Orange Cupcakes with Mocha Ganache

Yesterday I made Orange Cupcakes with Mocha Ganache from recipes in Dede Wilson's Wedding Cakes You Can Make. I added the orange zest at the wrong step, so I think the flavor was not quite as potent as it could have been, but I did brush the cupcakes with simple syrup leftover from candying the citrons a few weeks ago. Despite that, I got some comments at chorus tonight that the cupcakes were dry. On my way home, I bought a little plastic syringe thingy and used it to inject some of the remaining cupcakes with more of the sugar syrup to re-moisten them. After a couple, though, I decided to leave my poor doped-up cupcakes well enough alone. We'll see if anyone at work tomorrow can distinguish the syruped cupcakes from the dry. On top of the cupcakes is a ganache made from bittersweet chocolate, heavy cream, and a little coffee.

Chouquettes

Made chouquettes, little mini creamless cream-puffs. Took a couple tries to get the time/temperature right. I substituted maple sugar for the chunky sugar crystals in the recipe. Chocolate chips on some.