Oreo Cheesecake Surprise Cupcakes
This week marks the beginning of birthday season for our family. My brother was born on St. Patrick’s Day, which means we grew up celebrating the holiday with birthday cake and presents for him. In a couple weeks it will be Dad’s birthday followed closely my Mom and I and then some extended family members.
When he turned 18 I threw a surprise party for my brother. It was the beginning of my cake escapades. Since then I’ve tried out a lot of different recipes and been ambitious with my flavors and design work.
Over the weekend I asked my brother what kind of cake he wanted. He said he wanted something chocolate and something cheesecake. It didn’t take me long to come up with an idea—and a way to incorporate a yummy surprise.
I decided to make a chocolate sponge with a cheesecake center and cream cheese frosting on top.
First you make the sponge cake batter. I like dressing up box mixes—it’s easy and gives you a good flavor. Here is the recipe I used:
Ingredients:
- 1 (18oz) box of chocolate cake
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp salt
- 1 ⅓ cups water
- ⅛ cup vegetable oil
- 1 tsp chocolate flavoring
- 1 tsp almond extract
- 1 cup sour cream
- 3 eggs
Directions:
- Place all dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and mix together.
- Add the remaining ingredients and beat on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
- Line cupcake tin with papers.
- Fill papers about ⅔ full.
- Preheat oven to 325°F.
Next you need to make the cheesecake filling. I will say that since this sponge is so light, the cheesecake will probably sink to the bottom of the cake, but that’s okay. It still cooked through and tastes really good. You may recognize this recipe from the Red Velvet Brownies I did for Valentine’s Day—with an extra twist!
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg cream cheese
- ⅓ cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 cup crushed Oreos
Directions:
- Cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
- Add the egg.
- Stir in the crushed Oreos.
- Use a small ice cream scoop to add a glop of the mixture to each cupcake liner.
- Bake for about 14 minutes.
I decided to break from tradition this year and not make a buttercream frosting. I wanted something with cream cheese and Oreos. This is what I came up with…
Ingredients:
- 1 pkg cream cheese
- ½ cup powdered sugar
- 1 small tub of Cool Whip
- ~2 cups of crushed Oreos (12-14 Oreos)
Directions:
- Cream together the cream cheese and sugar.
- Add the crushed Oreos.
- Fold in the Cool Whip.
- Add to the top of cooled cupcakes.
(Side note: this would be a good filling in a layered cake.)
Check it out! This combination turned out really tasty and has been a big hit!
Happy Birthday to the best brother ever! Love you!
