Chocolate Graham Cracker Cupcakes with Toasted Marshmallow

Today was the After Christmas Blizzard, and we decided it was a good day to just stay in our pajamas and do just about nothing -- nothing except baking a little treat. Catherine said she wanted to make cupcakes. My question was "what kind?", but more to the point, what kind where we had all of the ingredients, since we weren't going to dig ourselves out of 15" of snow just to go to the grocery store. She did a little searching on the internet and she found this recipe on the Martha Stewart website (she got it from a cupcake baker in Seattle). It was a little more involved, but they turned out pretty good. And, even better, Jimmy got to use his little blow torch to toast the marshmallow frosting... fun for all!

Makes 2 Dozen Cupcakes

• 2 cups plus 2 Tbsp. sugar
• 1¾ cups flour
• ¾ cup plus 1 Tbsp. cocoa (not dutch-processed)
• 1½ tsp. baking powder
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• 1 tsp. salt
• 2 whole eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• ½ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tsp. vanilla
• 1 cup boiling water
  
  
  
• 1½ cups graham cracker crumbs (about 20 squares)
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
• 9 oz. chocolate, finely chopped
  (the recipe calls for bittersweet; I used semi-sweet and milk chocolate, since that's all we had. It tasted like a good substitution.)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 2 muffin tins with cupcake liners; set aside.
2. Sift 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Mix ingredients on low speed.
3. In a large bowl, mix together, eggs, milk, oil and vanilla. Add to flour mixture and beat on medium speed for 30 seconds. Scrape down sides of bowl and continue mixing on medium speed for 2 minutes. Add boiling water, stirring by hand to combine. Batter will be very liquidy.
4. Place graham cracker crumbs, ¼ cup sugar, and melted butter in a large bowl, and stir until well combined.
5. Place 1 tablespoon of the graham cracker mixture into the bottom of each prepared muffin cup. Spray the bottom of a small glass with cooking spray, and use to pack crumbs into the bottom of each cupcake liners. Reserve remaining cracker mixture for topping.
6. Place 2 teaspoons of chopped chocolate in each muffin cup.
7. Transfer muffins tins to oven and bake until the edges of the graham cracker mixture is golden, about 5 minutes.
8. Remove from oven and fill each muffin cup three-quarters full with cake batter.
   (I used a large, 3 tablespoon, scoop)
9. Sprinkle each with remaining chocolate and graham cracker mixture.
10. Return to oven and bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until tops are firm and cake tester insert in the center comes out clean, 18-20 minutes.
11. Transfer muffins tins to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove cupcakes from pan and let cool completely.

Marshmallow Frosting

• 8 large egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ tsp. cream of tartar
• 2 tsp. vanilla

DIRECTIONS

1. Place egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer.
   (In the online video, Martha used her Kitchen Aid mixer bowl, so I did the same)
2. Set over a saucepan with simmering water.
3. Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved and whites are warm to the touch, approximately 3-4 minutes.
4. Transfer bowl to electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat, starting on low speed, gradually increasing to high, until stiff, glossy peaks form, approximately 5-7 minutes.
5. Add vanilla, and mix until combined.
6. Immediately transfer frosting to a large pastry bag fitted with a large plain round or French tip.
7. Pipe frosting in a spiral motion on each cupcake.
8. Transfer cupcakes to a baking sheet.
9. Using a kitchen torch, lightly brown the frosting, taking care not to burn the cupcake liners.

Serve immediately or store in an airtight container, up to 2 days.

Red Velvet Cupcakes

I bought the Cook's Illustrated Holiday Baking 2010 edition, at the Wegman's in Syracuse, as we were visiting Caroline and Joey for Thanksgiving. How could I not buy it when there is a big slice of red velvet cake on the cover? It's had me drooling ever since. But, of course, I didn't really think I would want to make a whole cake. CUPCAKES, on the other hand, was definitely something I really wanted to make. The perfect opportunity would come for the Lentini Family Christmas party (scheduled to take place tomorrow at Joe and Judy's, as a blizzard threatens the northeast, no less!). I made them tonight, and will frost them in the morning. If we get stuck in the car while driving, we will at least having something to keep us going... lol

The 21st cupcake was the taste tester, and I got the approving thumbs up from my guinea pig.

Serves about 18-22 cupcakes

Cake

• 2¼ cups flour
• 1½ tsp. baking soda
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 1 Tbsp. white vinegar
• 1 tsp. vanilla
• 2 large eggs
• 2 Tbsp. natural cocoa powder
  (The recipe says: This recipe must be prepared with natural cocoa powder. Dutch-processed cocoa will not rise or yield the proper color. I used Hershey's cocoa, and it seemed to rise perfectly and yield a vibrant red color, so in my opinion, that was ok to use)
• 2 Tbsp. (1-1oz. bottle) red food coloring
• 12 Tbsp. (1½ sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  (I only had salted butter, so I omitted the pinch of salt from above)
• 1½ cups sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place 18-22 muffin tins in cupcake pans.
2. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl.
3. In a separate bowl, whisk buttermilk, vinegar, vanilla, and eggs.
4. In a third, small bowl, mix cocoa with food coloring, until a smooth paste forms.
5. With a stand mixer on medium-high speed, beat butter and sugar together until fluffy, about 2-5 minutes (keep beating until it looks "floamy"), scraping down bowl as necessary. Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat on medium-low speed until just incorporated, about 30 seconds. Scrape down bowl as necessary and repeat with half of the remaining flour mixture, remaining buttermilk mixture, and finally the remaining flour mixture. Scrape down bowl, add cocoa mixture, and beat on medium speed until completely incorporated, about 30 seconds. Using a rubber spatula, give batter final stir.
6. Using a large (3-tablespoon) scoop, fill muffin tins.
7. Bake until toothpick inserted in the center of each cupcakes comes out clean, approximately 15-17 minutes.
8. Cool cakes in cupcake pans for 10 minutes, then cool an additional 30 minutes on a wire rack.

Cream Cheese Frosting

• 16 Tbsp. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
  (again, I used salted butter, and omitted the salt from below)
• 4 cups (16 oz.) confectioners' sugar
• 16 oz. cream cheese, cut into 8 pieces, softened
• 1½ tsp. vanilla
• Pinch of salt

DIRECTIONS

1. Using a stand mixer, beat butter and sugar on medium-high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes.
2. Add cream cheese, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated.
3. Beat in vanilla and salt.
4. Refrigerate until ready to use.
5. Cover and refrigerate cupcakes until ready to serve, up to 3 days.