Fluffy black chocolate cupcakes that taste just like an Oreo wafer topped with creamy, sweet marshmallow buttercream that happens to taste just like Oreo cookie filling. These are a different twist on a cookies & cream cupcake with all the flavor but no need for crushing cookies and worrying they’ll go soggy.

I spent an inordinate amount of time naming these cupcakes. They taste like Oreos but don’t actually use Oreo cookies. Which I prefer, because Oreos in cake (especially in the frosting) tend to get soggy. I want that crisp crunch or nothing at all. And while there’s no crisp crunch in these cupcakes, they’re still delicious and taste just like an Oreo.

In fact, I fell in love with this marshmallow frosting years ago when my mother-in-law made it for my father-in-law’s birthday. It reminded me so much of Oreo cookie filling and has become one of my favorite, go-to frostings.

Then, this past spring, I discovered black dutched chocolate. There’s a whole science behind making it, but the result is this chocolate wafer cookie taste, much like the cookies of an Oreo.

And thus was born my version of a cookies & cream (or, Oreo) cupcake.

While it’s not your standard cookies & cream cupcake, it’s honestly my favorite. And it’s been fairly popular with those who’ve tried it. Despite covid and quarantine, I’ve found ways to share it with several people and every single person has loved it. So, if you love cookies & cream flavors but don’t want a soggy cookie in your cupcake, these are for you.

How to make black and white Oreo cupcakes

First, the cupcakes.

Sift then whisk the dry ingredients together. This is crucial to the crumb of the cupcake. I bought my first mesh sieve at the dollar store, but it transformed my baking. Buy one!

Whisk the wet ingredients, sans coffee. You want it fully emulsified (meaning the oil has blended fully and the eggs are smooth with no spots that are still…egg white-y?).

Slowly stream in the hot coffee. You need the coffee hot to help bring everything together, particularly to react with the cocoa. You need to stream it in slowly so you don’t scramble the eggs.

Slowly pour the wet ingredients into the dry. It’ll clump up then smooth out. Once it’s all combined, scrape the bowl then beat for 2 minutes on medium.

Bake! Don’t over bake. 15-18 minutes is perfect. Check early though.

Make the frosting as the cupcakes cool. Beat the butter until smooth then add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time. After adding half the sugar, beat in the vanilla, salt, and marshmallow fluff. Keep adding powdered sugar as needed. There’s a sweet spot of not too sweet but also not too runny. Luckily, the cupcakes aren’t super sweet to help balance the frosting. They’re a perfect match.

Tips for this recipe

Don’t scramble your eggs

I love my rubber-bottomed mixing bowl because it allows me to whisk with one hand and pour coffee with the other. But it’s vital to go slowly! I’ve had plenty of desserts with scrambled eggs over the years and it is not fun. When we say slow, we mean a trickle. Feel free to stop as you go if needed.

Don’t overfill the cupcake liners

About 2/3 to 3/4 full is perfect. It mostly depends on the cupcake liners you have. The tall flowery ones in these photos gave me some leeway to fill them up more without an overflow, but I’ve used smaller liners in the past and they just can’t accommodate 3/4. So, be flexible and maybe even do a test cupcake.

Use an ice cream scoop to fill the liners

I’m very skilled at spilling batter all over the cupcake pan. Lately, I’ve taken to using an ice cream scoop or even my pancake batter dispenser. You do what you gotta do! But even then I spill a lot. So, just be creative and careful. The only real problem is having batter on the edges of the liners, because it hardens.

Increase the frosting for a tall swirl

I made a half batch of cupcakes but a full batch of frosting in these photos. I had a little frosting leftover and loved every second of eating it with a spoon. #noshame

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Black & White Oreo Cupcakes

prep time: 20-25 minutes

cook time: 15-20 minutes

total time: 45 minutes

Servings: 24 cupcakes

Ingredients:

For the black chocolate cupcakes:

1 to 1 ¼ cups sugar (I like it not too sweet to pair with the sweet frosting)

1 ¾ cups flour, sifted

¾ cup black dutched cocoa, sifted

2 teaspoons baking powder, sifted

1 slightly rounded teaspoon baking soda, sifted

½ teaspoon fine ground Himalayan sea salt (or 1 teaspoon table salt, but sea salt gives a better flavor)

3 large eggs, room temperature

8 ounces buttermilk, room temperature (leave out about 30-60 min)

⅓ cup avocado or olive oil (can sub grapeseed or vegetable oil)

1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

1 cup hot blond/light roast coffee

For the marshmallow buttercream: this is a single batch--make a 1.5 batch if you want to pipe the frosting as pictured

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted, European style butter, room temperature

2-4 cups powdered sugar

1 jar (7 ounces) marshmallow fluff

¼ teaspoon sea salt

½ tablespoon vanilla extract (optional, enhances the marshmallow flavor)

1-2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream, or as needed (I omitted for this recipe due to the heat)

Instructions:

Make the black chocolate cupcakes. Preheat oven to 325*. Line two cupcake trays with liners.

In the bowl of stand mixer (or large mixing bowl), add sugar then set fine mesh sieve over the bowl to add/sift flour, black cocoa, baking powder,baking soda, and salt. Whisk by hand until fully combined (you can tell because the cocoa color has evenly spread).

In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. VERY slowly, begin to pour in the hot coffee, whisking quickly and constantly to avoid scrambled eggs. Feel free to do it in increments if this is your first time.

Using the paddle attachment of your stand mixer (or a hand mixer), slowly pour wet ingredients into dry with the mixer on low. It will clump up halfway through then settle into a liquidy consistency. After all ingredients are combined, scrape down sides and bottom of bowl. Turn mixer up to medium and mix for 2 minutes. Set a timer so you don’t overmix.

Pour batter into cupcake liners, filling about ⅔ to ¾ full, which should fill 24 cupcake liners.

Bake for 15-18 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle cupcake comes out clean or with moist crumbs. Check bake around 12 minutes to be sure they’re not baking too quickly—climate can impact bake time. If not using a convection oven, rotate cakes at this point as well.

Cool in cupcake pan 5 minutes then remove to a cooling rack until completely cooled.

While the cupcakes cool, make the marshmallow frosting. In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or in a large mixing bowl using your hand mixer, cream butter on high until smooth, about 1 minute.

Scrape bowl with a rubber spatula then add in powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time. Blend on low then slowly increase speed to high and mix until smooth before adding more. After 2 cups, scrape the bowl then add in the marshmallow fluff. Mix on high until well-blended, about 1-2 minutes. Add salt and vanilla, if using, and blend until fully incorporated.

At this point, taste to see if it needs more sugar. If it’s sweet enough but not holding its shape like in the photos, you can fix this with some refrigeration. If it’s too stiff or grainy, mix in heavy cream one splash at a time until smooth.

Once taste and texture are to your liking, scrape the bowl then mix on high for 3-5 minutes, until light and fluffy. If you need a truly white frosting, you can also add a teeny tiny quinoa-grain-sized drop of violet gel food coloring before whipping. After it’s fluffy and creamy, stir by hand with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula for 1-2 minutes to release any large air bubbles that formed.

Frost cupcakes once completely cooled, either with an offset spatula or by filling a piping bag fitted with a 1M tip with frosting and swirling it on. This frosting pipes easily!

Enjoy!

*Cupcakes will last covered tightly at room temperature 3-5 days. If not frosting right away, wrap tightly in plastic wrap and leave at room temperature overnight, in the fridge 1 week or freeze up to 2 months.

How to make black and white Oreo cupcakes