Spirulina Orange Cupcakes

This little (OK, GIANT) beauty is filled with natural, organic and non-GMO ingredients that a splurge that does not make you feel badly. Yes, it's not diet or something to have everyday but even decadent occasional treats can be made with quality ingredients.

Cupcake Recipe:

• 3 cups self-rising flour (don't have any, no worries, I show how to make it at home)
• 1 cup room temperature unsalted butter (8 oz or two sticks typical in USA)
• 2 cups sugar
• 4 room temperature eggs (I used the fresh ones from our chicken's 'crop' laid today)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (please use good quality one, save the imitation one for air freshener)
• 2 tablespoons orange zest (it possible use an organic orange and and rinse before use)
• 1 teaspoon Spirulina
• 1 cup whole milk (optional to sub some of the milk for Bailey's Irish Cream) 
• 2 1/2 tablespoons orange juice

Preheat oven to 375° F. In a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar till light and creamy. In a separate bowl combine flour and salt, Add one egg at a time to the whipped butter/sugar mixture. In a measuring cup combine milk, vanilla, zest, juice and Bailey's if you are using it. On a low mix speed start adding the flour and liquid ingredients alternating (start and end with flour/salt mix) till everything is combined. Spoon or scoop (I use an ice cream scoop for consistency) into paper lined cupcake papers. Regular size cupcakes should take 15-17 minutes, or until cake tester comes out clean. Mini cupcakes only take 10 minutes. I might have over browned the outside of the x-large cupcakes I made (image below)

I don't mind the crunchy texture but if you're preference is a soft surface, take them out at around 15 minutes, or until the cake tester comes out clean (no moist batter stuck to it). I just use bamboo skewers since we have like a million of them rolling around in a kitchen drawer. Remove from oven, allow to cool for a few minutes or until you are able to handle them to transfer to a cooling rack. The frosting that I made requires a cool cake because it's essentially whipped cream (recipe below).

Frosting Recipe:

• 2 cups heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup powdered sugar
• 2 tablespoons orange juice

In a cold mixing bowl of your stand mixer add cold heavy whipping cream and beat until starts to keep light peaks. On low speed, add powedered sugar and orange juice until form stiff peaks but don't let it get to the butter stage (about 3 minutes or so in my KitchenAid stand mixer). Pop in the fridge to cool (it's easier to spread or even scoop cooler whipped cream). I opted to only frost what we will eat that day, freeze some and share some with family because we simply don't need this many on hand.

The green crumb is lovely, pretty and light

This recipe makes approximately 30 regular cupcakes or 24 minis and 12 x-large ones. The color is a lovely minty green and not an ounce of food coloring was used. Spirulina has no traceable taste but lots of health benefits, perhaps they help to counter the butter and sugar (just kidding).

Some of the products I used (linked to sources)

Video: