For the past year or two I’ve had a minor obsession with what I call “cheesecake cakes” and it all started when I made Jeremy this Red Velvet Cheesecake for his birthday. He first had Red Velvet Cheesecake at The Cheesecake Factory and absolutely loved it. I have to admit, it was awesome. When his birthday came around I did my best to imitate their version and think I got pretty darn close.
After that, my brain couldn’t help but imagine all the possibilities of cheesecake cakes…I did a vanilla cheesecake and strawberry cake combo, a neapolitan with chocolate cake, vanilla cheesecake and strawberry cake…you get the picture. While they are delicious to make, they can be somewhat labor intensive and difficult to transport. So I finally had the bright idea to make it into a cheesecake CUPCAKE. Brilliant, right? So much simpler! And that idea led to the glorious recipe offering I give you today…Oreo Cheesecake Cupcakes.
I don’t think I need to say too much about these other than they are good ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. The chocolate cake is a recipe I borrowed from My Baking Addiction and the cheesecake is a recipe from a friend. I was a little skeptical about the cake since it used a cake mix, but it was actually quite good. It had a more spongy texture than I was used to but was still very moist and had a rich chocolate flavor. And the Oreos…I mean, how can you NOT put Oreos in these? They just send them over the top and transport you directly into chocolate/cheesecake/Oreo heaven.
Make these and share them with the people you love. They will love you back. Promise.
- 1 (18.25 ounce) package Devil’s Food Cake Mix
- 1 (5.9 ounce) package Instant Chocolate Pudding Mix
- 1 c. Sour Cream
- 1 c. Vegetable Oil
- 4 Large Eggs, lightly beaten
- ½ c. Warm Water
- 1 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 (8 ounce) package Cream Cheese, softened
- ½ c. Granulated Sugar
- 2 t. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 Large Egg
- 1 (18 ounce) package Regular Oreos
- 2 sticks Unsalted Butter, softened
- 1 c. Shortening
- ⅛ t. Salt
- 2 T. Pure Vanilla Extract
- 2 lbs. (7.5 cups) Powdered Sugar, sifted
- 4 T. Very Cold Heavy Whipping Cream (or milk)
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a regular size muffin pan with paper liners or spray with nonstick cooking spray.
- For the Chocolate Cake: In an electric mixer, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs, water and vanilla until well combined and smooth. Set aside.
- For the Vanilla Cheesecake: In an electric mixer beat the cream cheese until fluffy. Add the sugar and vanilla, beating well. Beat in the egg and set aside.
- For the Buttercream Dream Frosting: In an electric mixer, cream the butter and shortening until fluffy, about three minutes. Add the salt and vanilla and combine well. Begin adding the sugar, one cup at a time and mix thoroughly after each addition. After all the sugar has been added and mixed thoroughly, begin adding the very cold heavy whipping cream one tablespoon at a time, combining well after each addition. Beat on medium-high speed for three minutes to reach desired consistency.
- To assemble: Use a scant tablespoon full of chocolate cake mix and smooth into the bottom of the muffin tin (I actually used my (very clean) finger to do this). Spoon in just enough cheesecake to cover the chocolate cake. Press an Oreo into the cheesecake and cover the Oreo with cheesecake mixture–just enough to cover the cookie. Top with another tablespoon of chocolate cake and gently spread until even in the tin. (Be careful to do no more than a tablespoon each time otherwise your muffin tin will be too full and the cupcake batter will rise above the muffin tin and “mushroom”) Repeat with remaining muffin tins. Bake for 18-22 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch. Place on wire rack and cool completely. Pipe frosting onto cooled cupcakes and store in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.
