So my husband is obsessed with fruit trees. We have a fairly small backyard but it is packed with all kinds of different trees.  We have 4 different orange trees and this year we got hundreds of oranges off of them.  My family loves them so much but since we had so many this year, I found myself trying to find different things to use them up before they went bad.  One day I was talking to my oldest son about what we should bake this week and he came up with orange cupcakes with orange frosting.  I thought it was the perfect idea and I set out to make these amazing cupcakes.

Orange is such a subtle and not very strong flavor so you really need to add a lot of zest in order to be able to taste the orange in these cupcakes.  I just love these because I think they just taste like springtime and they are just the perfect dessert for this time of year. The cake is just perfectly light and fluffy with just a hint of orange.  They are so well balanced and I didn't think that an American buttercream would be the right pairing for these because of how light and fluffy they are.  I thought that a Swiss Meringue Buttercream would be absolutely perfect because it is just so equally light and fluffy.
 If you have never made or eaten Swiss Meringue or Swiss Meringue Buttercream then you are missing out.  This frosting is life changing and I mean that, with every fiber of my being.  This frosting is like none you have every had before.  The first time that I made it was a few months ago and I about died.  It was pure perfection.  I always shied away from it because it just looked so complicated but I found that it really isn't.  It's actually quite easy to make and it is so good.  It is the best frosting that I have ever had.  I didn't know that frosting could be that light and delicate while still having so much flavor.  It is simple amazing and I just want to shout it from the rooftops!
 I made these awhile ago for my husband's family and his aunt was visiting.  She told me that these were the very best cupcakes that she has ever had.  She is not gluten free and she wasn't saying that to just make me feel good.  I could tell that she liked them that much.  They really are just the perfect cupcake.  I also candied some orange peel to put on the top and they were so good.  I've also never made candied orange peel before but it was also something that was not difficult to make either and added a lot to the cupcakes.  The orange peels were the perfect decoration for these cupcakes and a sweet addition.