S'mores cupcakes

This past weekend we visited some friends and I brought these for dessert. Boy oh boy...were they good and received rave reviews from everyone!

These cupcakes really have it all. They start with a graham cracker crust on the bottom. Then a wonderful chocolate cake (Hershey's "perfectly chocolate" recipe) and are topped off with a homemade marshmallow meringue frosting. They taste rich, chocolaty...just like a s'mores, only no campfire required :)


I used my creme brulee torch to toast the tops. This part was a lot of fun. Then topped off each with a piece of chocolate and graham cracker. These really made an impressive presentation and looked like they came from a fancy cupcakery not my kitchen.


Look at that graham cracker crust....everyone loved it! I didn't add the bittersweet chocolate to the top of the graham cracker but the recipe was still fantastic with out it. The only change I will make next time is to only make half of the frosting recipe. The full recipe is listed below but it makes a TON of marshmallow meringue!


Click HERE to see the owner of Trophy bakery make these cupcakes on the Martha Stewart show.

Ingredients:

For the graham cracker crust:
1½ cups graham cracker crumbs
¼ cup sugar
5 1/3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted
8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped (I didn't have any, so omitted)

For the cake:
2 cups plus 2 tbsp. sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup plus 1 tbsp. cocoa powder
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water

For the frosting: (I will half this recipe next time)
8 large egg whites, at room temperature
2 cups sugar
½ tsp. cream of tartar
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners. In a small mixing bowl, combine the graham cracker crumbs, sugar and melted butter; mix well with a fork. Drop about 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture in the bottom of each cupcake liner and press down with the back of a small cup to line the bottom. Sprinkle a small amount of the chopped chocolate on top of the graham cracker crusts (if using, I skipped this). Bake for 5 minutes. Remove from the oven, and maintain the oven temperature.

To make the cake batter, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed just to combine. In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; whisk together. Add to the dry ingredients and mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be very thin).

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared cupcake liners, filling each about ¾ of the way full. Return the pans to the oven and bake about 18-20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, rotating the pans halfway through baking. Allow to cool in the pans 5-10 minutes, then remove and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double boiler. Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 155° F with an instant-read thermometer. Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high speed until stiff, glossy peaks form. Mix in the vanilla until combined. Frost cooled cupcakes as desired. Brown with a kitchen torch and garnish with chocolate and graham cracker pieces.

Source: Martha Stewart