Adventures in Cupcakery: olive oil

So, I went into the kitchen to make these cupcakes and only had 1 Tbsp of olive oil. But, miraculously there was enough oil for the entire batch! Ok, that's not what really happened... I shop at Costco so I have plenty of oil. But, that is what happened many years ago when the Maccabees won the war against the Greeks and lit the Menorah in the Beit Hamikdash (Holy Temple). They only had enough oil for 1 day, and it would take 8 days to make more oil! Divine intervention kept the oil burning for 8 whole days, and Chanukah was born! To commemorate this miracle, one of the traditions is to eat food fried in olive oil on Chanukah, like potato latkes and jelly donuts. To this wonderful tradition I humbly submit my contribution: Olive Oil Cupcakes.

Cupcake Menorah!

These cupcakes are delicious!! The texture is amazing and the flavors go together so well. They have a great sweetness and you can really taste the olive oil, orange, and rosemary - separately and together! Seriously, this is one of my favorite recipes so far... which means a lot more when I tell you I have made many more cupcakes than I have posted so far. I have to save something for lazy times!

When I had this idea, I looked around online to see who else is making olive oil cake (I couldn't have been the first one to think of this). I found out its a traditional cake made in Italy. Michael Chiarello makes his with orange, rosemary and anise - works for me! That's also the most searched for Michael Chiarello recipe on Google... millions of search engine users can't be wrong. But I didn't have anise in my house - so these cupcakes are with rosemary and orange. Feel free to add in the anise if you want - let me know how it is!

Eight Day Olive Oil Cupcakes

1/2 cup soy milk
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3/4 cup sugar
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup orange juice
2 Tbsp orange liquor (I used triple sec)
2 tsp orange zest
1 and 1/4 cups flour
3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp ground anise (optional)
1 tsp finely chopped fresh rosemary

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a 12-cup muffin tin with cupcake liners.
In a large bowl, mix together the soy milk and apple cider vinegar. Set aside for a minute or two. I always do this part first, then let that sit while I collect the rest of the ingredients. Add in the sugar, olive oil, orange juice and liquor and mix really well. Mix in the orange zest and mix again. I whisk it for about a minute. Sift in the dry ingredients and mix to just combine. Add in the rosemary and mix well until no lumps remain. Taste the batter - isn't it delicious?? Hold yourself back from eating the uncooked batter with a large spoon. Fill the cupcake liners 3/4 of the way full. Bake for 18-20 minutes or until the tops are lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.

Fluffy slightly orange frosting

3/4 cup non-hydrogenated shortening
2-4 cups powdered sugar (depending on your taste)
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp orange zest
1 Tbsp orange liqueur (yes, triple sec again for me!)

Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, cream the shortening until smooth and fluffy. Sift in the sugar 1 cup at a time until you reach the desired sweetness. I like to make frosting just sweet enough to cover that chalky flavor of the shortening. Once you can't taste the shortening anymore, you're good. Add in the vanilla, orange zest and liqueur. Mix until well combined, add more sugar if you think it needs it.

Frost the cupcakes. Devour the cupcakes. Smile because you can't help it.