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Wilderness Explorers Cupcakes

Adventure is out there! Join Russell and the Wilderness Explorers on a camp out with these delicious s’mores campfire cupcakes! With a graham cracker crust, chocolate ganache and fluffy marshmallow frosting, these chocolate cupcakes will keep you nice and toasty while exploring the great outdoors!
Course Dessert
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Servings 12 cupcakes

Ingredients

Chocolate Cupcakes

  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ½ cup + 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • 1 egg
  • ½ cup milk
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup boiling water

Marshmallow Frosting

  • 1 ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 1 7.5 oz jar marshmallow fluff or creme
  • 2 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • yellow gel food coloring
  • orange gel food coloring

Chocolate Ganache

  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • 4 oz semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into pieces

Graham Cracker Crust

  • ¾ cup graham cracker crumbs
  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • pinch salt

Decorations

  • pretzel sticks
  • mini marshmallows
  • toothpicks

Equipment

  • 2 piping bags
  • 1 large star tip
  • 1 medium round tip

Instructions

Crust

  1. Preheat oven to 350 Line muffin pan with cupcake liners.
  2. In a medium bowl, combine graham cracker crumbs, butter, sugar, and salt.
  3. Press about 1 tablespoon of crust mixture into each cupcake liner. Set aside.

Cupcakes

  1. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
  2. Add in eggs, milk, oil, and vanilla; beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.
  3. Stir in boiling water (batter will be thin and runny).
  4. Pour into prepared muffin pan.
  5. Bake for 15 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
  6. Cool 5 minutes in the pan before transferring to a cooling rack.
  7. Cool cupcakes completely before frosting.

Frosting

  1. On medium speed, beat butter until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add in marshmallow fluff and beat on low speed until just combined, about 30 seconds.
  3. Gradually add in sugar and vanilla and beat on medium speed until fluffy. Make sure not to overbeat the frosting as it will become tough.
  4. Divide frosting into two bowls. Mix yellow food coloring into one bowl and orange food coloring into the other bowl.
  5. Alternating between scoops of orange and yellow frosting, fill a large piping bag fitted with a large star tip.

Ganache

  1. Place chocolate pieces in a heat-safe bowl.
  2. In a small saucepan, heat cream until it comes to just under a boil.
  3. Pour cream into the bowl with the chocolate and let sit for 3-5 minutes.
  4. Stir until smooth.
  5. Pour into a piping bag fitted with a round tip.

Assembly

  1. Cut a small hole into the top of each cupcake. Pipe a good amount of ganache into each cupcake. Smooth the tops of the cupcakes with an icing spatula or knife.
  2. Pipe frosting in a swirl onto each cupcake.
  3. Arrange four pretzel sticks, standing up, around the frosting swirl to look like sticks in a bonfire.
  4. Skewer two mini marshmallows onto each toothpick and stick a toothpick into each cupcake. If you would like toasted marshmallows, first place marshmallow on a metal skewer. Using a culinary torch or holding over the flame from a gas burner, carefully toast each marshmallow. Once toasted, transfer to a toothpick and place onto cupcake.