Cookies and Cream Oreo Cupcakes

I must (once again) begin by apologising for my severe lack of baking blogs of late. You probably know my excuse for this, and in case you don't it begins with 'U' ends in 'I' and has 'N' in the middle. Yep. That old chestnut.

Anyway apologies aside, yesterday I had a uni-free day to relax and do whatever I pleased and what better opportunity to do a spot of baking?
I have been dying to make these oreo cupcakes for ages as there seemed to be quite a lot of hype around them so it was only natural that I got in the kitchen to find out for myself!
Afterall oreos; delicious crunchy biscuits + cake; yummy crumbly goodness = makes a whole lotta sense; what could go wrong!?

For the cupcakes

(I doubled this recipe which usually makes 12 and I got 22)

 

200g plain flour
40g cocoa powder
240g caster sugar
3tsp baking powder
80g unsalted butter
2 eggs
200ml milk
2tsp vanilla extract
16 whole Oreo's

 

For the buttercream frosting

 

175g softened unsalted butter
350g sifted icing sugar
1tsp vanilla extract
1-2tbs milk
3 or 4 crushed Oreo's (You can crush them in a food processor,or put them in a bag and bash them with a rolling pin/other suitable object!)

 

You can use as many Oreo's in your frosting as you like, I used 4. It just depends on how you want it to look.

 

 

 

 

Method

·         Preheat the oven to 180 or gas mark and line a cupcake tray with paper cases.

·         Place a whole Oreo into each cupcake case.

·         Sift the flour,cocoa powder,baking powder and salt into a bowl give it all a whisk around.

·         In a separate bowl beat the butter and sugar together until it combines then add the vanilla extract and the eggs 1 at a time whisking them in slowly.

·         Alternately add the milk and flour and bring it all together,adding any remaining flour at the end.

·         Divide between the cupcake cases,covering the Oreo's and bake in the oven for 18-20 minutes.

 

·         The cakes are ready when a cocktail stick or skewer comes out of the centre clean and they spring back when touched.

       ·       Set on a cooling rack to cool down completely.

·         Make the buttercream by beating the butter and icing sugar and vanilla together for a good few minutes until it becomes very smooth and fluffy. Add the milk a little at a time if you find the consistency a little too thick

·         Mix in a spoonful at a time of the crushed Oreo's just until you get the pretty cookie speckled look that you're after.

 

 

After you have mixed the Oreo's together with the frosting and the cupcakes have cooled, it's time to pipe the icing onto these bad boys!
This is the part where I had a slight incident... one which got extremely messy.
And if like me, you like making a mess but not clearing it up then I recommend taking notes!

This was the first time I had ever piped icing onto cupcakes as usually I take the route of spooning and smoothing it on and as time went on I began to wish that I had done it that way!

Aside from not realising until I had put the icing in the bag that the piping nozzle does not go on the outside, but infact goes on the inside of the bag (you don't want to know) the main issue was with the size of the crumbs in the icing.
The real problem occurred after I had to EMPTY THE DAMN BAG TWICE  to re-insert the nozzle only to discover that it wouldn't pipe because the Oreo 'crumbs' were too big and kept getting stuck in it.

WALLY.

So, if you do make these (and I highly recommend that you do) make sure when you crush the Oreos that they are the teeniest, tiniest crumbs ever- and that there are no large bits of biscuit, as if any big, naughty Oreo pieces do sneak into your icing your piping bag won't like it and you'll soon understand the mess that I was in.

Once I had wrestled with the icing, I finished them off by topping with half an Oreo and sprinkling them with Oreo crumbs. Deeeeeeelish.

Store in an airtight container for about a week.
Well, that's if they last that long...

The Chewton Glen Hotel

My blogging has been atrocious recently, between assignment work at uni and volunteering at Hot Radio, things have been manic and my poor little blog has suffered.
Again.

As my work load has (slightly) died down, I have decided to grab this opportunity with both hands and write a new little post on my latest adventure. Any of you who read my blof regularly will be aware that most of my 'adventures' tend to involve food and I'm not ashamed to say that this one is no different!

Now, it's well documented that I love a good cake. I love to bake them but most of all I like to eat them. And today as a post-Birthday treat, my wonderful Auntie took me for Afternoon Tea at the Chewton Glen Hotel in Hampshire.
Ever since I moved further south for University my Auntie and I seem to have developed a small habit of gallavanting round Hampshire/Dorchester testing the best hotels in the area for Afternoon Tea.

Today we continued on our Afternoon Tea Tour and I think we found another gem. To say it was 'good' would be an almighty understatement; it was bloody scrumptious.

The Hotel is set in such beautiful surroundings (unfortunately my camera decided to run out of memory space hence why I don't have any pictures- typical!) but the lounge we sat in for Tea looked out onto the croquet lawn and beyond onto the carefully maintained gardens. Despite the mist- it still looked beautiful.

The tea itself was so delicious. A selection of sandwiches; fruit scones with jam and clotted cream and a mouth-watering selection of cakes (which we truly demolished) were presented delightfully, served quickly and scoffed at the same pace... (we waste nothing)

The hotel had a beautiful courtyard and just on the inside of the entrance door lay a row of perfectly arranged Hunter Wellingtons, ready and waiting any guests who wished to take a stroll through the grounds. Only in England.

I highly, recommend The Chewton Glen it's by far one of the best hotels for Afternoon Tea that I have ever been to and I will without a doubt be re-visiting for more tea and cake in the near future or if I'm exceptionally lucky, maybe a cheeky spa day....