Nothing says summer like roasting s’mores by the campfire. Some of my favorite memories involve sitting around a campfire with family, making double-marshmallow s’mores. I was always going for that perfectly roasted, golden brown marshmallow, but more often than not, lit it on fire (I swear, you look away for one second…and BAM).

This recipe is a twist on that nostalgic summer treat, complete with a buttery, homemade graham cracker crust that’s topped with decadent chocolate cake, and finished with a light and fluffy marshmallow meringue (it’s like marshmallow fluff, but way better). To top it off, you get to use a kitchen torch to “roast” the meringue and obtain that perfect, golden-brown finish - this step is definitely the family favorite!

While there are three separate steps to this recipe, I promise each is easy and totally doable. In fact, I’ve included my revamped cake mix recipe here to simplify things further. What is a revamped cake mix recipe, you ask? It’s when you use cake mix as a base while applying a few small tweaks to create an extra moist, flavorful cake that no one will ever know came from a box. BUT, if you want to take your chocolate cupcakes to the next level, I’ve got you! Check out my amazing from-scratch chocolate cupcake recipe in my salted caramel cupcakes post.

P.S. The heavenly graham cracker crust and marshmallow meringue recipes are from the wonderful Sally’s Baking Addiction. If you love these components as much as I do, be sure to check out her other incredible creations!

Ingredients

Graham Cracker Crust

• 1 and 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs (approximately 10 graham cracker sheets)

• 1/3 cup granulated sugar

• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Easy Chocolate Cupcake

• 1 package Duncan Hines devil’s food cake mix (15.25 ounce)

• 1 package instant chocolate pudding mix (3.9 ounce)

• 1/3 cup vegetable oil

• 3 large eggs, room temperature

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
  

Marshmallow Meringue

• 3 large egg whites, room temperature

• 3/4 cup granulated sugar

• 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

Recipe yields 18 cupcakes.

Chocolate Cupcakes

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and move oven racks to top and center of oven. Line two muffin pans with 18 cupcake liners.

2. Make the crust: Using a food processor, pulse 10 graham cracker sheets into crumbs. Pour sugar and melted butter into a food processor, and pulse together until fully combined. Spoon approximately 1 and ½ heaping tablespoons of the graham cracker mixture into each cupcake liner. Press down firmly to create a tight and firm crust. Set aside.

3. Make the cake batter: In a large bowl using a hand mixer or KitchenAid Mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix together the cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, and water. Beat for one minute on medium speed until combined, then mix in chocolate chips. Spoon batter into each cupcake liner (on top of the graham cracker crust), filling the liner approximately ¾ full. Tap muffin pan on countertop 4-5 times to remove any air bubbles

4. Bake for approximately 18-22 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few crumbs (no wet batter). Every oven is different, so keep an eye on your cupcakes for the last few minutes.

5. Remove cupcakes from the oven and allow them to cool completely in pans.

6. Make the meringue: Place egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heatproof bowl. Set bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water (do not let the bowl touch the water; you can use a double broiler if you have one). Whisk constantly until sugar is dissolved, approximately 4 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and add vanilla. Using a hand mixer or KitchenAid Mixer with a whisk attachment, beat on high speed for approximately 5 minutes, until stiff glossy peaks form (see photo).

7. Pipe meringue onto cooled cupcakes. I used a Wilton 2A tip.

8. Use a kitchen torch to lightly brown the meringue. If the meringue catches on fire, just blow it out quickly.

Recipe Notes

• Cupcakes will stay fresh in an airtight container at room temperature for 1-2 days.

• I prefer to use Duncan Hine’s cake mix because it does not contain instant pudding mix already, enabling more control over the amount of pudding inside.

• When forming your graham cracker crusts, find something in your kitchen that’s about the same size of the cupcake liner to help firmly press the crust so it’s nice and compact (ex: bottom of a 1/4 cup measuring cup).

• This recipe uses coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor. I promise you won’t taste the coffee, but if this ingredient is not your style, use ½ cup warm water instead.

• Greek yogurt (5% milk fat) or sour cream are great options to add moisture to your cake. In addition, the acid in these ingredients tenderizes the gluten in the flour, creating a fine crumb.

• My go-to piping bags are 16 inch Wilton disposable piping bags.

• If you’re new to piping cupcakes, check out this awesome tutorial video that shows you how to set-up your piping bag and how to frost your cupcake using four common piping tips.