Monday, February 15, 2010

MSC- S'mores Cupcakes

This month's MSC cupcake choice- S'mores Cupcakes, was chosen by yours truly.
It isn't as easy to choose an item to bake for a group like this as it may seem.

I debated for awhile. I really wanted to choose the Rhubarb Cupcakes with Whipped Cream (pg 33), but I haven't seen any fresh rhubarb yet this season and some fruit choices cause more debate than other things. The Bluberries-and-Cream Cupcakes (pg 42) also looked really good and the Iced Pistachio Cupcakes (pg68) made their way into my choice list too. There were others, but in the end, it all came down to the 1 cupcake that caught my eye the first time I flipped through this book.

I have this thing with graham crackers, which I have mentioned before, which is- I cannot have them in my house because I will eat them all. I never buy them, unless I know that I am going to be using all of them in a recipe, or if I am willing to sacrifice an entire meals calorie allotment on a package of graham crackers, dipped in milk. I know I have a problem and therefore I avoid the item which causes a complete lack of self-control.
I was curious about a cupcake that actually tastes like a S'more.
The marshmallow frosting looked billowy and yummy and so, this is my pick.

I made them yesterday for our Valentine's Day dessert. I skipped the frosting called for, simply because it said that it would harden if not used/served immediately and I knew I had to make and assemble these a few hours before we would eat them.
I also made a ganache with milk chocolate, to keep the flavors true to an actual S'more and used chocolate chips, instead of chopped chocolate and cream. No corn syrup. On the first try, the ganache was too thin, so I tried again with less cream, until the consistency was spreadable.

I also used the marshmallow topping that we used for the Sweet Potato Cupcakes a couple of months ago, which is simply broiling little piles of mini marshmallows and transferring them to the top of the cupcakes.

I made half the recipe and ended up with 9 cupcakes and 15 mini cupcakes.
Please ignore the Halloween cupcake liners- I ran out of plain ones and didn't know it until it was too late.

My 3 yr old and I tasted the cupcakes without the chocolate and marshmallows and they were really good.
I am definitely going to make these again when I can serve them immediately and try out the frosting called for. I took them to a family dinner and everyone enjoyed them. I thought that they really tasted like a s'more, which is the whole point. I was pleasantly surprised.

Go to the MSC Blogroll to see everyone else's thoughts on these!



34 comments:

laura may said...

Your cakes look absolutely delicious. Great work!

lm. x

Treehouse Chef said...

Foodtastic photo! What a great idea!

Meghan said...

Mmm these look really good! They would be perfect for a kids party or sleepover when you don't want them playing with fire :) S'mores always remind me of Girl Scout camp!

Cupcakes and Sundry said...

Isn't it funny how one person can make them and love them (you) and one can hate them (me). Your so cleaver with the topping from the Sweet Potato cupcakes! Thanks for choosing this month

Rebecca said...

Nice choice. I like the idea of just using marshmallows. I also used a different frosting.

Smitten Sugar said...

These look delicious! I made smores cupcakes for Christmas and they were a huge hit!

k.a.r.e.n said...

Gorgeous! I knew I should have made a ganache cause the glaze was TOO THIN. Great pick and thanks for hosting this month.

mike said...

Kid-friendly, kid-delicious cupcakes Mary Ann! Great substitutions (I tried subbing but fell flat)! Glad you chose them though - what a great flavor for this time of year - unexpected and welcomed! The topping is perfect (and in more flavor with the s'mores theme)! Beautiful!

Barbara said...

Looks super to me! What is not to like?? I like all your substitutions. It's always fun to see what everyone does and I bet it's tough to be the one choosing!
Amazing photos, too.

Jennifer said...

Great pictures! I thought about doing the same marshmallow topping from the Sweet Potato cupcakes, too.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for choosing these. THey were fun to try

Sugar Loves Co. said...

I'm so glad you really enjoyed the cupcake that you selected! Me, not too much, but the guinea pigs (hubby's office)really enjoyed this one. Thanks for choosing it. My curiosity about this cupcake has been "fed"!

Alyssa said...

Thanks Mary Ann for picking this recipe. I think if I were to make these again I would make a swiss meringue buttercream and flavor the frosting with marshmallow fluff (the kind you can buy in a jar).. I just really like soft frosting in my cupcakes. Your pics look great as always!

Unknown said...

I love your tweaks on these - I'm planning to try the bruleed marshmallow topping myself when I make them later in the week. Great pick and great job!

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

You did a great job with these. It was a good pick. I had to use graham crackers, ground, but it was fine.

Thanks for picking this.

Unknown said...

Thanks for hosting this month Mary Ann! Your cupcakes look wonderful! I wish I'd have made the topping you went with it - I wasn't entirely happy with the marshmallow topping in this recipe. I'm glad you got to indulge your obsession :)

Jamie said...

What a fun cupcake topping. Who doesn't love toasted marshmallows? The photos are very appetizing.

Megan said...

This was a fantastic choice - and I wish I'd thought to use mini marshmallows - much less work than the frosting.

I had to laugh at your comment about graham crackers - because I am the same way with peanut M&M's - I will simply eat them all until they gone.

Unknown said...

thanks for such a great pick! I think I will try your marshmallow topping next time...the recipe was a bit complicated and not super yum.

Susie said...

This looks awesome! I've always shied away from s'mores-inspired baked goods that include any form of UNtoasted marshmallow (everyone knows that marshmallows are completely inedible until toasted), but this authentic version might convert me to s'mores cupcakes!

(P.S. This is Susie the college roommate, and I've been a silent fan of the blog for awhile. Go Mare!)

Kayte said...

The guys had fun with these...they thought they tasted just like smores and loved that! Thanks for the pick...enjoyed by all here as I left the chocolate off of mine! I love how you did the topping...it looks so cute and fun done that way. Now I know your secret weakness...graham crackers!

Julie said...

Thanks for a great choice for this month's bake. I liked the flavor of these!

Bella Baker said...

This was a GREAT pick!! your cupcakes look amazing and that was so smart to use the marshmallow topping method from the sweet potato cupcakes!

Cate O'Malley said...

Love the topping - they look so cute and utterly delicious!

オテモヤン said...
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Hindy said...

I wish mine looked as good as yours. Thanks for the great choice!

Janine said...

Thanks for choosing these - I really wanted to try them too. But, sadly, I didn't enjoy them, although everyone else did.

I'm curious to know what you did with the first batch of ganache that was too thin? Did you eat it like I would??

Chats the Comfy Cook said...

I had to come back and tell you that I gave my class, the cupcakes. They flipped over them. They were so excited when I told them they were Smores Cupcakes. Now, I am even happier, you selected these. Thanks.

Eliana said...

Awesome pick Mary Ann. Yours look like they came out perfect.

betty geek said...

Hey Creative One, love the mini marshmallow idea! Tres cool and nice pics!

Kerstin said...

What adorable cupcakes! I can't have Oreos in the house for similar reasons!

Nina said...

Thanks for hosting this month. This was a great choice for my friends and me. Everyone loved it!

Unknown said...

Hey there, yrs look good. I dont know why I did not think abt using the marshmallow topping. Anyway great thinking.

TeaLady said...

I wish I had thot of using just plain marshmallows. Those look fantastic. Martha's just turned rubbery. Ah, well. Next time

Love the way they look with the minis.