Marshmallow. Chocolate. Graham crackers.
So few ingredients go into what is perhaps one of the most signature desserts of summer and fall: the s’more.
When I think of s’mores, I think of cool nights, sweaters, bonfires, loved ones and laughter. With winter months fast approaching, I wanted to find a way to preserve the integrity of all the s’more represents for me and present it in a new (possibly less messy) way. And so I began the adventure that was making my own s’mores cupcake.
A quick Google search will show you that I am not the first to have this idea; nor will I probably be the last. However, most of the recipes that I found involved a graham cracker cake or using the marshmallow as a frosting…something that wasn’t quite what I wanted. I wanted to show case each of the flavors, preserving them all as best as possible, while making the cakes more approachable.
After several different batches, I finally landed on what I felt to be the perfect balance!
Cake Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
½ teaspoon vanilla
Make the cake batter as directed on box. Add vanilla (because all baked goods are better with it) and mix until blended. Bake cupcakes as directed. Allow to cool fully before moving on to filling and frosting.
Filling ingredients:
7 ounces marshmallow crème
½ cube (4 tablespoons) butter, melted
Using a small kitchen knife, cut wells into the tops of your cupcakes (as shown). Set aside the top of the round removed to be used as a lid.
In a small mixing bowl, combine marshmallow and butter to make a smoother crème. Using a pastry bag, pipe crème into the wells of the cakes and top with the lids.
(Kitchen hack: if you don’t have a pastry bag, a sandwich bag will work just fine! Just cut one corner off and you have a disposable pastry bag!)
Frosting Ingredients:
2 cubes butter, softened
2 packages cream cheese, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 2/3 packages of graham crackers, crushed* (9 crackers per package)
½ cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup milk
In large mixing bowl, cream together the butter, cream cheese and vanilla. Add your crushed graham crackers and mix well; add sugar and finish blending. The frosting will be VERY thick at this point, so add milk until smooth, but still able to hold form.
Frost your cupcakes, and enjoy!
*To crush your graham crackers, use a food processor or blender until you have a fine powder. Kitchen hack: if neither option is available, use a sandwich bag and a rolling pin or hammer.