Chocolate Cupcakes with Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting

Author: Jennifer Hill

Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 22 mins
Total time: 37 mins
Serves: 24

Ingredients
For Chocolate Cupcakes
 1¾ cups all purpose flour
 2 cups granulated white sugar
 ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
 1½ tsp baking soda
 ¾ teaspoon salt
 2 large eggs
 1 cup buttermilk (or substitute by putting 1 tbsp white vinegar in a cup then
filling the rest up with milk; let stand 5 minutes until thickened)
 ½ cup butter, melted
 1 tbsp vanilla extract
 1 cup hot coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water)
For Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting
 8 oz/250 g cream cheese (one block), at room temperature
 4 tbsp/2 oz butter, at room temperature
 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
 1 cup/4 oz confectioners' sugar
 30 oreo cookies, thoroughly crushed
 6 oreo cookies, lightly crushed, for decorating

Instructions
To make cupcakes:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper
liners; set aside.
2. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa,
baking soda, and salt. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla
 extract and beat until smooth (about 3 minutes). Remove bowl from mixer
and stir in hot coffee with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very runny.
3. Remove bowl from mixer, and pour batter into a large liquid measuring
cup with a spout. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each
no more than two-thirds full (or else batter will rise over and make a big
mess - not bigger cupcakes). Bake 20-24 minutes, or until cupcakes feel
slightly springy when you gently press their centres. Transfer cupcakes to
wire racks to cool completely (at least two hours) before frosting.
To make frosting:
1. Combine cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract in the bowl of a
standing mixer and beat on medium speed until thoroughly combined.
With mixer speed on low, gradually add confectioners' sugar until fully
incorporated, then increase speed back to medium and beat until very
light and fluffy - about two minutes. With mixer speed on low, incorporate
the 30 finely crushed Oreos. OR, for a more distinct "Cookies & Cream"
effect, just gently fold them in using a rubber spatula.
2. When cupcakes have cooled completely (and by that I mean not a trace of
warmth whatsoever or frosting will melt), frost cupcakes by spooning a big
dollop onto the centre and patting it down until it spreads nicely to the
edges, or transfer frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large circle tip and
pipe onto cupcakes. Sprinkle frosted cupcakes with the 6 lightly crushed
oreo cookies.
Red velvet

3. For the cakes:

4. 435g plain flour
5. 1¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
6. 1¼ tsp salt
7. 1¼ tsp unsweetened cocoa powder
8. 360ml vegetable oil
9. 375g caster sugar
10. 300ml buttermilk
11. 3 eggs
12. 40ml red food colouring
13. 1¼ tsp vinegar (white or apple cider)
14. 1¼ tsp vanilla essence
 15. 30ml water
16. For the cream cheese icing:
17. 450g butter, room temperature
18. 700g cream cheese, room temperature
19. 900g icing sugar, sifted
20. 1 tbsp vanilla essence

Method
Red velvet cupcakes

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4. Line a 16 space fairy cake tin with paper baking cases.

2) Sift together the flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt and cocoa powder into a bowl and set aside.

3) In a mixer fitted with paddle attachment, mix the oil, sugar and buttermilk until combined. Add the eggs, food
colouring, vinegar, vanilla and water and mix well. Add the dry ingredients a little bit at a time and mix on low,
scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally. Mix until just combined; do not over mix or the cakes will
come out tough.

4) Divide the batter between the paper baking cases and bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until a cocktail stick
inserted into the centre of a cake comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire rack.

For the cream cheese icing:

1) Whip the butter and cream cheese together in a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until creamed.
Gradually add the icing sugar to the mixture, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the vanilla and mix until
combined.

2) Spread the icing over the top of the cakes. Alternatively it can be covered and stored in the refrigerator for up
to a week.

Ingredients Edit and Save

Original recipe makes 24 cupcakesChange Servings


2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour


2 teaspoons baking powder


1/2 teaspoon baking soda


1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup milk


1/2 cup vegetable oil


1 teaspoon vanilla extract


1/2 cup butter


1 cup white sugar


3 eggs, room temperature


red food coloring


blue food coloring


green food coloring


yellow food coloring

Directions
1. Preheat an oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line two 12 cup muffin pans with paper baking cups. Stir
together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. Whisk together the milk, vegetable
oil, and vanilla extract in a separate bowl until evenly blended; set aside.
2. Beat the butter and sugar with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be
noticeably lighter in color. Add the room-temperature eggs one at a time, allowing each egg to blend into the
butter mixture before adding the next. Pour in the flour mixture alternately with the milk mixture, mixing
until just incorporated.
3. Divide the cake batter into four separate bowls. Add a few drops of food coloring into one bowl of batter and
stir; add more food coloring, if necessary, to reach the desired shade. Repeat with the remaining colors and
bowls of batter.
4. Using a different spoon for each color batter, spoon a small spoonful of each color into the cupcake liners,
until 1/2 to 3/4 full. Do not mix the batter once it is in the cupcake liner. Bake in the preheated oven until a
toothpick inserted into the cake comes clean, about 15 to 20 minutes.