Pumpkin S'mores Cupcakes

Did I ever tell you I have a "thing" for s'mores? Goes without saying, right? So I combined my "thing" for s'mores with my "thing" for cupcakes and came up with these... which I think I now have a "thing" for.



Pumpkin S'mores Cupcakes
Marshmallow Frosting slightly adapted from Martha Stewart
Makes 12

For the Cupcakes:
1 egg
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil (I used grapeseed oil)
3/4 cup pumpkin puree
1 cup plain flour
1/4 cup Digestive biscuit crumbs (or graham cracker crumbs)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
Pinch ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup buttermilk

For the Chocolate Ganache:
100g dark chocolate, chopped
100ml cream

For the Marshmallow Frosting:
2 egg whites
1/2 cup caster sugar
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Make the Cupcakes:
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C and line a 12-hole muffin pan with paper liners.

In a large mixing bowl, beat the egg and sugar together until smooth. Add the oil and pumpkin puree and whisk. Add the flour, biscuit crumbs, baking power, bicarbonate of soda, salt and spices and whisk it together until smooth. Finally, add the buttermilk and gently stir until incorporated.

Using an ice cream scoop, scoop the batter evenly into the paper liners. Bake for 18-20 minutes until a skewer inserted into the centre of a cupcake comes out clean. Let the cupcakes sit in the pan for a few minutes then remove them to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the Chocolate Ganache:
Put the chocolate into a heat proof bowl.

Place the cream in a small saucepan over high heat and bring to just below boiling. Remove from the heat, pour the hot cream over the chocolate. Leave for two minutes then stir until smooth and glossy.

Make the Marshmallow Frosting:
Put the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar into the bowl of an electric mixer and set it over a pan over simmering water - don't let the bowl touch the water. With a hand-held electric mixer, whisk constantly until the sugar dissolves about 3 - 4 minutes. The mixture should be warm to the touch.

Put the bowl onto the base of the mixer and attach the whisk attachment. Whisk for about 5 - 7 minutes on high speed until you have a superb meringue-y mixture. Add the vanilla and mix to combine. Use immediately.

Assemble the Cupcakes:

Dip each cupcake into the ganache and let the ganache set at room temperature, about 10 minutes.

Pipe swirls of marshmallow frosting onto the cupcakes and torch briefly until lightly toasted.