Cookie Monster

I've been wanting to have a go at Cookies & Cream cupcakes forever, they're one of my favourite flavours to try when I'm at a bakery. The idea is simple; chocolate cake, vanilla icing and some sort of biscuits or cookies - usually Oreos (which used to be a rare treat until they started selling them in every supermarket!). There are hundreds of versions of these cupcakes online, these are just a few of the ones I liked the look of:

Bakerella: Cookies & Cream Cupcakes
Instructables: Death by Oreo Cupcakes
Your Cup of Cake: Oreo Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting

I started with my standard chocolate sponge recipe, and I couldn't decide which way to add the Oreos; a whole cookie in the bottom of each cake, or broken up and folded into the mixture. So I did both! The recipe usually makes 12 cupcakes, but I was using muffin cases which are a bit bigger than normal so it only made 11 this time. They also took a bit longer to bake than they normally would.

The icing is a plain buttercream made from butter, icing sugar and a splash of milk, beaten together with a stand mixer or electric hand mixer until light and fluffy. I then crushed three or four Oreos with a rolling pin until they were dust and mixed them into the icing. I love how the cream in the middle of the cookies makes the icing really white, and makes the crumbs stand out more. And yes that is a whole Oreo poking out of the top of each cake. Let's not think about how many calories they contain...

After a lot of detailed analysis (yum!) we couldn't come to a decision on which was the best way to incorporate the Oreos into the cake, but did agree that the cookie crumb icing is delicious, if a little rich. I actually don't think I could eat several of these cupcakes in one sitting, which makes a change!

I'm back!

Hello! Is anybody still out there?

Butterfly Buns has been on an extended holiday for the last year or so while real life got in the way of my baking, but I'm back in the game now and ready to get into the kitchen. And I can't really complain when this little cutie is the one who's been taking up my time!

The blog has had a revamp and I'm hoping to post at least once a week, more often if I can find the time. I've also discovered the wonders of Instagram and Pinterest, so feel free to follow me there.

It's good to be back!