He Puts Plain Vanilla Cupcakes in the Oven to Bake. When He’s Done with Them, They Look Nothing Like Cupcakes Anymore.

When it comes to adorable desserts, there’s nothing we like more than a cupcake that’s dressed up in a “costume.” Whether it’s masquerading as flowers, clothing, or even other food, it’s fun to sink your teeth into a treat that tastes like cake while your eyes tell you to prepare for something else.

But let’s be honest— most of the time when we look at treats like the ones we’re talking about, you still know it’s a cupcake. There are telltale signs, and you’re never really convinced. While that’s fine – dessert is dessert, after all! – we couldn’t help but wonder if there was a cupcake out there that could actually fool somebody.

And then we found it: this recipe from Obsev Food. The way he makes these cupcakes is so simple but so smart, and it comes together at the end to resemble something completely different: a tiny cheeseburger! Yes, these cupcakes truly have to be seen to be believed, but trust us when we say that if you served up a platter of these at your next game day party, nobody would bat an eye until they go to take a big bite and get cake instead of burger.

Now, we couldn’t find a written version of this recipe anywhere, but never fear— that’s why we’re here! Check out the full transcribed recipe below, or simply use your own favorite chocolate and vanilla cupcake recipes. Either way you go, be sure to keep scrolling and watch Obsev Food’s video to see them come together to pretend to be little cheeseburgers. It’s truly an incredible edible feat!

Cheeseburger Cupcakes

Ingredients

Chocolate “Burger”

  • 1 cup sugar
  • ½ cup flour
  • ⅓ cup cocoa powder
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ½ cup vegetable oil
  • ⅓ cup milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 egg

Vanilla “Bun”

  • 1-½ cups flour
  • 1 cup almond flour
  • 2 teaspoons baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup butter, softened
  • 1-½ cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 4 eggs
  • 1 cup milk

Burger “Toppings”

  • 1 cup shredded coconut
  • Green food coloring
  • Buttercream frosting, half colored yellow and half colored red
  • White sprinkles

Directions

Chocolate “Burger”

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a 8-or-9-inch square baking pan.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well-combined.
  3. To the same bowl of mixed dried ingredients, add the vegetable oil, milk, vanilla extract, and the egg, and whisk until well-combined.
  4. Pour the batter into the square baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes.
  5. Remove from the oven and allow to cool. Using a circular biscuit or cookie cutter, cut out circles of chocolate cake, and set aside.

Vanilla “Bun”

  1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a cupcake/muffin tin with cupcake liners.
  2. In a separate medium bowl, combine the flour, almond flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well-combined.
  3. In a separate large bowl, add the softened butter, and use an electric hand mixer to beat until smooth.
  4. Add the powdered sugar to the bowl with the butter, and cream with the electric mixer or a hand whisk until well-combined.
  5. Add the vanilla extract, and whisk until well-combined.
  6. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking after each one.
  7. Slowly add the medium bowl of dry ingredients to the large bowl of wet ingredients, and mix until just combined.
  8. Slowly add the milk, and whisk until just combined.
  9. Fill each cupcake liner about half to ⅔ of the way with the batter. Bake for 18 minutes.
  10. Remove from the oven and allow to cool completely. Slice each vanilla cupcake in half, and set aside.

Burger Assembly

  1. To a small bowl, add the shredded coconut. Color with the green food coloring.
  2. Place 1 cut circle of chocolate cake on top of the bottom half of a vanilla cupcake.
  3. Place the yellow buttercream frosting into a piping bag and fit with a flat head. Pipe yellow stripes of buttercream across the chocolate cake circle to look like cheese.
  4. Place the red buttercream frosting in a separate piping bag and fit with a round head. Pipe circles of red buttercream on top of the yellow “cheese” stripes to resemble ketchup.
  5. Top the frosting with the green-colored coconut, and top the whole “burger” with the top of a vanilla cupcake.
  6. Repeat until all the burger cupcakes have been assembled.
  7. Place a few white sprinkles on top of the vanilla bun, to resemble sesame seeds.

Having a difficult time picturing it? Don’t worry— we’ve obviously got visual aids! Even if you’re not convinced you want to give these cupcakes a try, they’re so convincing as tiny sliders, you’ve really got to see them to believe it. So check out Obsev Food’s video below.

What do you think of these Cheeseburger Cupcakes? Do you find them convincing, or do you think they could be even better? Have you ever made or tried anything similar? What other food-impostor cupcakes would you like to see?