S'mores Cupcakes

Chocolate and marshmallow rank right up there as one of my favorite flavor combinations. So it should come as no surprise that combined with my love of cupcakes, this would be right up my alley.

I initially got the recipe from Martha Stewart in her new Cupcakes book, but upon further inspection I wasn't too impressed. I had envisioned a chocolate cupcake with rich ganache and toasted marshmallow frosting, but she did something funny with the cupcake base. She used that as the graham flavor by using graham flour and brown sugar, and I just didn't want to do that at all. Luckily, I had recently seen a similiar cupcake on Proceed with Caution (originally from Domestic Pursuits), and my problems were solved. Graham cracker crust, chocolate cupcake, chocolate ganache, marshmallow frosting. Perfect!

These were pretty painless to make, though they did require several steps. The good news is that you could easily split it up over 2 days, though I did do it all in one afternoon. I took these to a neighborhood party, and we all agreed that they were fun, festive, and delicious!

The only hurdle I encountered was the torch step, which is optional anyway. I bought a creme brulee torch, but failed to buy the butane for it; so I just used one of those long-necked lighters that we use for candles, and it worked beautifully. I let Joey torch some of them, and he had a great time - of course he did, give a man fire to play with and he's entertained for hours, right? ;-)

S'mores Cupcakes
adapted from Martha Stewart, Cupcakes, with inspiration from Proceed with Caution
makes 24 cupcakes

Graham Cracker Crust

• 10 graham crackers, crushed in a food processor into crumbs
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 2 Tablespoons sugar

Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with liners, and spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine the graham cracker crumbs, butter, and sugar. Add 1 Tablespoon of the crumb mixture to each muffin tin, and use a small glass or bottle to press into the bottom. Bake 5-7 minutes, or until edges begin to brown. Remove from oven.

Chocolate Cake
adapted from Hershey's

• 2 cups sugar
• 1-3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup Cocoa powder
  
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk
  
• 1/2 cup vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup hot, strong-brewed, coffee

Sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in the bowl of a mixer. Stir to combine. In a seperate bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk, vegetable oil, and vanilla. Add to flour mixture, and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed. Turn off mixture, and pour in the hot coffee. Stir to combine.

Fill each muffin tin 2/3 full of batter. Bake 18-23 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack before frosting.

Chocolate Ganache Glaze
Martha Stewart, Cupcakes

• 6 oz semi-sweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup

Place chocloate in a medium heatproof bowl. Heat the cream and corn syrup to a simmer in a small saucepan; pour over chocolate. Let stand, without stirring, until chocolate starts to melt, 1-3 minutes.

Gently stir the choclate and cream until completely combined. This can be refrigerated for up to 5 days in an airtight container. Just reheat gently before using.

Marshmallow Frosting
Martha Stewart, Cupcakes

• 1 envelope unflavored gelatin (1 scant tablespoon)
• 1/3 cup plus 1/4 cup cold water
• 1 cup sugar

In a mixing bowl, sprinkle the gelatin over 1/3 cup of cold water. Allow gelatin to soften, about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the remaining 1/4 cup water and the sugar in a saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring until sugar is dissolved. Stop stirring; using a candy thermometer to monitor, boil syrup until it reaches the soft-ball stage (238 degrees F). Use a wet pastry brush to brush down the sides of the pan to keep sugar crystals from forming.

Remove from heat. Add syrup to the softened gelatin. Whisk mixture by hand to cool, 1-2 minutes, then use an electric mixture to whisk on medium-high speed until soft, glossy (but not dry) peaks form, 8-10 minutes. Use immediately (frosting will harden)

To assemble

Spoon 1-2 tablespoons of the ganache onto each cupcake. Using a pastry bag fitted with a large round tip, pipe frosting onto each cupcake, swirling tip and releasing as you pull up to form a peak. Use a small kitchen torch or long-necked lighter to toast the frosting. Serve immediately.