Well hello again! It’s been a while since my last post, because life happens, but I’m back with a recipe involving one of my favorite things EVER - Marshmallows. Soon I’ll start making more marshmallows themselves because they’re easy and fantastic and delicious and so perfect when the weather gets colder. But for now they’ll join in the perfect triumvirate with chocolate and graham. Toasted marshmallow is the best, anyways. These cupcakes are super moist (so they don’t really need a filling) and are slathered with the most delicious marshmallow frosting in the history of the universe. Cause, you know, marshmallow frosting goes way back...
Happy Baking!
Adapted from Trophy Cupcakes, Cook’s Illustrated, and Sweetapolita
MAKES 15 Cupcakes
INGREDIENTS/SUPPLIES
1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from about 12-14 squares)
2 tablespoons melted butter
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped finely
3 ounces semisweet chocolate
1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa (1oz)
3/4 cup hot coffee
3/4 cup bread flour (115g)
3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar (150g/25g)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
6 tablespoons grapeseed oil
2 eggs
2 teaspoons white vinegar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
22 large white marshmallows
1.5 cups powdered sugar (188g)
3 sticks butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
12 ounces marshmallow fluff
food processor
stand mixer
2 cupcake tins & liners
pastry bag & tip
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line standard-size muffin pan (cups have ½-cup capacity) with baking-cup liners.
Place chocolate and cocoa in medium bowl. Pour hot coffee over mixture and whisk until smooth. Set in refrigerator to cool completely, about 20 minutes.
Whisk flour, 3/4c sugar, salt, and baking soda together in medium bowl; set aside.
Whisk oil, eggs, vinegar, vanilla and almond extract into cooled chocolate-cocoa mixture until smooth. Add flour mixture and whisk until smooth.
Place graham crumbs, melted butter and remaining 2TB sugar into a bowl and stir until combined.
Place 1 tablespoon graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Use the bottom of a small glass to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liner. Reserve remaining graham cracker mixture for topping.
Place 2 teaspoons chocolate in each liner. Transfer cupcake tins to the oven and bake 5 minutes. Remove from oven and fill each cupcake liner three-quarters full with cake batter. Sprinkle each equally with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture.
Bake until cupcakes are set and just firm to touch, 17 to 19 minutes. Cool cupcakes in tin on wire rack until cool enough to handle, about 10 minutes. Carefully lift each cupcake from muffin pan and set on wire rack. Cool to room temperature before frosting, about 1 hour.
While the cupcakes are cooling, place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or file and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top, between 30-90 seconds. Remove pan from oven and gently turn the marshmallows over, and broil until they are golden brown. (Be sure to keep an eye on them - they burn very quickly.) Alternatively, you can toast them with a brulee torch.
Once cool, with greased scissors, cut marshmallows into quarters (or small enough to fit through a large pastry tip).
In an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and icing sugar on low until blended, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix on med-high for about 3 minutes.
Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute.
Go forth and frost! Garnish with a few toasted mini marshmallows, or some extra graham/chocolate crumbs if desired.