Chocolate and Mandarin Muffins
Our EXCELLENCE Dark Orange Intense - combining zesty oranges with slivers of crisp almonds - adds a fruity orange flavour to these delicious chocolate muffins which are finished off with a refreshing orange cream cheese frosting and juicy mandarin pieces.
Chocolatier’s Tip
If you can’t find tins of mandarins, decorate with fresh mandarin or satsuma segments or grated orange zest instead. Alternatively, top with an unwrapped LINDOR Blood Orange or Double Chocolate Truffle.
Lindt EXCELLENCE Dark Orange Bar 100g
Easy
12 people
Ingredients
- 170 g unsalted butter, softened
- 170 g golden caster sugar
- 3 eggs, beaten
- 170 g self raising flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 2 tbsp cocoa powder, sifted
- 2 tbsp orange juice
- 2 to 3 tbsp milk
- 120 g Lindt EXCELLENCE Orange Intense Dark Chocolate, chopped into small pieces
- For the frosting:
- 120 g unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 120 g icing sugar
- 240 g full-fat cream cheese, at room temperature
- 2 tsp orange juice
- A splash of milk (optional)
- To decorate:
- 2 x tins of mandarin oranges in juice (drained weight 175 g each) (see Tip)
- Lindt EXCELLENCE 70% Cocoa Dark Chocolate, grated into curls
Lindt Chocolate In This Recipe
Method
Step 1.
Preheat the oven to 180ºC/160ºC fan/Gas 4 and line a 12 hole muffin tin with paper cases.
Step 2.
Cream together the butter and sugar using an electric mixer until pale and fluffy.
Step 3.
Gradually beat in the eggs adding a little of the weighed out flour if the mix begins to curdle.
Step 4.
Sift in the remaining flour, baking powder and cocoa powder. Fold in with the orange juice, adding enough milk until you have a soft dropping consistency.
Step 5.
Stir in the chopped chocolate pieces until evenly distributed throughout the batter.
Step 6.
Divide equally between the cases. Bake in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, until well risen and firm to touch. Leave to cool in the tins for 5 minutes before transferring onto wire racks to finish cooling completely.
Step 7.
Meanwhile, make the frosting: in an electric mixer, beat the butter and icing sugar until smooth. Add the cream cheese and orange juice until combined - you should have a smooth and pipeable frosting. Add a splash of milk if it is a little too thick. Spoon into a piping bag fitted with a plain nozzle. Chill until ready to use.
Step 8.
Drain the mandarin slices thoroughly and cut into small pieces. Tip into a bowl.
Step 9.
Pipe swirls of the orange-cream cheese frosting onto the cooled muffins. Arrange a couple of pieces of chopped mandarin on top of each one. Sprinkle with curls of dark chocolate and serve.
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