Chocolate Orange Sensation

For the last 3 Tuesdays I have been taking a beginner cake decorating class. While I figure out how to get all of the pictures off my phone from the first two lessons, here's what went down today!

For lesson three we needed to make at least 6 cupcakes and bring them to class along with optional cupcake filling and about 5 cups of icing. This is the first week that I've made my usual homemade icing from the recipe in "The Bakers Field Guide to Cupcakes". Before I was using store bought Wilton icing, but it's WAY to sweet for my tastes and I just about overdosed on the smell of sugar in last weeks class.

I found online this week a recipe for a chocolate orange cupcake- http://www.cupcake-recipes.com/choc-orange-cupcakes/. Save yourself the trouble, don't try to follow this cupcake recipe and convert the measurements and what-not. I tried and failed, they came out looking all sad and deflated. I did use the filling recipe though and that turned out nicely.

SO! These cupcakes are...

-Bakers Field Guide to Cupcakes chocolate cupcake recipe (sub orange extract for vanilla extract)
-Filling from weird recipe above
-Chocolate Ganache recipe from BFG
-2X Confectioners Sugar frosting from BFG

Rosette technique (orange) with yellow centers and yellow stars trailing. (If you'd like to know the sizes of icing tips i used I can add that info). White base and colors all from confectioners sugar recipe. Chocolate orange cupcake underneath filled with orange buttercream icing. 

Chocolate orange cupcake filled with orange buttercream and iced with cooled chocolate ganache. I let the Ganache sit out at room temperature overnight. To use the ganache like this it should be cooled overnight at room temperature or put in the fridge. I had to warm it with  my hands in the icing bag to make it pliable enough but it worked out nicely. Decorated with yellow flowers and orange centers with orange swirling dots. Again, if you want the icing tip #'s I can look them up.

Totally loving cake class and I can't wait to keep practicing! : D