And now for something completely different: Not Easter, but Pothole Cupcakes! The roads are so rutted up here in the Bangor, Maine area that I was inspired to make these cupcakes as a bit of a joke. And I brought them over to the Bangor Maine Police Department as an excuse to visit the Duck of Justice. Fun times!
Ingredients
for the cupcakes
4 1/2 ounces high-quality bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
9 tablespoons (1 stick plus 1 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
6 large eggs, separated, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 cup all-purpose flour
for the frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
4-5 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/2 cups Oreo cookies, roughly crushed
for the decorations
mini-oreos (for the potholes)
crumbled oreos (for the broken asphalt)
construction cone birthday candles (available on Amazon)
construction signs (available on Amazon)
handmade “bump” or “killer pothole” signs (I made these)
Directions
Preheat oven to 400F. Prepare a muffin pan with liners.
In the top part of a double boiler over very hot, but not simmering, water, or in a microwave at medium power, melt the chocolate. Remove from the heat or the oven, and let stand, stirring often, until cool.
Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle blade on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute. On low speed, beat in the confectioners’ sugar. Return the speed to medium-high and beat until light in color and texture, about 2 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks, one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Beat in the chocolate and vanilla. Beat the egg whites and granulated sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high speed just until they form soft, shiny peaks. Do not overbeat. Stir about one fourth of the beaten whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then fold in the remaining whites, leaving a few visible wisps of whites. Sift half of the flour over the chocolate mixture, and fold in with a rubber spatula. Repeat with the remaining flour.
Fill the lined muffin cups to three-quarters full, being careful not to overfill. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcake comes out clean, about 22-25 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the pan for 5 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine butter, 4 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla. Beat on medium speed until smooth and creamy, 3 to 5 minutes. Add in the crush oreo cookies. Gradually add remaining sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating for about 2 minutes after each addition, until icing reaches desired consistency; you may not need to add all the sugar.
Scoop the mixture into a pastry bag and pipe on top of the cupcakes. Garnish with mini-Oreo cookies as potholes, crumbled oreos as broken asphalt and construction cones and signs.
