Yesterday, I decided I'd use the better part of my evening attempting what I can only call a mission of greatness. On this cupcake kick of mine I have been experimenting with non-traditional flavors, textures, and decorative techniques that, simply put, might blow your mind.
As my ideas unfold it was natural that I might attempt a s'more cupcake. In these summer months, especially, I look upon no other dessert quite as fondly as I do a s'more. The campfire memories alone are reason enough to indulge in the gooey goodness. That, in partner with the fact that a s'more combines several wonderful textures (crunchy, crispy, melty, and smooth) and flavors, left no question in my mind that I would have to create a cupcake that emulated this wonderful dessert.
The result was fantastic. My signature bottom-of-the-cupcake-surprise was a graham cracker pie crust, giving the cupcake some substance. The oozing homemade marshmallow icing on top had perfect torch-ability, which really kept the whole thing feeling like a geunine s'more.
On to the recipe. I hate to tell you, this is a multi-bowler. Kitchen cleanup required. Also, you'll need a torch handy. Just sayin'.
GRAHAM CRACKER PIE CRUST:
- Preheat oven to 350
- Start by crushing 2 packages (plastic wrapper packages, not boxes) of graham cracker cookies in a ziploc bag. Do so however you please... stomp on them, hammer them, whatever.... until they are a fine grain.
- In a bowl, mix graham cracker dust with 1 stick melted butter and 1/3 cup sugar.
Fill a cupcake pan with paper baking cups and spoon a small amount of the mixture into each cup. Using a spoon or your fingers, press the mixture into the bottom of the cup so that it forms a firm crust. It should be about 1/4 inch thick.
3. Bake crusts 5-7 mins alone.
While you're baking the crusts you can begin to make the cake!
CHOCOLATE CAKE: (Recipe adapted from HERSHEY'S)
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup Hershey's Cocoa powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder
- 1 and 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup boiling water
- Semi-sweet or milk chocolate chips
In a large bowl, stir together:
- Sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 mins.
- Stir in boiling water - batter will be thin.
- Add chocolate chips to taste - about 1/2 c. should do the trick but more chocolate is never a bad thing.
By now, your cupcake pan with just the pie crust should be out of the oven.
- Fill each cupcake cup 2/3 full with your cake batter.
- Add 5-6 mini marshmallows to each cupcake and carefully fold them into the batter with a fork or spoon.
- Sprinkle (to taste) graham cracker crust on top of batter in each cup.
Bake at 350 for 22-25 minutes. If you really want to check if they're ready, poke one of the cupcakes with a toothpick. If it comes out clean (except for maybe some melty chocolate chip or marshmallow), the cupcakes are cooked!
This is what mine looked like unfrosted:
Don't even think about frosting them until they're cool. By this rule, frosting them while they cool is a pretty good idea. I make a marshmallow frosting that tastes just like Fluff from the tub. (If you're not a cupcake "purist" like me, you could probably sub this in.)
MARSHMALLOW FROSTING:
- 8 large egg whites
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- Double boiler, electric mixer
- In your double boiler, place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar above a pot of simmering water. Whisk constantly for 3-4 minutes, or until the sugar and egg whites have combined.
- Remove the mixture from heat (you can pour into a mixing bowl if you'd like) and use your electric mixer to beat it. Start slow, then gradually increase to high until stiff peaks form in the frosting.
- Add vanilla, and mix until combined.
When I frosted mine, I just used a spoon to plop some frosting on. If you care to be fancier, you can use a piping bag.
Here's where the torch comes in. Being careful not to ignite the cupcake liner or any nearby flammable objects, torch the icing until it is golden brown like a roasted marshmallow. This should happen quickly.
To garnish, add a square of chocolate and some finely ground graham cracker (not the pie crust - this time, use plain graham cracker).
And there you have it! S'moregasm cupcakes, guaranteed to be one of the best things you ever devour. I actually miss it when it's not in my mouth. Hope you have the same success. It's not the easiest (or cleanest) cupcake to make, but they are well worth it.
Bon appetit,
Claudia
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