Oreo Sundae Cupcakes

For those of you who are not familiar with Muslim holidays and festivities, Eid occurs twice a year for Muslims all over the world. The second Eid, also known as Eid-Al-Adha is a three day long celebration that honours the willingness of Abraham (Ibrahim) to sacrifice his son, as an act of submission to God's command, before God then intervened, through his angel Jibra'il and informs him that his sacrifice has already been accepted. The meat from the sacrificed animal is preferred to be divided into three parts. The family retains one third of the share; another third is given to relatives, friends and neighbours; and the remaining third is given to the poor and needy. Hence Eid Al Adha is also known commonly as also called the Feast of Sacrifice. Similar to the previous Eid, feasts involve a range of dishes and sweets ranging from the traditional to the contemporary. With this Eid, my little sister had requested for me to whip up something in the kitchen that would involve the goodness of Oreos and my mind immediately drifted to Oreo Sundae Cupcakes.  To all those celebrating Eid Al Adha around the world, I wish you and your families a joyful time and remember to keep those less fortunate in your prayers too. Happy Eid! x

Notes

• Makes 24 cupcakes
• Always use butter at room temperature
• To substitute buttermilk you can put 1 tbsp white vinegar in a cup then filling the rest up with milk; let stand 5 minutes until thickened.

Ingredients 

For Chocolate Cupcakes:

• 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
• 2 cups granulated white sugar
• 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot coffee (or 2 tsp instant coffee in 1 cup boiling water)

For Oreo Buttercream:

• 8 tablespoons butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla essence 
• 4 cups powdered sugar (1 lb)
• 6 tablespoons Oreo cookies, finely crushed
• 4 Oreo cookies, finely crushed (garnishing)
• 12 wafer sticks cut in half (garnishing) 

Method

To make cupcakes:

1. Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celcius. Line two 12-cup muffin tins with paper liners; set aside.
2. In the large bowl of a standing mixer, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.
3. Add eggs, buttermilk, melted butter and vanilla extract and beat until smooth (about 3 minutes). 
4. Remove bowl from mixer and stir in hot coffee with a rubber spatula. Batter will be very runny.
5. Remove bowl from mixer, and pour batter into a large liquid measuring cup with a spout. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups, filling each no more than two-thirds full (or else batter will rise over and make a big mess - not bigger cupcakes). 
6. Bake 20-24 minutes, or until cupcakes feel slightly springy when you gently press their centres.
7. Transfer cupcakes to wire racks to cool completely (at least two hours) before frosting.

To make frosting:

1. For the frosting, in the bowl of your standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment (or using a hand mixer) cream the butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2-3 minutes.
2. Reduce the mixer speed to low and add the powdered sugar, about ½ cup at a time, until thoroughly mixed. 
3. Add the vanilla essence, and Oreo crumbs; mix well. Frost cupcakes using the Wilton 1A piping tip to create the perfect sundae swirl. 
4. Top cupcakes with Oreo crumbs and wafer stick to garnish.

(recipe adapted from here)