Pumpkin S’mores Cupcakes
With a graham cracker crust, pumpkin sponge, chocolate ganache and a fluffy toasted meringue frosting, these cupcakes are a fall favorite.
I love S’mores, I love cupcakes and I love pumpkin…so naturally I was excited to create my own version of this flavorful mash up. These cupcakes have several flavors and textures, from the crunchy graham cracker crust to the light and fluffy marshmallow topping, making them a treat with a little something for everyone.
Ingredients and Equipment Needed
As far as ingredients, these cupcakes do require a bit of ingredient prep, as there are four elements to the cupcakes: crust, cake, ganache and meringue.
The crust calls for a mixture of melted butter and graham cracker that is pressed into the bottom of cupcake tins. The pumpkin cake requires mostly pantry essentials like butter, sugar, vanilla and flour, but also requires a few less common ingredients like pumpkin puree, cinnamon, ginger and kefir. I like to use Lifeway Kefir, which looks like this and can be found in most grocery stores. The ganache calls for quality baking chocolate that is whisked into simmering heavy cream, and the meringue is made with granulated sugar, egg whites and vanilla.
As far as equipment, a handheld or stand mixture is required, but the stand mixer is ideal for making meringue, as it requires vigorous whisking for ten minutes. I highly recommend a food processor to pulse the graham cracker into fine crumbs and you’ll also need a sauce pan to complete the ganache, and a kitchen torch to toast the meringue.
Tips and Tricks to Make Pumpkin S’mores Cupcakes
1.) Use a food processor to turn the graham cracker into fine crumbs. Using a small measuring cup is a great tool to form the crust inside the cupcake tins, making it unified and firm.
2.) Look for a thick pumpkin puree that isn’t watered down and has a deep orange color. Libby’s Pumpkin Puree works best in my opinion. I like both their organic and conventional pumpkin.
3.) Both the cupcakes and ganache need to be cool before using. If either are warm/hot it will ruin the recipe.
4.) To core the cupcakes, a cupcake corer can be used, but a knife or serrated grapefruit spoon is equally efficient. Keep the tops of each cupcake core so they can be pressed back into the cupcake covering the ganache.
5.) Ideally, these cupcakes should be enjoyed the same day they are made. Both the ganache and meringue are best used cool and fresh.
6.) For the meringue, use whole egg whites, not cartoned. Further, the meringue should be made using a stand mixer.
Variations and Substitutions
Depending on taste and preference, these cupcakes can be changed accordingly, but keep in mind substituting or leaving out elements will change the intended flavor. But as always, have fun with the recipe, adapting it as you like.
I would consider this recipe intermediate to advanced, so if it feels too intimidating, try my Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Snack Cake, Pumpkin Cheese Pie or my traditional Pumpkin Spice Cake for an easier recipe. They are delicious and have fewer steps.
Final Tip
To make these cupcakes extra Halloween inspired, consider using leftover ganache to pipe little ghost faces onto the meringue.
Pumpkin S'mores Cupcakes
Ingredients
- 2 graham cracker sleeves
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- ½ cup butter, softened
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup brown sugar, packed
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- ½ tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup Lifeway organic plain whole milk kefir
- ½ cup canned pumpkin puree
- 8 ounces dark chocolate bar, chopped fine
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 5 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven 350 degrees F. Line two 12 count cupcake tins with liners. Set aside.
- To make the crust, using a food processor, pulse the graham cracker into fine crumbs. Stir in the melted butter and mix until combined. Press 2 tablespoons of graham cracker crumbs into each cupcake tin.
- To make the cake, in a mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugars on medium-high speed for 3 minutes. Drizzle the oil into the bowl on low speed. Once incorporated, turn the mixer back to medium-high speed for another 1-2 minutes.
- Add eggs one at a time, mixing batter until smooth and scraping the bowl after each egg addition. Add vanilla and briefly mix one more time.
- In a separate bowl, using a fine mesh sieve, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and salt. Spoon and level the flour for an accurate measurement.
- Add measured kefir and pumpkin puree into a glass measuring cup and whisk until smooth.
- Alternating between dry ingredients and the kefir puree mixture, add a third of the flour into the mixing bowl on low speed. Immediately follow with half of the kefir puree, followed by another third of the flour and the remaining half of the kefir puree. Finish with the remaining flour mixture. The mixer should be kept on low speed, so the flour and kefir don't splash out of the bowl. Scrape the bowl, making sure any dry ingredients trapped at the bottom are brought to the top. After scraping, turn the mixer up to medium speed for just a few seconds ensuring the batter is fully mixed and smooth.
- On top of the graham cracker crust, fill each cupcake tin with 1/4 cup of cake batter. Bake for 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Remove cupcakes from the cupcake tins promptly. Allow to cool on a wire wrack.
- To make the ganache, place the finely chopped chocolate into a medium size bowl. Heat the heavy cream until *just* starting to simmer. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and let sit for five minutes. Next, whisk the chocolate together until thick and smooth. Set aside to cool.
- To fill the cupcakes, once cooled, create a small well in each cupcake. Do not toss the cupcakes cores. Add a dollop of cooled chocolate ganache into each well. Cover the ganache with the piece of cupcake that was removed.
- To make the meringue, add five egg whites and 1 cup sugar into the bowl of an electric mixer. Place the mixing bowl over a saucepan filled with two inches of simmering water. Stirring constantly, heat the eggs and sugar until there are no granules present, or until 160 degrees F, for food safety concerns.
- Attach the bowl to the stand mixer using the whisk attachment, and mix on high speed for 10 minutes, or until the bowl is room temperature and the meringue has reached stiff peaks. Add the vanilla and mix briefly mix one more time.
- Using a large round piping tip, cover each cupcake with a large dollop of meringue. Toast each top of meringue with a kitchen torch. Enjoy immediately.
You May Like These…
