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Dark Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes
Maggie Banko

Dark Chocolate Oreo Cupcakes

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Prep Time 40 minutes
Cook Time 18 minutes
Total Time 58 minutes
Servings: 15 cupcakes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Ingredients Method Notes

Ingredients
  

For the Cake
  • 1 ½ cup cake flour 180g
  • 1 ⅓ cup granulated sugar 270g
  • 2 tbsp sifted high-fat cocoa powder (I prefer Guittard) 15g
  • 1 ½ tbsp sifted black cocoa powder (I recommend Modern Mountain Baking Company black cocoa powder) 10g
  • 1 tsp baking soda 6g
  • 1 tsp fine salt 6g
  • ⅓ cup room temperature sour cream 70g
  • ½ cup room temperature whole milk (you can also use buttermilk) 120mL
  • 3 room temperature large eggs
  • ⅓ cup vegetable oil 80mL
  • ⅓ cup strong hot coffee 74mL
  • 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract 15mL
  • 2 tbsp heavy cream 28mL
  • ⅓ cup semisweet chocolate chips 70g
For the Oreo Filling
I used the Oreo cake filling from "Restless Chipotle". You can find the link to this recipe in the "Notes" section below. You will need Oreo cookies, powdered sugar, heavy cream, butter, and vanilla extract.
For the Buttercream
  • 2 cups room temperature unsalted butter 452g
  • small pinch of fine salt
  • splash of vanilla extract to taste
  • 1lb + 5.5oz powdered sugar
  • 1.5oz sifted cocoa powder (as always, I prefer the Guittard brand for the best taste & texture)
  • 1oz sifted black cocoa powder
  • 4 tbsp heavy cream 56mL
Optional
  • Extra Oreo cookies to crush and place on top of your finished cupcakes

Method
 

For the Cake
  1. Preheat oven to 350℉ and line a cupcake tin with liners. This recipe makes ~15 cupcakes.
  2. In a mixing bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients and whisk together. Set aside.
  3. In a separate mixing bowl, combine the following wet ingredients: sour cream, whole milk, eggs, vegetable oil, hot coffee, and vanilla extract.
  4. In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream and microwave for 30 seconds. Stir this well until all of the chocolate is melted (if you need to continue heating it, heat in the microwave in 10-second increments)
  5. Add this melted chocolate to the bowl of wet ingredients and whisk well to combine.
  6. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix until just incorporated. Do not over-mix the batter!
  7. Pour the batter into your lined cupcake tin about 3/4 of the way. The batter will be very runny so pour slowly!
  8. Bake at 350℉ for 18-20 minutes until a wooden toothpick comes out with just a couple of crumbs on it.
  9. Please keep in mind that the baking time will vary depending on your oven so don't walk away from your cupcakes!
  10. Once your cupcakes have finished baking, let them cool in their pan for 15-20 minutes before placing on a cooling rack. Let them fully cool before filling and decorating
For the Oreo Filling
  1. Follow the instructions from "Restless Chipotle" to make the Oreo cake filling (linked in the "Notes" section below)
  2. Once you have made the filling, core out the center of each cupcake and fill with the Oreo filling. I like to place the filling in a piping bag which makes it much easier!
For the Buttercream
  1. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (you can also use an electric hand mixer), whip the butter on medium speed for ~10 minutes until it's pale in color and silky in texture.
  2. Add a small pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla. Mix to combine and scrape the bowl down with a rubber spatula.
  3. In a separate bowl, weigh the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and black cocoa powder using a kitchen scale.
  4. Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and black cocoa powder to your stand mixer bowl along with the heavy cream. Mix on low speed for 1 minute before increasing the speed to medium for another ~5 minutes.
  5. Continue mixing your buttercream until everything is well combined and you have a fluffy texture.
For Decorating
  1. Place an Ateco 809 piping tip into a piping bag and fill it with your chocolate buttercream.
  2. Add buttercream and crushed oreos to each cupcake, serve fresh, and enjoy! 

Notes

  1. Oreo Filling Recipe: https://www.restlesschipotle.com/cookies-and-cream-cake-filling/
  2. As always, please weigh your powdered sugar for the buttercream frosting! You don’t want to end up with a grainy texture in your buttercream and weighing the sugar to the exact amount listed in this recipe will help to avoid that. 
  3. I personally never sift my powdered sugar, however, I do sift my cocoa powder as I find that the cocoa powder lumps are a bit more difficult to get rid of. 
  4. Black Cocoa Powder: In order to get that rich dark chocolate flavor, I like to use black cocoa powder in the cake as well as in the buttercream. For the best results, I recommend using the Modern Mountain Baking Company for the black cocoa powder as it has the best flavor that I have been able to find!
  5. All ovens are different! Please keep an eye on your cupcakes while they are baking as they are very easy to over-bake if you just set a timer and walk away. 
  6. I like to serve my cupcakes fresh, so I always bake them the same day that they will be eaten. That being said, you can save your cupcakes in an air-tight container for 1-2 days at room temperature if you would like. I still recommend serving them fresh.