My favorite S'more Cupcake
I have a secret. Well, I'm sorry to say it might not be that big of a secret, but...here it is. I'm obsessed with S'mores. I don't know the exact date of my infatuation, since let's face it, s'mores is an American institution. And really if I'm being honest, the ingredient at the heart of my obsession is the humble marshmallow. Through the years, as I have sought out s'mores (i.e. marshmallow) in different forms to quench my obsession....in cakes, ice cream, frappachinos, and even my favorite Martian Mallow Lipsmacker circa 1998 (which also inspired a sundae I invented at the ice cream shop I worked at in high school...different story for a different day) I came upon my favorite form of the s'more (besides the traditional form of them)...the s'more cupcake.
It was a cold January afternoon in Chicago when I strolled into Sprinkles to get a quick afternoon bite with my mom. Typically I get the Vanilla Chocolate cupcake, but that day in the case, the blistered meringue marshmallow topper beckoned me.
One bite and I was a goner. Instead of going into detail, I beg you to experience for yourself. You can go to Sprinkles in August (it's the cupcake of the month) -or- you can whip it up for your 4th of July celebrations this week.
alicia's S'more cupcake
ingredients
for crust
- 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (from about 20 squares)
- 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1-10oz bag Ghirardelli Chocolate Premium Baking Chips 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate (or just 9oz any bittersweet chocolate, chopped)
for cake
- your favorite chocolate cake mix (if you want to make the batter from scratch, here's my favorite recipe)
for frosting
- 8 large egg whites
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
steps
Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line 2 cupcake tins (24 cupcake liners)
- In a large bowl, place graham cracker crumbs, sugar, and melted butter...stir until combined.
- Place 1-2 tablespoons (your preference on how thick you want it) graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Press crumbles to form crust.
- Place 2 tsp of chocolate chips in each muffin cup. Place pans in oven for about 5 minutes until the edges of the 'crust' is golden.
- Remove from oven and fill each cup three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate chips.
- Return to oven and bake 8-10 minutes...rotate pans and bake for another 8-10 minutes until toothpick inserted in cupcake comes out clean.
- Cool cupcakes in tin on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove.
Marshmallow Frosting
- Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tarter in a glass bowl over a saucepan of boiling water.
- Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, 5 to 7 minutes.
- Add vanilla and fold over a few times to combine.
To finish...
- Frost cooled cupcakes with marshmallow frosting. Doesn't need to be perfect, and the thicker the frosting, the better!
Oven-toasted method
- After cupcakes are all frosted, place cupcakes on a sheetpan. Under a low-broiler, return cupcakes to oven to toast tops. Keep a close eye, I've burned the tops before. 😳
Blow-torch method
- After cupcakes after frosted, take a blowtorch and quickly toast the top of each cake. See my video!
a tip for you
to crumble your graham crackers, put a few in a plastic ziplock bag and pound out with an ice cream scoop, or run them all through your food processor to create the perfect crumb.