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S’mores Cupcakes

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A super moist chocolate cupcake on top of a buttery graham cracker base, with a burnt marshmallow frosting will turn everyone’s favorite campfire treat into a tasty S’mores Cupcake to be eaten any time of the year.

chocolate cupcake with marshmallow frosting, piped on top and then burnt

Yesterday was National S’mores Day – a very important holiday, celebrated by myself and other S’mores lovers around the world. A day when we can all come together to celebrate the brilliant flavor combo that is chocolate, marshmallow, and graham cracker.

The chocolate cake used here is my go-to recipe – it is SO moist and fluffy, with the perfect chocolate flavor. My husband is obsessed with them. Sometimes he wants me to just make a batch of chocolate cupcakes (no frosting) so he can snack on them for the next few days. The flavor is on point, and the texture is perfect cake texture. The cake alone is also super easy to turn vegan friendly!

cupcakes on a teal cake stand, with more on the surrounding table, with a black letter board sign that reads "national smores day"

The marshmallow topping – I could eat this stuff with a spoon. It tastes EXACTLY like a marshmallow, and once it gets burnt… I have to immediately pipe frosting onto my cupcakes so I’m not tempted to just eat it on it’s own. Better than marshmallow fluff.

And the graham cracker crust is made super easy with just a few ingredients, and honestly – who doesn’t like graham cracker crust with lovely melted butter?

For another fun cupcake recipe, try my Cookies and Cream Cupcakes!

chocolate cupcake cut open to show moist texture inside

What do I need to make S’mores Cupcakes?

Cupcakes:

  • Flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt.
  • Buttermilk. For a vegan alternative, use almond milk with a bit of vinegar.
  • Coffee, or hot water with instant espresso powder.
  • Oil. Canola or vegetable oil is fine, but no olive oil. The cake in this oil must be flavorless.
  • Vanilla extract.
  • A muffin tin. I recommend this one – I’ve been using it for about 5 years now.

Marshmallow Frosting

  • Egg Whites. My top tip is to make sure there is absolutely NO egg yolk. If there is any yolk at all, the whites will not whip up.
  • Sugar.
  • Corn syrup. This will make it nice and shiny.
  • Cream of tartar. This can be replaced with a bit of vinegar as well.
  • Salt and vanilla extract, both for flavor.
  • A kitchen torch for burning the top. If you do not have a kitchen torch, you can broil as well.
smores cupcake cut open to see pillowy marshmallow frosting

Graham Cracker Crust

  • Graham cracker crumbs. I recommend buying actual crumbs, but you can also buy actual graham cracker and crush them up.
  • Melted butter.
  • Sugar.
graham cracker crust in pan

How do I make S’mores Cupcakes?

You will want to start with the graham cracker crust. Mix all the ingredients together in a small bowl, until the consistency is that of wet sand. It should clump together if you grab it, but mostly stay loose.

Take a small spoonful of the crust, and fill each liner, then press it down. You can use your fingers for that, or the end of a rubber spatula, like I did. Bake those while you prepare your cupcake batter.

smores cupcakes on teal cake stand with cupcakes on surrounding table

The cupcake batter is quite straightforward. Mix together your dry ingredients in a large bowl, then slowly add in your buttermilk, oil, and half the coffee. Mix until completely combined, then add the remaining coffee and mix for about another minute.

Fill your cupcake liners with the batter and bake those until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. You can also test by pressing the top of the cupcake, and if it springs back, it is ready.

smores cupcakes in front of letterboard sign that reads "garlic wars"

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

The marshmallow meringue frosting, in my opinion, is the most important part of the s’mores cupcake. It is very easy to do, but if it’s not done with precision, it’s also easy to mess up.

Take all ingredients and mix together in a heat-safe bowl. Meanwhile, put a bit of water in a small saucepan and bring that to a simmer. Then you want to put your bowl of meringue ingredients over the hot water, whisking constantly. You want to do this until the sugar is completely melted and the eggs are cooked through.

overhead shot of smores cupcakes that shows burnt marshmallow frosting

Once the eggs are cooked through, move the whisking to a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer. Mix until the mixture is completely stiff – you should be able to hold it upside down over your head without it falling on you. The bowl should be cool to the touch by this time.

Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them. Then pipe a blob of frosting onto each cupcake, and put your completed frosted cupcakes, still on the baking sheet, under the broiler. Keep them there until the marshmallow is burnt and reached the color you desire.

S’mores Cupcakes Storage and Make Ahead

I recommend making these the day of or day before serving. You want them to be room temperature when served. I do not recommend freezing these, but if you must, just freeze the cupcakes. The meringue frosting will probably not hold in a freezer.

s'mores cupcakes for pinterest
smores cupcakes

S’mores Cupcakes

Yield: 14-16 cupcakes
Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cook Time: 25 minutes
Additional Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour

Moist chocolate cake with a burnt marshmallow topping and buttery graham cracker crust!

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

  • 1/2 cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 2 tbsp melted butter
  • 2 tbsp sugar

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 1/2 cup cocoa powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk
  • 6 tbsp vegetable oil
  • 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/2 cup coffee, or 1/2 cup hot water mixed with 1 1/2 tsp instant espresso powder

Marshmallow Meringue Frosting

  • 1 egg white
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp corn syrup
  • 1 tbsp water
  • 1/4 tsp cream of tartar
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1/4 tsp salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  2. Graham Cracker Crust: Mix all graham cracker crust ingredients together until it is the consistency of wet sand.
  3. Graham Cracker Crust: Take a spoonful of the moist crumbs and place in lined cupcake tin. Do this until all cupcake holders have a spoonful of crust, then press down.
  4. Graham Cracker Crust: Bake the crust for 5 minutes.
  5. Chocolate Cupcakes: Mix all dry ingredients together with a whisk. Add in vegetable oil, vanilla, buttermilk, and half of the coffee, whisking the entire time. Whisk until the batter is smooth, then add remaining coffee, and whisk again until it is thick and free of lumps.
  6. Chocolate Cupcakes: Fill each cupcake tin about halfway - 3.4 of the way full with cake batter. Do this until all cake batter is in the tins - this will make about 16 cupcakes.
  7. Chocolate Cupcakes: Bake for 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. You can also test by pressing a finger down on a cupcake, and if it springs back into place, it is ready.
  8. Marshmallow Meringue Frosting: Take all ingredients and whisk together in a heat-safe bowl. Take a bit of water in a sauce pan and bring to a low simmer.
  9. Marshmallow Meringue Frosting: Place the heat-safe bowl over the simmering water, whisking the meringue the entire time. Keep over the heat until the sugar is melted and the eggs are cooked through - this will take about 5-10 minutes.
  10. Marshmallow Meringue Frosting: Once the sugar is melted, start whisking with an electric mixer - either a hand electric mixer, or a stand mixer. Whisk on a high speed until the frosting is completely stiff and the bowl is cool to the touch.
  11. Once both the frosting and the cupcakes are cool, pipe frosting onto the cupcakes. To burn the marshmallow frosting, either use a kitchen torch, or take the entire baking sheet and place it under the broiler until the tops are burned and reach the desired color.

Did you make this recipe?

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