Cupcasms

For some odd reason, every time Candice and I are in LH#2, we end up having the most interesting discussions. The time I'm thinking of right now includes oocytes and embryology with some inventive vocabulary of our own based upon a story about knitting and yarn-gasms. Yes, I realize it sounds vaguely indecent, but between cupcake and cupgasm, which induces a sense of greater fulfillment and joy upon consumption?

Exactly. So without further ado, I present to you the cupcasm that has been on my mind for days on end.
Oreo Cupcake with Oreo Frosting

2 packages of Oreos (I used regular Oreos)

*the cake batter I used made an amazingly light cake but because of that the batter was too thin to keep the Oreo from floating to the top of the cupcake. If you want the sandwich cookie on the bottom of the cupcake liner, choose a denser cake batter.

Hershey's Chocolate Cake
2 cups sugar
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
2 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cup flour
1 tsp salt
1 cup milk
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup boiling water

Oreo Cream Cheese Frosting
1 - 8-oz package cream cheese, softened
2 cups powdered sugar, plus extra if needed
1/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Quick Fix Frosting
1 can of prepared vanilla frosting

Preparation of Cake
Combine sugar, cocoa, both leavening agents (baking soda/powder), salt and flour in a large bowl. Mix to incorporate all the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, combine oil, eggs, milk and vanilla. Stir to beat up the eggs and mix everything together. Add the egg mixture to the dry ingredients and mix until mostly combined. Pour in a cup of boiling water and stir quickly to incorporate. The batter will look very thin but the hot water begins the action of cooking some of the gluten and helps to produce a light soft cake.

Assembly
Line two muffin pans with cupcake liners and place an oreo in the bottom of each liner. You'll need about 30 oreos. If you don't have extra muffin pans, just line and fill as you go. Pour the batter over the oreos, filling the cupcake liner 1/2 to 3/4 full. Bake at 350 degrees for 20-25 minutes or until done. This particular cake batter is a little thin so the oreo will rise to the top of the cupcake as it bakes so if you want the sandwich cookie to remain as the base of the cupcake, use a thicker batter to hold the cookie down.Frosting Preparation
Beat cream cheese until fluffy. Add 1 cup of powdered sugar and milk, beating until well incorporated and no lumps remain. Add the second cup of powdered sugar and vanillia, mixing well again. If the consistency is too thin, add more powdered sugar. If too thick, add a little more milk.
Fill a ziploc bag with oreos, starting with half a package. Using a rolling pin or a mallet, crush the cookies into small pieces. Add into the cream cheese frosting and stir together. Frost the cupcakes with about 2 tbs of frosting.Frosting Cheat
So this is not the first time I have ever used prepared, canned frosting and neither will it be the last. And I am not ashamed to admit that I have a soft spot in my heart for overly sweet vanilla flavored concoctions. As with above, crush some oreos and add them into the frosting. If you like, add a little extra something (whiskey perhaps?) to keep the frosting from getting too hard. ;)

*Here's the cupcake cut in half...
Oreo... cake... frosting... it doesn't get any better...