S'more What? Cupcakes

So last week was my first week of my internship at the confection studio. It was actually a lot of fun. The first day was rough because I didn't know anyone and I kinda felt like I was more in everyone's way than actually helping out. But it has continued to get better and better every day. So far I have mostly been helping make gelato, which I actually think is my favorite thing to do so far. Mostly because I actually get to make stuff, see the finished product and then of course taste it (best part). All of the other stations (so far) I just do busy work like cutting things out and weighing ingredients. You don't get to see a product from start to finish in one day, which I think is pretty lame (but all a part of the process I guess). At gelato I get to look at recipes and i've helped make a lot of the flavors. I'm actually getting to learn how to do it, so y'all can assume that I will definitely be buying myself an ice cream maker in the near future to test what I have learned. I can still smell my hands from the chocolate peanut butter crunch gelato. yum

Anyway, to the cupcakes. I have been wanting my own torch for so long now (we're talking years) so finally I decided to go out and buy one. Oh my cheesus this thing is so much fun. Probably a horrible idea for the person who sold it to me, but who cares! I can't stop thinking of different ways to use it (some not food related but still) So yesterday I decided to invent my own recipe for S'more cupcakes and torch the fluff out of them. (ok the meringue recipe is not my own but there isn't much you can do with it. I mean a meringue is a meringue). These cupcakes are actually super delicious and I definately plan on making them again. The cake itself came out a little dense, but I actually think it's perfect for this particular cupcake. There is nothing light about a s'more anyway so the densness gives it a graham craker quality while the meringue gives it a light balance.

S'mores always remind me of that classic scene we know and love from the Sandlot when Ham Porter teaches us all how to make the perfect s'more. To this day I still follow his fool proof recipe.

Directions for the perfect s'more, courtesy of Ham Porter, chubby ginger: "You stick the chocolate on the graham. Then, you roast the mallow. When the mallows flaming, you stick it on the chocolate and cover it with the other end. Then, you scarf."

Graham Cracker Cupcakes 

Ingredients 

2 sticks of unsalted butter

2 1/2 cups sugar

5 eggs

teaspoon of vanilla 

12 oz. sour cream

1 tablespoon baking powder

1 pinch of salt

3 cups cake flour

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 cinnamon graham crackers (blended in a coffee grinder) 

Directions 

1. Preheat the oven to 300. Begin like every other cupcake, cookie or cake recipe and cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy and nice. then add the eggs one at a time until even fluffier. Then add the vanilla. 

2. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a separate bowl. Beginning with the dry mixture, rotate incorporating the dry and the wet (sour cream) until just combined *remember to always end with the dry ingredients) About 5 turns 

3. With a spatula, gently fold in the graham crackers and cinnamon. 

4. Bake for 30-33 minutes 

classic

Meringue Icing

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar

1/3 cup water

1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

2 egg whites

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Be patient chirren this whipping process takes for-ev-er (squits, best line in the entire movie?)  

I know this doesn't look entirely appetizing, but I knew that not enough ganache would get into the center of the cupcake because it was dense (and because I'm an amateur cupcake filler) so I decided to add extra ganache to go under the meringue. It really made a difference and tasted delicious. Even if I was able to get a lot of chocolate in the center I still would have done this because the meringue and the chocolate went together really well - it somehow made it more s'more like. 

Dark Chocolate, Sour Cream Ganache Filling 

Ingredients

1 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips

4 oz. or about 1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon confectioners sugar 

t tablespoon corn syrup 

Directions

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. whisk in the sour cream until smooth. Then add the confectioners sugar, and then the corn syrup. pretty simple  



I'm also going to start making note of every time I have to go BACK to the grocery store for a second time. it is honestly a miracle when I only have to go once.

why I had to go back? not enough ounces of sour cream. cool.

"you're killing me smalls"