Oreo & cream Cupcakes and Burnt Twinkies

I made cupcakes for my Triathlon training group, it's tradition on your birthday and since we were all running hills and swimming 2k's I made the richest and most decadent ones I could!

The first one is based on cookies and cream and of course the best cookie out there is the Oreo.

Oreo and Cream Cupcake

Makes 20

Biscuit base:

1 pk - 400g Oreo cookies

140g salted butter

Cupcake mix:

80g dark chocolate, I used Albany

200g cake flour

120g castor sugar

3/4 tsp bicarb

25g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp salt

2 large eggs

160ml coffee

160ml buttermilk

140ml sunflower oil]

100ml cream

Buttercream:

630g icing sugar, sifted

300g butter

5tbsp milk

1/2 vanilla pod

Oreo crumbs

Blend the biscuits until fine, melt the butter and mix through. 

Line a cupcake tin with cupcake cups and press a spoonful of biscuit mix into the base of each cup. Keep the leftover crumb for the buttercream.

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Finely chop or blitz the chocolate. Sift the other dry ingredients adding it to the chopped chocolate.

Mix the wet ingredients together except the cream. Using a mixer.

The mixture is quite runny, pour over the biscuit base and bake for 20-25 minutes until the top springs back.

Meanwhile mix the buttercream, beat the butter until white with a cake mixer using the paddle attachment. Sift the icing sugar onto the butter, add the vanilla seeds out the pod and the milk.

Mix slowly to start then beat fast until light and fluffy, fold in the Oreo crumbs.

Once the cupcakes are cool, take a chopstick and make a hole in the centre of each cake. Whip the cream with a little sugar and pipe into the hole. Top with buttercream and more crushed Oreo to decorate.

So being a chef I know not everybody likes chocolate and these people would go vanilla any day, here is my Burnt Twinkie vanilla cupcake.

Burnt Twinkie Cupcakes

Makes 12

Biscuit base:

1 pack tennis biscuits, blended until fine

100g butter  melted

Cupcakes:

125g butter

1/2 cup light caramel sugar

2 large eggs

3/4 cup cake flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1tsp baking powder

1 vanilla pod, seeds only

3tbsp buttermilk

100ml cream - for filling

Burnt Meringue Icing

2 egg whites

3 cups icing sugar

squeeze of lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.

Mix the biscuits and butter, Line a muffin tray with cupcake cups. Press a spoonful of biscuit mix into each cup.

For the cupcakes, use a food processor, place the butter and sugar in and blend until light in colour, add other ingredients and blend until smooth.

Spoon the mix over the biscuit base and bake for 20 minutes or until springy.

Meanwhile make the icing by whipping the egg whites and sifted icing sugar for 5 minutes, add the lemon juice and whip for another 3 minutes. Place in a piping bag.

Once the cakes are cooled, use a chopstick to make a hole in the centre, whip the cream with a little sugar and pipe into the centre.

Top each cake with the meringue topping and burn with a blow torch.

Both are now my new favorites, cant wait to see what the other athletes bring in the future.

Recipes and pictures copyright by Tamsyn Wells

Pot Luck club and Gallery Sunday Brunch

I have posted about Pot Luck club before and it remains my favorite tapas restaurant by far, this post however is about their Sunday brunch which I tried for my birthday recently with my chef friends, sharing food with them is always my favorite.

The meal costs R350 for the menu in the picture but I suggest you add the bottomless bubbly and the bloody mary bar for an extra R150,  the constant flow of Graham Beck and bloody mary's with every topping possible from caviar to pickled onions and chorizo sausage definitely adds to the festive sharing feel of the brunch.

The food begins to arrive perfectly paced and beautifully presented with our waitress explaining each dish and also accommodating food allergies where need be.

Endless tapas keep arriving giving us a taste of food from different countries and using all different cooking methods, flavour combinations and textures from classic french to korean, a real treat.

Besides the food and service the venue is spectacular with a full surrounding view of Cape Town and Table mountain, main course arrives just before everybody is drunk on bubbles and finally dessert was a fun popcorn milkshake and churros, most delicious milkshake ever topped with honeycomb coated popcorn.

I cant wait to go again, sit on the top of Cape Town being wined and dined by Luke Dale Roberts and his team. Great birthday treat. Brunch is from 11am - 2pm and you must book.

Pot Luck Club and Gallery

021- 4470804

Pictures and review copyright by Tamsyn Wells