#28) IronCupcake:Earth Choclate with a Twist - Clementine Cupcakes

Here is what was supposed to be my first entry into ICE... my clementine cupcakes. But when I tried to upload my picture to Flickr I encountered some problems. Oh well, here they are in any case...

When this month's theme, chocolate with a twist, was announced I was immediately interested. Being a total chocoholic I love pretty much every possible combo with chocolate AND one of my all-time favourite treats around the holidays are those Terry's Chocolate Oranges. It was so convenient that my dad came home last night with a whole crate of clementines. What a nice way to re-create this tasty sweet treat!

Ingredients

1/4 cup cocoa
1/2 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 3/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 tbsp milk
5-6 clementines
1 tsp cinnamon
3/4 cup icing sugar
melted chocolate

Steps

-Preheat oven to 350°F and line 7 muffin cups with paper liners. (It is a small recipe because my family isn't a big fan of cupcakes - they are more cookie people)
-Cream sugar and butter together.
-Beat eggs in small bowl. Add 1/4 cup clementine juice (need about 4-5 clementines), and milk. Add to butter and mix with hand mixer.
-Sift together dry ingredients. Fold into butter mixture. Use mixer to incorporate fully.
-Bake for 18-20 minutes.

-For the icing, squeeze juice of 1 clementine into a bowl. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon.
-Add the icing sugar in 1/4 cup additions, beating after each addition.
-The icing will be a bit thin, but no too thin that it will not sit on top of the cupcakes.

-Separate last clementine into segments.
-Melt chocolate.
-Dip segments halfway into melted chocolate and let cool on waxed paper.
-Top each cupcake with a cooled segment.

Eat & Enjoy!