What could be a more perfect cupcake flavor for summer than s’mores? I first gave this recipe combo a try several years ago, and have since made them several times. They are always such a hit for summer parties! A delicious chocolate cupcake (using my go-to chocolate cupcake recipe) is paired with light and fluffy marshmallow frosting and topped with the traditional elements of s’mores… graham crackers and chocolate.
Chocolate S’mores Cupcakes
Chocolate Cupcakes
(makes 24-27 standard sized cupcakes)
2 cups sugar
1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa (best quality available)
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract (best quality available)
3/4 cup boiling water
Directions-
1. Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
4. Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
5. Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
6. Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
7. Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Marshmallow Frosting
- 2 (large) egg whites
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 Tablespoons water
- 1 Tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
1. In a large heatproof bowl (the metal bowl of your electric mixer), combine the egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup, cream of tartar and salt.
2. Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat mixture, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160*F), about 3 minutes.
3. Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes.
4. In a small bowl, microwave 1 cup mini marshmallows 30 seconds to 1 minute, until puffed, and starting to melt.
5. Add marshmallows to mixture in electric mixer, reduce speed to low and add vanilla. Continue beating (on low) until the marshmallows are melted and frosting is completely smooth (about 3-4 minutes). Use frosting right away.
Assembly
Frost cooled Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow frosting. I used a large french tip. If desired, use a kitchen torch to brown the frosting. Top frosted cupcakes with a piece of Hersheys chocolate, and a piece of graham cracker.
*Note- The graham cracker gets a bit soft from the frosting. If it’s important to you that it be nice and crisp, I would try baking the graham crackers (in a single layer on a baking sheet) about 5 minutes in a 325*F oven to dry them out a bit. I’ve never done this, but I will try it next time I make these.
As delicious as these cupcakes are, I just might have a few more s’mores themed recipes coming your way this week, so feel free to stock up on marshmallows, graham crackers and chocolate!
Oh the delicious flavors of summer!
More S’mores Desserts
- Brownie Strawberry S’mores
- S’mores Bars
- Easy S’mores Rice Krispies Treats
- S’mores Pops
- S’mores Decorated Cookies
How To Make S’mores Cupcakes
Chocolate S’mores Cupcakes
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa best quality available
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract best quality available
- 3/4 cup boiling water
Marshmallow Frosting
- 2 egg whites large
- 1 cup sugar
- 6 tablespoons water
- 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
- 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup miniature marshmallows
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Line muffin tin with paper liners. Heat oven to 350*F.
- In a large mixing bowl, stir together sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Add eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Beat on medium speed for one minute.
- Stir in boiling water (the batter will be thin, don’t worry, this is right).
- Fill liners 2/3 full with batter. (I usually put the batter into a large measuring cup with a pour spout, and then pour the batter into the liners.)
- Bake cupcakes for approximately 22-24 minutes.
- Cool completely on wire rack before frosting.
Marshmallow Frosting
- In a large heatproof bowl (the metal bowl of your electric mixer), combine the egg whites, sugar, water, corn syrup, cream of tartar and salt.
- Set the bowl over (but not touching) simmering water in a saucepan and heat mixture, stirring constantly until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is very warm to the touch (about 160*F), about 3 minutes.
- Remove the bowl from the saucepan. Using an electric mixer, beat on medium-high speed, about 2 minutes.
- In a small bowl, microwave 1 cup mini marshmallows 30 seconds to 1 minute, until puffed, and starting to melt.
- Add marshmallows to mixture in electric mixer, reduce speed to low and add vanilla. Continue beating (on low) until the marshmallows are melted and frosting is completely smooth (about 3-4 minutes). Use frosting right away.
Assembly
- Frost cooled Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow frosting. I used a large french tip. If desired, use a kitchen torch to brown the frosting. Top frosted cupcakes with a piece of Hersheys chocolate, and a piece of graham cracker.
Or you can simply sprinkle some graham cracker crumbs on top of the marshmallow frosting and then place some extra mini toasted marshmallows on top along with the Hershey’s chocolate bar
or
keep the Graham cracker out of the cupcake altogether by melting some chocolate and gluing it to the Hershey bar on an angle.
Frosting was runny and did not hold up…very disappointed .
I thought the frosting was too runny so I added a 1-2 teaspoons of corn starch and it made it thick enough to pipe out. Then i took a lighter and toasted the frosting to make it look like a roasted marshmellow. Then they came out awesome!
How about dipping the corner of the graham cracker that goes into the icing in chocolate?
Hi Glory! Can you color the frosting? Thought of making a pirate themed chocolate cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday. Thanks!
HI! These cupcakes are so cute!
I am featuring them in a cupcake roundup on my blog tomorrow.
Thanks for sharing!
I showed this to my science teacher today. He was like, ‘Are you gonna bring them tomorrow? Are you gonna bring them tomorrow? Are you gonna bring them tomorrow?’
Cuz theres a Christmas party tmr 😀
But I’m making the gingerbread cookies instead
Hi, these look amazing! Just noticed something though. I clicked on the link in the first paragraph for your go-to chocolate cupcake recipe and noticed that there you use 1 cup of boiling water and in this recipe you use 3/4 cup. Have you found that 3/4 of a cup works better?
Thank you. Love your site!
Is it important that it is cream of tartar you are using for the frosting?
These look amazing i had to try! Everything tasted great i just had a problem with piping the frosting it wouldnt stay just seem to just melt away
Made these last night. Totally cheated and used a boxed cake mix. Beat the stuffing out of the frosting, but it never seemed to start peaking enough that I thought it would hold up to piping. Since I had company coming in less than 30 minutes, I piped it like it was, rather than trying to ‘fix’ it only to totally ruin it. Although it didn’t keep a great piping shape, it only ‘smoothed out’ a little, so they looked okay, not as good as yours. The frosting is an absolute ooey gooey mess to get in the piping bag, but SO worth it – tastes wonderful. I didn’t bother getting out my stand mixer – so not sure it that’s why it didn’t stiffen up enough, or not. I’ll try the stand mixed next time, and if it still isn’t peaking, I’ll throw in more marshmallows. I will certainly make these again, because of their awesomeness, and despite their messiness! 🙂
Small critique here – my old eyes are having a very difficult time with this blue font on blue background – color scheme of website is lovely, but this however, is very difficult for my older eyes.