Ingredients:
- For the Extreme Orange Cupcakes:
- 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 1/4 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs, broken into a small bowl
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice, from 3 large oranges
- 1 tablespoon orange zest, from 1 large orange
- 1/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup full-fat sour cream
- For the Real “Old-Fashioned” Buttercream:
- 12 tablespoons (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
- 4 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted through a strainer
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons whiskey, such as Jack Daniel’s
- 9 dashes Angostura bitters
- 3/4 teaspoon orange extract
- 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
- For the Soaking Liquid:
- 1/4 to 1/2 cup whiskey, such as Jack Daniel’s
- Topping:
- Orange Sawdust (recipe follows)
- For the Orange Sawdust:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest
