Orange Pudding Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache

Vegan cupcakes take over the world. Again.

I hadn't made any pudding filled cupcakes before, so I admit I was a little intimidated by that. I have no idea why. It's not like the pudding would leap out of the cupcake and start calling me a stupidhead or something if I was screwing things up. Though, that surely would have made the whole cupcake creation much more amusing if they started to berate me as I made them.

I love citrus flavored baked goods, so I have no idea why it took me so long to make these. The cupcakes themselves are so light and fresh tasting. Not too sweet, and not fakey fruity. Pretty awesome. I might even make the cupcakes mini-style for a yummy breakfast treat sometime, actually. They'd even be great for afternoon tea if you're into that sort of thing.

The pudding center is also not too sweet. It's actually just lightly sweetened, which is perfect for being the innerds of these cupcakes, but not really something you'd eat in a bowl on its own. You pretty much just stick your finger into the top of each cupcake to make a hole and then jam your pastry bag right about there, squeeze and bam!, your cupcake is full of pudding. Top them off with a light spreading of orange marmalade and then some chocolate ganache... perfect.

Nakies! This is right after I filled the cupcakes with pudding.

If you make these, don't skip the marmalade part. Trust me, it's part of what makes these awesome. If you're making these for a party or a gift, keep in mind that the ganache should be put on just before you serve them. It won't make it taste weird or anything if you let it sit for a while, but it won't be as pretty. And really, if you're going to all of the trouble to make these, you want them to be as adorable as possible before people start to shove them in their mouths.