I made these for my sister’s fiancé’ 30th birthday!  He was home this past weekend and we were finally able to celebrate at our favorite restaurant. I brought these little cakes for our dessert.  My husband and I watched our almost 3 year old nephew as they went out to celebrate the night before, I thought it would be fun to bake with my nephew and to have him help make his dad these mighty tasty cupcakes. My nephew was able to help me add the flour and scoop the batter into the tins which made them so much more special.

This recipe yields 16 standards size cupcakes using a size 16 scoop.

Cupcake Ingredients:

1 Stick (1/2 cup) plus 2 TB unsalted butter

1/2 cup of Dutch process cocoa powder (do not cheat yourself use a high quality) …. I love penzey’s!

1 1/4 cup AP flour

1 Tsp baking soda

1/16 Tsp of kosher salt

1 tsp expresso powder

2 eggs (farm fresh or egg land’s best)

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup of raw sugar or brown sugar

3 (1/8 cups) of light sour cream or plain fat free greek yogurt

3/4 cup low fat buttermilk

Cooking spray

 

Cupcake Instructions:

1. Preheat ove to 350 degrees. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners and spray with canola oil cooking spray. Set aside.

2. In a medium to large bowl whisk together flour, salt, baking soda, expresso powder, and cocoa. Set aside.

3. Place in an electric mixing bowl butter and sugars and beat on medium to medium high speed until creamed (light and fluffy).

4. Add one egg at a time, beating using standing mixer until well incorporated. Make sure if you do not have a beater with  rubber spatula sides that you scrap down sides of bowl often with hand spatula. Once eggs are incorporated add sour cream and decrease the speed to low. Add flour mixture alternating with the buttermilk in thirds (only mix after each addition until everything is incorporated). Be careful not to over mix the batter. 

5. Using number 16 scoop portion perfectly into the prepared muffin tins. Bake for 10 minutes on 350 degrees and rotate the tins and bake for an additional 8 to 10 minutes until toothpick comes out clean. Rotating the tin will allow for even baking. 

6. Remove from oven and allow to set in tin for 1 to 5 minutes, remove from tin and place on wire rack to cool completing before frosting. If you allow the cupcakes to stay in tin they will continue to bake and will dry out. 

7. In the meantime start to work on the frosting.

Oreo Buttercream

Oreo Buttercream
6 cups of Powdered Sugar
1 teaspoon of pure vanilla
9 TB of Heavy Cream
8-10 Oreos (place in food processor and crush)
1 stick of butter ( 1/2 cup ) room temperature 
2 Ounce of 1/3 Fat Reduced Cream cheese  room temperature

16 Mini oreo’s (optional for decoration)

Directions for Oreo Buttercream:
Cream the butter and cream cheese in a stand mixer until fluffy. Add one cup of powdered sugar at a time until incorporated. Mix slowly! Add liquids mix. Lastly add crushed Oreos add more cream as needed to desired consistency.

 

ENJOY!