Red Velvet N Oreo Filling Cupcakes

A birthday tradition in our family is:

The birthday guy,or gal, gets to pick the cake flavor and frosting. My birthday choice was red velvet cake, oreo cookie filling, and vanilla butter cream frosting. 

My pantry style baking means I use items from the store and basic pantry staples to create some homemade happiness on a plate. My birthday, red velvet cupcakes started with a red velvet cake mix from the store.

After following the package directions to make and bake twenty-four cupcakes. It was time to gather items from the 'frig and pantry to make the oreo cookie filling and vanilla butter cream frosting.

"Oreo" Cookie Filling

If you like to eat sandwich cookies by pulling them apart and eating the filling first, then you are going to LOVE the oreo cookie filling the fills the center of my cupcakes.

Ingredients

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 tsp. clear vanilla extract*

1 tsp. granulated, white sugar

3 1//2 cups confectioners sugar

3 Tbsp. hot water

* brown vanilla extract will yield an ivory colored filling, while clear vanilla extract keeps the filling a snowy white.

Directions

• Place all of the ingredients into a mixing bowl.
• Beat with an electric mixer for two minutes.
• Using a spatula, spoon the oreo cookie filling into a pastry bag with a #8 or larger piping tip.
• The filling is ready to be piped into the completely cooled, cupcakes.

Any left over filling can be stored in an airtight container for up to a week. Try using it as a dip for cookies, graham crackers, all purpose crackers, or pretzels. Yum!

      

A close up look at the oreo cookie filling and the steps I used to filling the cupcakes.

• First, I used an apple coring tool to remove the center of each cupcake, but a knife will work, too. The apple corer makes this job very quick and gives a uniform amount of filling in each cupcake. I stopped about a quarter of an inch from the bottom of each cupcake.                                                  

  

  The above  picture is from March of last year when I made some yummy devil's food chocolate filled cupcakes.

• Then, I set the top of the removed center aside for later.
• Next, I piped a generous amount of oreo cookie filling into the center of the cupcake with a pastry bag and large piping tip. 
• The last step was to replace the top of the removed cupcake center on top of the filling, like a lid.
• The cupcakes were ready to be frosted.

Silky Smooth, Vanilla Butter cream Frosting

Yield: frosting to decorate about 2 dozen cupcakes.

Ingredients

1 stick of salted butter
1 stick of margarine
1/2 cup of vegetable shortening
1 tsp. clear vanilla extract*

6 Tbsp. water
2 lb. bag of confectioners sugar

*  brown vanilla extract will yield an ivory colored frosting, while clear vanilla extract keeps the frosting a brighter white.

Directions

• Place butter, margarine, and vegetable shortening into a mixing bowl.
• Using an electric mixer on low speed, cream the butter, margarine, and vegetable shortening together for 2-3 minutes.
• Add about 1/4 of the confectioners sugar and the vanilla extract.
• Beat with the mixer on low speed until well blended.
• Add about 1/3 of the remaining confectioners sugar and continue to mix at low speed until the frosting is well blended.
• Add 6 Tbsp. of water and half of the remaining confectioners sugar.
• Beat until well blended.
• Add remaining confectioners sugar.
• Continue to mix with the electric mixer on low speed.
• Put a 1M tip into a pastry bag, fill with frosting, and pipe onto cupcakes. 

Now this is homemade happiness on a plate!

Piping a Vanilla Butter cream Rose

Using a 1M decorating tip, I hold the piping bag perpendicular to the cupcake while piping the vanilla butter cream from the center of the cupcake to the outside edge in a smooth, slightly overlapping, spiral. On the outside edge, gently release pressure on the pastry bag and try to taper the frosting into and under the last row. This method creates a blooming rose. 

February birthday cupcakes: Twelve, white butter cream roses sprinkled with purple sanding sugar.