Introduction: Smore-Cakes Recipe - Best Cupcakes Ever!

About: Army Vet. I love learning & being creative. I am back!

Everyone I know loves smores, so this inspired me to make Smore-cakes! People devoured them! The methods to making such delicious smore-cakes are pretty simple.

In my recipe, however, I took things a step further by making the cupcakes from scratch. This is totally optional. I collect antique cookbooks - my oldest one is from 1904. I decided to get some use out of one of them, my Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook from 1956 - which my good friend gave to me recently. The cake recipe I used is for Burnt Sugar Cake - I thought the flavors sounded perfect for the smore-cakes! I modified the recipe with added graham crackers which were pulverized in my blender, and I made some other changes to the recipe to taste more like smores! will include the full recipe in this instructable. I hope you enjoy these delicious smore-cakes - they are highly addictive!!!

Step 1: Make the Cupcakes

If you are going to make cupcakes from a box, then at this time you will follow the instructions to do so. If you want to try something totally new and different, and make Burnt Sugar Cake from my modified recipe - then please follow the instructions below!

Syrup

1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup boiling water
additional water, to make 1 cup liquid (see instructions)

Cake

2  cups of cake flour
1/4 cup of graham crackers (Pulverized in your blender or food processor) - blend 8-12 graham crackers as you will need more of it for later, when decorating the cupcakes
1 cup sugar
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup soft shortening (or, 1/2 cup of vegetable oil - either will work)
2 eggs (1/3-1/2 cup)
1 teaspoon vanilla, if desired

Directions - First Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Syrup:
  1. To make syrup first caramelize the 1/2 cup sugar in a heavy skillet over low-medium heat until clear and medium brown, shaking pan gently to keep from burning.
  2. Remove from heat.
  3. Add slowly, stirring constantly, 1/2 cup boiling water.
  4. Stir over low heat until lumps are dissolved.
  5. Measure and add water to make 1 cup liquid.
  6. Set aside to allow it to cool.

Cake:
  1. Sift together into bowl, 2  cups sifted cake flour, 1/4 cup of pulverized ground up graham crackers and 1 cup sugar, 3 teaspoons baking powder and 1 teaspoon salt. (I used my ninja blender to pulverize graham crackers and I also put it through the sifter two times).
  2. Add 1/2 cup soft shortening (or replace with 1/2 cup vegetable oil) and 2/3 cup cooled caramel-water mixture.
  3. Beat 2 minutes.
  4. Add remaining 1/3 cup cooled caramel-water mixture, 2 eggs and 1 teaspoon vanilla.
  5. Beat 2 more minutes.
  6. Pour into greased cupcake pan.
  7. If making cupcakes - it should take 18-22 minutes approximately at 350 degrees F.
  8. Bake until cake tests done or toothpick inserted comes out dry.

Step 2: Cool, Cut and Place Chocolate Inside

Next, let your cupcakes cool completely and thoroughly. Then, in addition to the ingredients already used to make the cake, you will need a few more items:
  • Hersheys mini chocolate bars
  • marshmallows
  • more of your pulverized graham crackers
Once cool, carefully cut and carve a round chunk out of the top of each cupcake. Each cupcake will be filled with one mini chocolate bar. If you or someone you know LOVES chocolate - you can carve a deeper round out allowing for one more bar in it. If just one bar (which tastes perfect), the depth is approximately 1/2 an inch into the cake. Leave the sides of the top in tact as it will hold the chocolate in and now allow spillage over the edges.

See images for better explanation.

Step 3: Marshmallow Icing Trick for Smores Cupcakes

This is the fun part! You'll need to be careful and be sure to have butter around! If you have a tub of it, even better. Grab a wooden spoon and dip it into the butter or rub butter on the spoon - as you'll need it. Don't be afraid to really coat the wooden spoon. Don't let anything touch the marshmallow topping without butter on it!

Marshmallow Frosting for Smore-Cakes
  • Simply take your cupcake (with the chocolate in place from the previous step) and then take a small spoon full of your graham cracker crumble (pulverized earlier) and cover up that chocolate with the graham cracker crumble.
  • Once covered, take a large marshmallow and place it on top of that.
  • Place the entire thing on a microwave-safe plate. Put it in your microwave.
  • My microwave is 1100 watt - and I put it in there for 15 seconds at the power level 6.
  • Take the plate out and gently take your wooden spoon and try to flatten the marshmallow.
  • If it doesn't budge - leave it alone and put it in for another 15 seconds at power level 6.
  • Once smushed down - you can manipulate it and move it around a bit with your buttered spoon. That is up to you how much you move it around.
At this point, if you are happy with one marshmallow on top - you're almost done!

Last Step - put your oven on broil and take your cupcakes, put them on a cookie sheet. Quickly put it in the oven right on the top rack underneath the direct heat - please be careful not to burn yourself. I did not close the oven door and only did this for about 5-10 seconds max. If you put it in longer - you could start a fire or make a huge mess. You cannot take your eyes off of it. If you prefer to use a small blowtorch of some kind - that would work as well. I don't have one! Please do this at your own risk - and do not close the door or take your eyes off of it for even a second.

If you want your marshmallow topping to have more height and be more dramatic - then here is how you will add more layers of marshmallows.
  • Take a plate and butter it
  • Place a marshmallow on it (I found it worked best to heat one at a time)
  • Put it in the microwave for 15 second increments at power level of 6-8 - depends on your microwave
  • Remove it and do not flatten it yet!
  • Take some type of flat spatula or similar kitchen tool - make sure it is greased with butter - and use it with your wooden spoon to carefully lift the marshmallow off the plate and right on top of the smore-cake which already has one layer of marshmallow on it.
  • You can do this multiple times for more height - but too high and it will fall to one side
Lastly, follow the step above to carefully (and quickly) place it in the oven to broil - to get that nice crispy campfire marshmallow affect!

Don't forget to stick a graham cracker in the side of the finished smore-cake - or you can follow the final step to add a delicious chocolate and graham crumble dipped graham cracker into the top! It is very easy!

Step 4: Finishing Touches - Chocolate Dipped Graham Cracker

For the finishing touches - you can either stick a whole piece of graham cracker into the cupcake. Or, if you want to make things more fancy (and delicious) - you can make these!

Chocolate-dipped Graham Cracker pieces
  • Take out more of your hersheys chocolate mini bars and break them up into pieces in a glass measuring cup or coffee mug. Please note, the proper way of melting chocolate is usually in a double boiler on the stove - but I found this to work really well and it was much easier!
  • Place in microwave and heat in 15 second increments, power level 6. Each time you take it out, mix it. If not melted, add a little more time. Do not overheat it.
  • Take graham crackers out and cut into pieces - I did it in little triangular shapes.
  • Dip into the chocolate and let excess drip off.
  • Then you can dip the tip directly into your graham cracker crumble.
  • Let these cool in the fridge and take out when ready to place on smore-cakes!
Cupcake Contest

Participated in the
Cupcake Contest