Couple's Christmas Cupcakes

It is Christmas Eve!

We have a family friend who is currently in Korea for EPIK. Amy keeps a blog about her experiences there and takes some fabulous photography. Well, the LDR (long distance relationship) isn't keeping her from giving her boyfriend a Christmas surprise this year! So she creatively schemed up a plot that would leave him unsuspicious for his surprise. How could we not help? Tim likes fruits on his cakes, so we make chocolate cupcakes with chocolate-orange buttercream sprinkled with candied orange zest. She mailed her Christmas card and I also picked up a gift card for her. Some stores are not available in Korea... hehe! Amy also sent me a recipe to make candied orange zest. This was my first time making them, I love how in some of the candies you can still see the texture of the orange!

Merry Xmas Tim! This is your surprise Christmas present from Amy!

Snowflake, holly, fondant message plaque, and candied orange zest!

Chocolate cupcakes with chocolate-orange buttercream decorated with a small fondant heart. These hearts were featured on foodgawker!

The happy snow couple holding hands. Watch out, the snow just might melt! The fondant heart and frosting is covering the view, but you can see the couple holding hands from above!

Candied Orange Zest

Adapted from RecipeTips

2 Oranges

1/3 cup of water

1/3 cup of sugar

1. Wash the oranges thoroughly. Peel the oranges and set the orange peels them in a sauce pan of cold water.
2. Cook until the water simmers for about 5 minutes.
3. Remove the orange peels from the sauce pan, drain, and place them in cold water. This cools the orange peels so that you can work with it.
4. Using a melon baller, scrape the pith (the bitter white layers on the orange peels) off and then cut the orange zest into strips.
   
5. In the sauce pan, add the 1/3 cup of water and sugar. Put the orange zest strips in the sauce pan and let it simmer for about 10 minutes. The strips should turn translucent and the sugar water should thicken.
6. Remove the orange zest from the sauce pan and let it cool on a sheet of wax paper. Separate the candied orange zest before it cools (otherwise they'll stick together).
7. Then, if you prefer, roll the strips in sugar until they are well covered and allow them to cool completely before storing in an airtight container. You can eat the candied orange zest as is, or use them as sprinkles over cupcakes!