These American inspired cupcakes are the perfect treat for your Thanksgiving.
If you're not aware, s'mores are an America treat consisting of a toasted marshmallow, a slab of chocolate, sandwiched in between two graham crackers (a digestive-like biscuit). The idea is it's a quick and delicious treat when you're round the campfire. The heat from the toasted marshmallow melts the chocolate slightly, and the biscuits keep it (mostly) from going everywhere.
I wanted to create an American-inspired cupcake because US Thanksgiving is coming up soon, and while I contemplated a turkey and cranberry cupcake, I'm a little relieved I didn't have to experiment with that! (Although, you never know what could come up in the future...!)
If you're coeliac and regularly enjoy s'mores, then you'll be aware that gluten free graham crackers are hard to come by, especially in the UK! It's basically impossible, so gluten free digestives are a fantastic alternative.
These s'mores cupcakes of course consist of a 'graham cracker base - i.e., crushed digestive biscuits. This is topped with my ultimate chocolate sponge, marshmallows, and finished off with some crushed digestive crumbs.
You can use the marshmallows in two different ways. The first is a simple sprinkle of mini marshmallows and torch gently with a blowtorch. The second is a slightly longer process, as you melt the marshmallows in a saucepan and coat the tops of your cupcakes with the mixture.
If you're not a fan of marshmallow, then vanilla or chocolate buttercream works fantastically as well.
They're so, so quick and simple to create, and super delicious!
Let's get Caking It!
Recipe
180C (170C fan)
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Prep: 20 mins
Bake: 20 mins
Assemble: 5 mins
Ingredients
50g gluten free digestives
20g unsalted butter
Sponge
150g gluten free self-raising flour
60g cocoa powder
1/2 tsp gluten free baking powder
1/4 tsp bicarbonate of soda
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
100g caster sugar
50g light brown sugar
100ml vegetable oil (I use sunflower)
3 medium eggs
1/2 tsp vanilla
50 ml boiling water with 2 tsp instant coffee
2 tbsp sour cream
Frosting
100g mini marshmallows
50g gluten free digestives
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Method: Sponge
As usual, don't forget to wait until all the ingredients are at room temperature before starting.
Preheat oven to 180C. Fill 12 muffin holes with cases.
First, crush the digestive biscuits until they resemble small breadcrumbs, then melt the butter and mix until it clumps together. Scoop 1 teaspoon and place at the bottom of each cupcake case and press down with your fingers.
Move onto the sponge. Start with the dry ingredients. Add the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and xanthan gum to a bowl and whisk to fully incorporate.
In a separate bowl, mix the oil, sugars, and vanilla extract. Then, add the eggs one at a time, whisking with an electric whisk between each addition until slightly frothy.
Add the wet ingredients to the dry and mix with a fork to incorporate. Don’t overmix but ensure that all the ingredients are fully mixed, and the batter is smooth. At this point the batter should be thick.
Boil the water and add the instant coffee to it. Slowly pour it into the batter while mixing until it is glossy. This will take some welly but keep persevering because the batter will become smooth, glossy and a delicious brown shiny colour.
Add the sour cream to the cake batter and give it a final quick mix to incorporate.
Spoon the batter into the cupcake cases, adding 1 and 1/2 tbsp to each case and let sit for 20 minutes, then bake for 20 minutes. A skewer inserted into the sponge will come out clean.
Assembly
Making sure the sponges are completely cool, place the marshmallows into a pan and slowly melt them down.
Spoon onto each cupcake and spread till they form a nice layer. This will be stick so work quickly!
If you don't want to melt the marshmallows, simply sprinkle them on top of each cupcake.
Once you've got your marshmallows on top (in whatever form you prefer), give them a quick torch with a blowtorch for the authentic s'mores look.
Crush the digestives and sprinkle on top.
Enjoy!
