form of bake and over the years I have created countless recipes that ooze chocolate orange flavour. Why not try my Terry’s Chocolate Orange drip cake, Terry’s Chocolate Orange tray bake cake, or the delicious and indulgent Terry’s Chocolate Orange Millionaires shortbread.
If you love the chocolate-orange combo but want to mix things up, you can also experiment with chocolate orange brownies, mousse, or even cookies. The possibilities are endless, and each bake brings out the zingy, chocolatey flavour in a slightly different way. For example, a tray bake gives you gooey, indulgent slices perfect for sharing, while a drip cake is show stopping for birthdays or special occasions.
For a slightly lighter take, you could try chocolate orange macarons or cupcakes, where the citrus really pops against the sweetness of the chocolate. Honestly, once you start experimenting with chocolate orange, it’s hard to stop, it’s such a versatile flavour that works for both simple bakes and more elaborate creations. Whether you stick with the classics or try something a little different, you really can’t go wrong with chocolate orange!
Recipe adaptation
If you are not a fan of the actual Terry’s chocolate orange, or you cant get access too it, you can use normal milk/dark chocolate and add in orange zest to be a delicious substitute. There tends to be some good deals at the supermarkets near Christmas time with all the chocolate orange varieties so I tend to stock up then.
I personally utterly adore these cupcakes. They’re genuinely one of my most favourite cupcake recipes I have, and they’re suitable for all year round. These bad boys get more popular around Christmas time, but I am a Terry’s girl for life, not just for Christmas. Get it? I literally LOVE these! They’re definitely adaptable to what you prefer yourselves, but I love them just the way they are.
Tips & tricks
- I looooove using Terry’s chocolate orange as the flavour is amazing. However, you can easily use the same weight of chocolate, and just add the zest of two oranges if you don’t have access to it!
- Also, with the orange extract flavouring, add it a couple of drops at a time till you get your desired flavour – some need a few teaspoons, some need a couple of drops depending on where they’re from!
- These cupcakes will last in an airtight container for 3 days!
- I use this tin!
Terry's Chocolate Orange Cupcakes!
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 150 g caster sugar
- 120 g self raising flour
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 3 medium eggs
- Zest of 1 orange (or 2 tsp extract)
- 150 g Terry's chocolate orange
Buttercream
- 150 g unsalted butter
- 350 g icing sugar
- orange food colouring
- 1 tsp orange extract (or 50ml orange juice)
Decorations
- Terry's chocolate orange
- melted chocolate
- sprinkles
Instructions
Cupcakes
- Preheat your oven to 180ºc /160ºc Fan and line a muffin tray with cases. Chop up your chocolate orange if you haven’t done so already!
- Beat the butter and caster sugar together until smooth and fluffy, I beat mine for 2 minutes.
- Add the self-raising flour, cocoa powder & eggs and beat again. Try not to over beat, or mix too quickly.
- Fold through the chocolate orange chunks & orange zest and spoon into your cases – using an Ice-cream scoop is easier as it will make each cupcake have the same amount!
- Bake in the oven for 17-20 minutes until cooked through! Leave to cool on a wire rack.
Buttercream
- Beat the butter for 3-4 minutes until very smooth and supple, you need it to be smooth so that the icing sugar goes in easier!
- Gradually add the icing sugar (I add mine 100g at a time) and beat each time – add the orange flavouring, and food colouring – I like to use the fresh orange juice, but if you’d rather add the flavour extract that is fine too!
- Pipe your buttercream onto the cakes how you please and decorate!
- Add on some Terry's chocolate orange segments, melted chocolate and sprinkles!
Notes
- I looooove using Terry’s chocolate orange as the flavour is amazing. However, you can easily use the same weight of chocolate, and just add the zest of two oranges if you don’t have access to it.
- Also, with the orange extract flavouring, add it a couple of drops at a time till you get your desired flavour – some need a few teaspoons, some need a couple of drops depending on where they’re from.
- These cupcakes will last in an airtight container for 3 days.
- I use this tin.
I can’t wait to try this, I’m fasting at the moment, but as soon as it’s over I’m trying these! Just a quick question, did you use salted or unsalted butter for the Cupcakes?
I use Unsalted! ?
Thanks! ?. So you don’t use salt in your recipe at all?
Nope! ?
Thank you so much for a truly great recipe for Chocolate Orange Cupcakes!
I am making them for my Son’s wedding and everybody on the tasting committee absolutely love them!
Awh yay!! x
Hi Jane- did you use medium or large eggs? I’m going to try and make these cakes this week. Can’t wait!?
Medium 🙂
Thank you ?
These are FABULOUS. I will definitely use them again. You are a genius
Ah yaaayyy!! ❤️
These cupcakes are INCREDIBLE!! They taste absolutely fabulous and they look amazing 😀 So glad I found your website!!
Oh thank you Hannah!! Hehe I’m so glad you liked them!! x
Hi Jane, I’ve made these a few times, but each time a fair majority of them had peeled out if their cases. The cases I use a expensive foil ones, and can’t figure out what I’m doing wrong, any ideas my luv x
Sometimes that can be moisture, and the price of cupcake cases means nothing I’m afraid. I personally use Asda Muffin Cases and have never had an issue. I remove my cupcakes from their tin immediately and leave them to cool on a wire rack… sometimes it can just happen, or the cases don’t like the moisture from the cupcakes x
These look amazing! Could I possibly use this recipe to make one large cake instead of cupcakes? I’m assuming i’d have to double the ingredients used. Is there anything I should do differently if not separating them to smaller individual ones? ?
Umm definitely double the ingredients and split between two 8″ tins – bake for about 25 minutes probably? It’s hard to say but you should probably only need to double everything ?
Hi Jane!
These look amazing and I’m hoping to make them but I have a question. When you say beat, is that by hand or with an electric mixer? And if it’s a mixer which speed?
Thanks for the recipe!
Hiya – I use my kitchenaid for all my bakes with the paddle attachment 🙂 and speed depends on mixer so mediumish x
Hi Jane! Gosh these were absolutely amazing! I’ve never had a book / website where I can guarentee every receipe I try will work before I found your blog!
Just made this as a 7 inch cake & doubled the recipe! Its superb & someone did say best cake ever as the love choc orange, however ( As we are always our biggest critic!) next time I will cook in two tins rather than one deep as it took almost 2 hours to cook and slightly lost that amazing moist spongness that the cupcakes have! Thanks so much for all your wonderful recipes! xxx
Hiya! I saw the picture this morning – looked amazing! 🙂 And I agree, I always try and split it into two tins as the cooking time is so dodgy when there is so much!! But I am so glad it went down so well! And thank you for the lovely comments! 🙂 xx
I trialed this recipe (slightly modified) this afternoon, I did not have terrys nor orange essence – used jaffa cakes instead. I liked it 🙂
Many thanks Jane! Checking more of your recipes…
Best wishes X
Ooh that sounds yummy!! And thank you for trying it & experimenting! 🙂 x
beauuuuuutiful!
Thank you!!
YES PLEASE. Haha 😀 So many things I need to try after looking at your blog!
Hahaha thanks Sophie! ?
these look so good!!! I love terry’s chocolate orange recipes 😀
Thank you!! They’re so tasty! 😀
I love orange and chocolate together. These look amazing!
Me too! And thank you!
You’ve outdone yourself again! Lovely! 🙂
And brilliant tip about using the ice-cream scoop. I’ve always used the dessertspoon to scoop and teaspoon to scrape off into the cases, which can be a bit variable at best!
Ohh hahaa I used to do that, so dodgy, but I’d definitely recommend a scoop, so much easier 🙂 and thank you!!