Orange Almond Cupcakes (Cupcake of the Month #10)

My mom's birthday was last week, so I whipped up the October cupcake for her!

It's an orange almond cupcake, topped with a dollop of sweetened whipped cream and orange marmalade.

To begin, cream together a stick of butter, 2/3 cup of sugar, and 1/3 cup of orange marmalade.  Beat these three ingredients for about four minutes until they're a yellowish color and are fluffy.

Meanwhile, process a cup of almonds until fine, then process in a cup of all-purpose flour, a teaspoon of baking powder, 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda, and 3/4 teaspoon of salt.

By the way, this recipe officially killed my little food processor.

Beat in three eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition.  Then add 3/4 cup of buttermilk and the flour mixture in three additions each.  Then beat in a teaspoon of vanilla.

Line 18 of the wells in a regular sized muffin tin with paper liners, and evenly distribute the batter.

Bake on 350 degrees for 22 to 24 minutes, until a toothpick or cake tester comes out clean and the cupcakes are golden brown.  Cool completely in the pans on wire racks.

Just before serving, prepare the whipped cream.  With the whisk attachment, whip a cup of cold heavy cream to medium peaks.  Sift a tablespoon of powdered sugar over the bowl and carefully fold in with a rubber spatula.  Serve a dollop on each cupcake, then top with the remaining 1/3 cup of marmalade.  You can warm the marmalade in the microwave for 5 to 10 seconds if it's too stiff.  You want to be able to drizzle it.