Mud pie cupcakes!

I made these delicious cupcakes for a friend's housewarming party and then a couple weeks later for Tea Time for my department. Both times they were a huge hit! I was inspired to make these from a childhood dessert that I used to eat, dirt pie, which was chocolate pudding with whipped cream, topped with crushed Oreos, and gummy worms. The adult version is a Mocha cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting, dipped in crushed Oreos, and topped with a gummy worm of course!

Mocha Cupcakes (Martha Stewart's Cupcakes book, page 46-47)
Ingredients
2 and 1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
2 tablespoons unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa
1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 and 1/2 cups packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, room temperature
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
1.5 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream, room temperature
3/4 cup freshly brewed espresso or coffee
1 tbsp instant espresso or coffee powder

1) Preheat oven to 325 F. Line standard muffin tins with paper liners. Whisk together cake flour and cocoa. With an electric mixture on medium-high speed, cream butter until smooth and light. Add the brown sugar and eggs; beat until fluffy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and salt; beat to combine thoroughly.
2) Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of sour cream, and beating until just combined after each. Mix together brewed espresso and espresso powder; add to batter, and beat until smooth.
3) Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tings halfway through until batter is baked. Should be about 15 minutes. 
4) Transfer tins to wire racks to cool completely before removing cupcakes.

Fluffy Vanilla Frosting (Martha Stewart Cupcakes p. 302)
Ingredients
1.5 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 pound (4 cups) powdered sugar, sifted
1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract


1) With an electric mixer, beat butter on medium-high speed until pale and creamy, about 2 minutes.
2) Reduce speed to medium. Add the powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, beating well after addition and scraping down sides of bowls as needed; after two additions, raise speed to high and beat 10 seconds to aerate frosting, then return to medium. This process should take about 5 minutes. Frosting will be very pale and fluffy.
3) Add vanilla, and beat until frosting is smooth. This should be enough frosting to frost 24+ cupcakes.

Dip frosting in crushed Oreos and garnish with a gummy worm!

The finished product! Enjoy!!