Orange Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

I saw the jumbo bones sprinkles and I was a goner – seriously, how adorable are these? I knew whatever kind of cupcake I was making was going to have chocolate frosting to showcase these babies! Since I’m a big fan of orange and chocolate, I doctored up a white cake mix with orange juice, sour cream, and orange zest. Then I dipped the cupcakes in the ganache – quick and easy!

(Thanks for the hand Penny!)

For the cupcakes:

• 1 box of white cake mix (16.25 oz.)
• 3/4 cup orange juice
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 egg whites
• zest of two oranges
• orange food coloring (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350º. Line pans with cupcake papers.

2. In a large bowl, combine orange juice, sour cream, vegetable oil, egg whites, and orange zest. Add white cake mix and beat with an electric mixer on medium speed for two minutes.

3. Fill cupcake papers two thirds full. Bake for 18 to 23 minutes, test with a toothpick. Cool on a rack. Makes 24.

For the ganache:

• 12 ounces chocolate, chopped into small pieces
• 8 ounces heavy cream

1. Place chocolate in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Immediately remove from heat, pour over chocolate, and whisk until it’s combined and glossy.

2. Let cool a bit, dip cupcakes in ganache, and decorate.

3. The sprinkles are Wilton’s Jumbo Bones Sprinkles.

4. You’ll probably have a good amount of ganache leftover. I strongly suggest having a bag of pretzels on hand.