
Whether you’re sitting around a campfire or standing over your stove, making s’mores is a quintessential summer activity. The crunch of the graham cracker, the melty richness of the chocolate, and the toasty and sweet marshmallow all work together to create one of the best treats of all time.
We love applying that combination of flavors beyond the standard camping trip treat—from brownies to cookies to boozy milkshakes. But one of our favorite celebratory s’mores renditions is a cupcake. A decadent chocolate cupcake is topped with melted chocolate, graham cracker crumbs, and a homemade Marshmallow Fluff-style frosting.
The frosting, if we want to get technical, is actually called a Swiss meringue. We gradually cook egg whites with sugar over a double boiler before whipping it into fluffy sweet perfection. It takes more work than simply opening up a tub of Marshmallow Fluff from the supermarket, but we promise it’s worth the effort. Beyond tasting better, this frosting is much sturdier than the store-bought stuff—which means you can pipe it and pop it in the broiler for that toasty golden exterior.
To balance out the more intensive frosting-making process, this recipe calls for boxed chocolate cake mix. But if you really want to go all out, you can opt for a homemade cake instead.
You can bake your cupcakes and coat the edges in melted chocolate and graham cracker crumbs up to 3 days in advance, storing them in the fridge in an airtight container. We do, however, recommend making the frosting the day you want to serve—it can lose some of the air bubbles and get a bit soupy over time.
Did you try making this? Let us know how it went in the comments!
Ingredients
- 1
(15.25-oz.) box chocolate cake mix, plus ingredients called for on box
- 4
large egg whites
- 1 cup
(200 g.) granulated sugar
- 1 tsp.
pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp.
kosher salt
- 3/4 cup
semisweet chocolate chips
- 5
graham crackers, divided
Equipment Needed
A piping bag, a large star tip
Directions
- Step 1Preheat oven to temperature listed on box instructions. Line a standard 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
- Step 2In a medium bowl, prepare batter according to box instructions. Divide batter among prepared muffin cups. Bake according to box instructions or until a tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool.
- Step 3In a small saucepan over medium heat, heat 1/2 cup water until simmering. In a medium heatproof bowl, combine egg whites and sugar, then carefully place on top of saucepan to create a double-boiler. Cook, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture is warm to the touch, about 5 minutes.
- Step 4Using oven mitts or a dry towel, carefully remove egg white mixture from saucepan; reserve saucepan and water. Using a handheld mixer on high speed (or attach bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment), beat until mixture resembles Marshmallow Fluff and forms soft peaks, about 8 minutes. Stir in vanilla and salt. Transfer to piping bag fitted with large star tip.
- Step 5In a clean medium heatproof bowl, place chocolate chips. Carefully place over reserved saucepan of simmering water. Cook stirring, until melted, about 4 minutes. Using oven mitts or towel, remove from heat and keep warm until ready to use.
- Step 6Carefully break 2 graham crackers to form 12 (1") squares; set aside. Transfer remaining 3 graham crackers to a resealable plastic bag and smash with a wooden spoon or heavy pot to create fine crumbs. Transfer crumbs to a shallow bowl or plate.
- Step 7Arrange a rack closest to heating element and turn on broiler. Dip edges of each cupcake into melted chocolate, rotating to coat rim. Dip edge of each cupcake into graham cracker crumbs and turn to coat.
- Step 8Pipe frosting onto cupcakes. Arrange on a baking sheet and broil, watching closely, until frosting is golden brown, about 30 seconds. Garnish with reserved graham cracker squares.