S'mores Cupcakes Please...

I always opt to make cupcakes for birthdays and gatherings. They're just so much better than cake. There's no cutting involved, no forks, no plates and let's face it they're so cute! We had some family and friends over for Ryan's birthday yesterday. For dessert we had S'mores Cupcakes.

Now, I'm not the biggest fan of s'mores. They're just so sweet and whenever I'm in a situation where there are s'mores, like camping, there never seems to be an ice cold glass of milk around. Which prompted Ryan to ask : "Do you even like s'mores?...Then why are you making s'mores cupcakes?" Good question. Not really sure. They seemed like they would be a crowd-pleaser. And they were! Check it out:

 Ryan liked 'em

Lexi liked 'em

Rilyn liked 'em

Even I liked them! The graham cracker layer at the bottom gives a nice crunchy texture to contrast the super moist cake. And Ryan concocted a cream cheese marshmallow frosting. True teamwork. I baked the cupcakes, he made the frosting. He frosted the cupcakes, I topped them off with a piece of chocolate.

For the recipe read on...

S'mores Cupcakes

Cake recipe adapted from Dainty Chef, Frosting recipe a Ryan creation
Makes 24 cupcakes

Crust Ingredients

• 1 package graham crackers, in crumbs
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 oz. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

Cake Ingredients

• 1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups, 2 tablespoons sugar
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup canola oil
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1 cup boiling water 

Frosting Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
• 1 pound powdered sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 oz. cream cheese, softened
• 7 oz. jar of marshmallow fluff
• 2 Hershey's milk chocolate bars (optional)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with 24 cupcake liners. Break graham crackers down in to crumbs using a food processor. Add melted butter and sugar, mix well. Add about a tablespoon of graham mixture to each liner. Using a shot glass (or other small round surface), press the graham mixture down evenly. Bake for 5 minutes. Chop the bittersweet chocolate into small pieces and divide evenly among the cupcake liners.

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla. Add to dry ingredients and beat on a low speed. Increase speed to medium for about 2 minutes. Add boiling water and beat on low until combined.

Spoon batter into cupcake liners filling about 1/4" from the top. Bake 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Let cool a few minutes, then transfer to a wire rack.

For the frosting, cream the butter on high until it's fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, a little at a time, beating until incorporated. Beat in the vanilla and softened cream cheese. Finally add the marshmallow fluff. Do not frost the cupcakes until they have cooled completely. Add the frosting to a piping bag (or a Ziplock bag and cut off the tip) and pipe onto the cupcakes. Break the Hershey bars up into rectangles and one into the frosting of each cupcake. Now eat one, you know for quality control. Make sure it's delicious, then share with others.

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After dessert at our house came a game, many of you know, involving these little guys:

While the adults were playing in the garage, I gave our friends' little girl, Rilyn, a whoopee cushion that I had found in the craft room. She LOVED it!

Here she is approaching the target.

Backing it up to land just right.

Loud funny noise = mission accomplished

So she wants to do it again...

She blows and blows, then hands it to a grown-up to refill.

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I'm sharing these gooey delicious cakes at Something Swanky.