These Hot Chocolate Cupcakes are topped with a fluffy, toasted marshmallow frosting! You’ll love these decadent cupcakes that taste just like hot chocolate.

These Hot Chocolate Cupcakes are topped with a fluffy, toasted marshmallow frosting! You'll love these decadent cupcakes that taste just like hot chocolate.

It’s so weird that winter is technically starting to come to an end, because that means soon it’ll be time to start abandoning SUPER chocolatey desserts and embracing fruity ones, not that that is necessarily a bad thing.

I mean, embracing spring did give us Lemon Meringue Cupcakes, Blueberry Oatmeal Crumb Bars, and this Summer Berry Tart, and there’s nothing even remotely bad about any of those.

However, I’m still in winter mode, so I’m giving you more chocolate…and I will keep giving you chocolate, until someone tells me not to. And trust me…if you make these cupcakes, you’ll be glad I did.

These Hot Chocolate Cupcakes are topped with a fluffy, toasted marshmallow frosting! You'll love these decadent cupcakes that taste just like hot chocolate.

They epitomize everything you love about drinking hot chocolate snuggled on the couch, except in cupcake form, and the marshmallows don’t disappear into the warm liquid. Instead, you have a mountain of glorious, toasted marshmallow frosting. Even better than the drink.

These are a spin-off of a recipe I posted waaaay back in Bakerita’s history – Hot Chocolate Layer Cake, from September 2010. I halved the recipe, turned it into cupcakes, and added some amazing Seven Minute Frosting, which I proceeded to toast to make it even better.

This, my friends, was a good idea. They’re so delicious and reminiscent of those delicious flavors always associated with winter and snuggling up on the couch with a good movie. Make these next time you’re craving chocolate! Enjoy.

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Hot Chocolate Cupcakes


Description

12/18 NOTE: I’ve had some readers tell me that they’ve had issues with their cupcakes falling in the centers, even when following the recipe exactly. I’ve never had the issue and other readers have also had success, so PROCEED WITH CAUTION! I will be fixing the recipe to be more foolproof ASAP.


Ingredients

Scale

For the cupcakes

  • 6 oz. 3/4 cup unsalted butter
  • 131/2 oz. 3 cups unbleached all-purpose flour (I recommend weighing it)
  • 3/4 cup canola oil
  • 41/2 oz. bittersweet chocolate (finely chopped)
  • 3 cups granulated sugar
  • 21/4 oz. 3/4 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 3 large eggs (at room temperature)
  • 3/4 cup buttermilk (at room temperature)
  • 2 Tbs. pure vanilla extract
  • 21/2 tsp. baking soda
  • 1/2 tsp. kosher salt

For the frosting

  • 1 1/2 cups sugar
  • 2 tablespoons light corn syrup
  • 6 large egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

For the cupcakes

  1. Heat the oven to 350°F. Place cupcake liners into cupcake pans.
  2. In a large, heavy saucepan, combine the butter, oil, chopped chocolate, and 1 cup water. Heat over medium heat until melted and fully combined.
  3. In a large bowl, whisk the flour, sugar, and cocoa powder. Pour the hot chocolate mixture into the sugar mixture and whisk until combined.
  4. Whisk in the eggs, one at a time (making sure to keep whisking – you don’t want the eggs to scramble), then whisk in the buttermilk, vanilla, baking soda, and salt. Fill each cupcake liner about 2/3 full.
  5. Bake cupcakes for 17-22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center. Cool on racks for 10 minutes.

For the frosting

  1. In the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer set over a saucepan of simmering water, combine sugar, corn syrup, 1/4 cup water, and egg whites. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until mixture registers 160 degrees on an instant-read thermometer, about 2 minutes.
  2. Attach bowl to a mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat mixture on high speed until glossy and voluminous, about 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla. Use immediately. After frosting, use a handheld kitchen torch to lightly toast the top of the frosting if desired.

Notes

Cupcake recipe from Hot Chocolate Layer Cake and frosting recipe from Martha Stewart

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