Tuesday, 09 August 2011

• S'mores Cupcakes

  

  Happy early National S'mores Day! Yup, you read right. There's a National S'mores Day and it falls on August 10th.

  To celebrate this classic campfire treat, these cupcakes were made with graham cracker crumbs, filled with rich chocolate ganache and then topped with a marshmallow-type frosting. And because I wanted to make the cake even more graham cracker-y, I substituted some of the sugar with honey as well. I'm very happy with the results, even though my cake didn't come out tasting exactly like the crackers. But that was mostly due to my laziness.

  My house already had a box of graham crackers but they had a dusting of cinnamon so instead of going out and purchasing a new box of crackers that I knew I probably won't eat, I used what I had on hand instead. My friends told me the flavor of the cake almost resembled carrot cake, but it still went well with the melted chocolate filling and fluffy marshmallow frosting.

   

  Unfortunately, I didn't take any process pictures for this recipe either. I recently got a new camera and it's one of those big fancy ones and, frankly, it just takes too much time for me to set everything up all pretty like. Especially when I have things that are time sensitive. I know, I know, excuses. But everything in this recipe is pretty straightforward. There aren't any steps that are advanced nor things that I haven't done before, just a lot of making sure things don't burn.

  

  So anyway, make these cupcakes and invite your friends over to celebrate National S'mores Day! Or save all the cupcakes for yourself and let your friends enjoy the treat the old fashioned way instead. I won't tell.

  The Ingredients (makes 1 dozen):

  
  

  For the cupcakes:

  -1 cup graham cracker crumbs

  -1/2 cup flour

  -1 1/2 tsp baking powder

  -1/2 tsp salt

  -1/3 cup butter

  -1/4 cup honey

  -1/4 cup sugar

  -1 tsp vanilla

  -2 eggs

  -1/3 cup milk

   

  For the filling:

  -3/4 cup bittersweet chocolate chips

  -1/4 cup heavy cream

  For the frosting:

  -3 egg whites

  -1/2 cup sugar

  -torch (optional)

   

  The Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and line your muffin/cupcake pan.

  2. Combine the cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder and salt in a bowl and set aside.

  3. Cream the butter, honey and sugar. Mix in the vanilla then add the eggs one at a time.

  4. Add 1/3 of the dry mixture to the wet, then 1/2 of the milk, another 1/3 of the dry, etc. until you run out of both. Mix and scrape between each addition!

  5. Fill cups and bake for 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick in the center comes out clean. Rotate pans halfway through baking to ensure even baking. Allow to cool completely before filling and frosting.

  6. While cupcakes are cooling, melt the chocolate chips and heavy cream together in a double boiler.

  7. Using a paring knife or a melon baller, cut/scoop out the centers of the cupcakes and fill with the chocolate filling.

  8. Beat the egg whites and sugar until stiff peaks form.

  9. Frost the cupcakes and slightly toast the top. You can use a torch if you have one or you can set the cupcakes under the broiler for a few minutes. If you're using the oven, make sure you watch it!

  10. Consume and enjoy!

  

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