S'mores Cupcakes

When I asked Oliver what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday, I shouldn't have been surprised when he said a cake with marshmallow icing.  The kid is obsessed with S'mores and, in particular, roasting the perfect marshmallow.  And that's when I got the idea to combine Oliver's request for marshmallow icing with his love of S'mores.  Much to my delight, a quick search on Pinterest revealed a blog with a recipe for S'mores Cupcakes.  Who would have thought there's such a thing?

My cupcakes didn't look quite this pretty, but surprisingly, pretty darn close!

When I make these again, (because, let's be honest, I have a "cupcake rotation") I'll try making the ganache with milk chocolate for a more authentic s'mores flavor combination.  The only difficult part was trying to remove the sticky marshmallows from the baking tray and place them on the cupcakes, so I might try "frosting" the cupcakes with marshmallow Fluff and toasting them for a few seconds under the broiler. 

S’mores Cupcakes

makes  12 cupcakes

for the cupcakes:

• 1 cup graham cracker crumbs (from 9 crackers)
• 1 cup all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt
• 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 3/4 cup whole milk

for the ganache:

• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• 6 ounces semisweet chocolate, chopped

for the topping:

• 12 large marshmallows

make the cupcakes:
Heat oven to 350° F with the racks in the middle and top positions. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners. Whisk together the graham cracker crumbs, flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.

Beat the butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing well between additions. Mix until just combined.

Beat the butter and sugar in a separate bowl with an electric mixer on medium-high until light and fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, then the vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary. Reduce mixer speed to low and add the dry ingredients and milk alternately, beginning and ending with the dry ingredients and mixing well between additions. Mix until just combined.

Divide the batter among the muffin cups. Bake, on the middle rack, rotating once, until a toothpick inserted in the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 24 minutes. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes; transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

make the ganache:
Meanwhile, bring the cream to a boil in a small pot. Remove from heat, add the chocolate, and let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk to combine. Let cool slightly.

make the topping:
Place the marshmallows on a parchment-lined baking sheet, 2½ inches apart. Bake on the top rack until golden and deflated, 6 to 10 minutes. Let cool.

assemble the cupcakes:
Divide the ganache among the cupcakes, then top each with a toasted marshmallow. Let sit until the ganache is almost firm to the touch, 15 to 20 minutes, before serving.