Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookies & Cream Icing

By now you'll know that I like to keep things simple. (A far cry from my early baking days when I'd make door-stopper muffins that contained every ingredient known to man!)

So I use the same recipe over and over, with minor variations, if I know that it's good and easy.

For this one, I've used my go-to chocolate cupcakes (you only need one bowl - can it get any easier ?!  Well, yes ... box-mix!); topped with cream cheese icing that has a delicious addition: crumbed Oreos.

 And then you can give it all a fancy-smancy name like Chocolate Cupcakes with Cookies&Cream Icing 😋

Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from the Hershey's chocolate cake recipe. 

Preheat the oven to 180'C
Prepare 2x 12 hole muffin trays with cupcake cases. (Plus an extra 6 if you aren't using larger "American"-style muffin cases) 

320g cake flour
400g caster sugar
80g unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt 
180ml vegetable oil
250ml buttermilk
2 eggs, lightly beaten
250ml boiling water 
1tsp vanilla extract

Sift together all the dry ingredients. Whisk to combine. 
Make a well in the centre, and pour in the eggs, buttermilk, oil and vanilla. 
Mix well. 
Add the boiling water. Mix until combined.  

Pour the batter into the prepared cupcake cases.
Bake at 180'C for approx 20min, or until a skewer inserted comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it. 
Remove cupcakes from muffin trays and cool. 

Cookies & Cream Icing
Recipe by Tea, Cake & Create

100g butter,  at room temperature
80g sifted icing sugar
250g cream cheese, chilled 
1 tsp vanilla extract
50g finely crushed Oreo biscuits

Beat together the butter and icing sugar, until smooth and creamy. 
Beat in the cream cheese and vanilla. 
Stir in the Oreo crumbs
Pipe onto the cooled cupcakes.

Top with a mini Oreo or sprinkle with crushed Oreos.

You may need to double the icing ingredient quantities if you want to pipe large swirls on all the cupcakes. 
I usually freeze half the batch of cupcakes and ice the rest. Yes, these chocolate cupcakes freeze well, and so does the icing (just freeze the two separately, though ... don't freeze the iced cupcakes in the unlikely event of any leftovers!)

Happy decorating!

xxM