Smore Cupcakes!

I'm posting just the recipe in this post because I plan on doing a rather long post about how the recipe came about and so forth, and I figure that those who don't want to read all of that should still be able to enjoy cupcake goodness.

The smore cupcake is a graham cracker cake, with some chocolate baked into the cupcake itself, then iced with a chocolate ganache, followed by icing with marshmallow frosting which is then toasted. Pure indulgent goodness.

Smore Cupcake:
1 cup AP flour
1 1/2 cups graham flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. bicarb baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
3 oz. canola oil
4 1/2 oz. milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 stick butter room temp
1 cup dark brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tbsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 tbsp. ginger paste

1. Preheat oven to 350 F. Line 20 muffin cups (I always seem to get 18 when filling the cups 3/4 full).
2. Whisk together the flour, baking powder and soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl. Combine the milk, oil, and vanilla in a measuring cup.
3. Cream butter with the sugar in a large mixing bowl until fluffy. Add the eggs, 1 at a time and continue beating. Add the ginger paste and mix till incorporated.
4. Add dry and wet mixes in batches, beginning and ending with the dry. Mix just until blended through.
5. Transfer mix to a gallon ziploc bag, snip an end, and pipe into cups. Add a few chocolate chips to the tops in the center and bake for ~15 minutes. Cool completely before frosting.


Chocolate Ganache:
3 oz. milk chocolate
1 oz. cream
1/2 tsp. corn syrup

Place the cream and corn syrup in a small bowl and microwave for 30-45 seconds. Place chocolate in another small bowl and microwave for 25 seconds. Pour some of the cream/corn syrup mixture over the chocolate and let sit for 1 minute. Mix well till the chocolate is glossy. If you need more of the cream mixture, add it 1/2 tsp at a time. You want the ganache to set up fairly firm but still be easy to spread and bite through.

Marhsmallow Frosting:
See this post over at Coconut & Lime

Mix up the batter, then transfer it to a gallon bag.

Its much easier to pipe the batter than to spoon it in.

Add some chocolate chips to the top of the batter before baking so you get some chocolate incorporated into the cupcake and not just on top.

When the cupcakes are cool, apply the chocolate ganache and allow to set up firm.

While the ganache is setting, whip up the marshmallow frosting. You want it fairly firm but still easily spreadable.

Apply the marshmallow frosting to the cupcakes. I found it easier/safer to transfer them back to the muffin pan and then apply the blowtorch.