S'mores Cupcakes
January 7, 2015
Graham cracker crust, chocolate cake, meringue frosting, and more chocolate. Yep, time for some s'mores! Ina came over for a baking sesh a few months ago and we made these s'mores cupcakes AND some vanilla-lemon curd cupcakes that are going up on the website next week. Now that I think about it, we didn't take photos of us baking, tsk tsk. Next time for sure.
This recipe is a combination of two recipes, actually. The chocolate cake is the same recipe as this one, just in cupcake form. I used it because I know that it's sufficiently moist and chocolatey. That recipe is a good'un, I tell ya. The crust and the frosting are adapted from Bakerella's recipe.
So the recipe starts out with the graham cracker crust pressed onto the bottom of the cupcake liners, then topped with chopped chocolate. It needs to be baked then cooled before the cupcake batter can be poured onto them. Then meringue frosting is piped on the tops, then toasted (!). And then some more chopped chocolate as sprinkles. Chocolate drizzle welcome too.
I love the texture on these cupcakes! The crust has a nice crunch, the cake is soft and moist, the frosting is fluffy (biting on the toasted tops adds a little somethin'-something), and the chopped chocolate add more bite. I drizzled some of the cupcakes with a wine-infused chocolate sauce that we bought at Beringer, a winery in Napa Valley. All in all, great cupcakes to bake and eat. Try 'em!
S'mores Cupcakes
Print Recipe
makes approximately 14 cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cake (a chocolate cake version HERE)
- 3 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped - I used Valrhona 66%
- ⅓ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
- ¾ cup hot coffee
- ¾ cup bread flour
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 6 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 2 eggs
- 2 teaspoons white vinegar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For the Graham Cracker Crust
- 3/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 10 squares)
- 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 4 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped
For the Meringue Frosting
- 3 egg whites
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Make the crust first
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Line two 12-cup muffin pans with cupcake liners.
- In a medium bow, mix together crumbs and sugar. Add melted butter until well blended and no dry crumbs remain.
- Place 1 tablespoon of the mixture into each liner. Press the crumbs flat into the liner using the bottom of a small glass or the back of a spoon. Sprinkle about 2 teaspoons of chocolate over each crust.
- Bake crusts for 8 minutes. Remove the pans and let crusts cool for at least 5 minutes before adding cupcake batter.
Make the cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line a 12-cup muffin pan with cupcake liners.
- Place the chopped chocolate and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the mixture and whisk until smooth. Refrigerate mixture for 20 minutes.
- Meanwhile, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking soda in a medium bowl; set aside.
- Whisk the oil, eggs, vinegar and vanilla extract into the cooled chocolate mixture until smooth. Add the flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two pans. Bake until a cake tester comes out clean, about 12 to 13 minutes. Cool the cupcakes in the muffin pan for 5 minutes, then remove the cupcakes from the pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely, about 30 minutes.
Make the meringue frosting
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer. Set the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water without letting the bottom of the bowl touch the water in the saucepan. Hold the handle of the bowl with an oven mitt while whisking the egg white mixture until the sugar is dissolved and the whites are hot to the touch… about 4 minutes.
- Transfer bowl to the stand mixer. Using the whisk attachment, beat the mixture, starting on low and increasing to high speed. Beat until stiff, glossy peaks form and the meringue has cooled, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the vanilla and whisk just to combine. Use frosting immediately.
- Pipe high swirls on the cupcakes and brown the meringue using a kitchen torch. If you do not have a torch, switch your oven to broil at 400F for 2-3 minutes. Keep an eye on the meringues so as not to burn them. Serve immediately.
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