S'mores Cupcakes
Hi all! I am soooooo excited and glad to be a part of the wonderful world of blogging! So here goes nothing:
Sundays are my baking days, or my therapy day as I prefer to call them is. These are the days I try my darndest to not get carried away worrying about the endless list of tasks I have planned for the week, and just zone out. All this college app shenanigans is nuts. It is just so much work! Once I make it through these few months of stress I will be off and running baking toward my future, which at that point, I am positive that I will regret not enjoying the chaos that is senior year. Anywhooooo....back to the cupcakes!
I have made these s'mores cupcakes before, and received rave reviews, so I figured now would be a perfect time to make them again, for two reasons:
It is my friends birthday tomorrow and these cupcakes are by far his favorite so I'm going to package him up a dozen and bring them to school :)
And secondly, it is almost October, and October means Halloween, pumpkin everything, and the coziness of fall. These s'mores cupcakes are my final homage to the amazing summer that just came to an end. This is it. Goodbye sunny days, beach waves, and bonfires in the backyard, and hello cool brisk air, cozy sweaters, and cups of hot Starbucks (grande nonfat zebras to be exact).
*Recipe is at the end*
The first step is to make the graham cracker crust. I put about a tablespoon of the mixture into the bottom of each cupcake paper and press it down firmly and evenly.
Most times I will use a spice bottle or some other flat round container but today I chose a Yakult, which worked great, PLUS I got to drink it in the end :)
Next, fill the cupcakes tins with your favorite chocolate cake batter and bake them off.Let them cool completely. If you are in a time crunch, take them out of the pans and pop them into the freezer for 10 minutes or so and they should be good to frost.
Okay so I know this merengue frosting sounds very weird, maybe even gross, but I promise it is so good! It tastes just like biting into a gooey roasted marshmallow. YUM! I also really enjoy making swiss merengue frosting because its so different from the buttercream I am used to making.But by far my very favorite part about today is.......
I GOT A BLOW TORCH!!!!!
I cannot wait to use it on everything! Ahhhh! It adds the perfect finishing touch.
As I was busy taking pictures, my grandma walks over to me, her arms full of pumpkins and instists that I include them in the picture. She says it adds to the feeling of fall. So, of course being the angel little grandaughter that I am, I added the pumpkins to the picture and the results turned out really cute.
These cupcakes look great torched or not. The picture below shows what they looked like last time, when I didn't brown them .
And I just have to add this adorable picture of my grandma and me, it is one of my all time favorites. Plus it shows off how just how delicious these cupcakes really are, she cant even hold back from the temptation :)
Since I have so many leftover egg yolks AND a brand new torch I am thinking about making creme brulee! Who knows, that may be my next entry :)
Well that's all for now. Until next time, happy baking!!!
Recipe:
Graham Cracker Crust:
10-12 graham crackers, finely crushed
4 tbls sugar (or more if you prefer the crust sweeter)
4-5 tbls butter (melted)
Mix all ingredients until crumbly and scoop about 1 tablespoon into the bottom of each cup.
Chocolate Cake:
You can use you favorite chocolate cake recipe, or I really like this doctored up cake mix recipe, it's quick and delicious.
PREP TIME: 10 minutes
YIELD: 24 cupcakes
COOK TIME:
1 (3.4 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water (see note below)
1 cup sour cream
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs, lightly beaten
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon instant espresso granules dissolved in 1/2 cup warm water (see note below)
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line muffin tin with paper liners or spray with non-stick cooking spray.
2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, or with a hand mixer in a large bowl, beat together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, eggs, vanilla and espresso water mixture. Beat for about two minutes on medium speed until well combined.
3. Using a large cookie scoop, distribute the batter between 24 muffin wells; about 3 tablespoons of batter per well.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-22 minutes or until the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly touched. Allow cupcakes to cool inside muffin tins for about 10 minutes.
5. Remove cupcakes from muffin tins and allow to fully cool on a wire rack.
Marshmallow Frosting:
8 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
8 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a saucepan with simmering 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 mix until combined. Use immediately. Torch if desired.
