Tomorrow night, we’re going to a birthday party for my brother’s fiancee, Marie. I was asked to make the birthday dessert, so today, I went on the search for yet another new recipe.

I was browsing someone’s blog when I saw mention of marshmallow frosting. My brain went right from marshmallows to s’mores. So I thought–that’s it! There has to be a s’mores cupcake.

I immediately began searching for recipes and came across many different versions with different combinations of cupcakes, frostings, and garnish. I never did find something that completely suited what I was looking for, so I took different components from various places and came up with my own s’mores cupcake.

I started off with a graham cracker cupcake recipe. I decided to use a milk chocolate frosting filling to fulfill the chocolate portion of my s’mores cupcake, and then used a marshmallow buttercream on top.

This was my first time filling cupcakes, so I didn’t quite know what I was doing. Next time, I need to squeeze a bit more frosting inside, but it’s not bad for my first try.

I wouldn’t say that the finished cupcake tastes exactly like biting into a s’more. But it’s a pretty good likeness, and they have a tasty flavor. The cupcake definitely tastes like graham cracker. I just wish the marshmallow buttercream tasted a bit more like marshmallow… perhaps there is a way to use real marshmallows instead of Fluff? I’ll have to explore that idea more next time.

I sprinkled extra graham cracker crumbs on top of the frosting, then finished off each cupcake with a Hershey’s milk chocolate square. Delightful!

Graham Cracker Cupcakes
(Source: Vanilla Garlic)

Ingredients:
– 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
– 1 cup sugar
– 3 eggs, room temperature
– 1 cup milk
– 1 cup flour
– 1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
– 1 tsp. baking soda
– 1 tsp. baking powder
– 1/8 tsp. salt

Directions:
1. Beat the butter for about 30 seconds until well creamed. Add the sugar and mix for 3 minutes using a paddle attachment until light and fluffy.

2. Add the eggs, one at a time, being sure to beat for 30 seconds for each egg.

3. Place graham crackers in a food processor or in a plastic bag and beat the crud out of them until they’ve been ground into small crumbs and powder. (I used a whole “sleeve” of graham crackers, so I left them in their original packaging and crushed them in there. I had a bit of extra, but I used most of the excess to sprinkle on top of the cupcakes when they were finished.)

4. Sift together the flour, graham cracker crumbs, baking soda and powder, and salt. Add about 1/4 of the mixture to the butter mixture, then add some of the milk. Continue to add the ingredients in a dry-wet-dry method, ending with the dry. Continue to mix until just combined.

5. Scoop into cupcake papers and bake for 15-18 minutes in a 350 degree oven or until a toothpick comes out clean. (These cupcakes don’t rise much, so go ahead and fill the liners up most of the way.)

Makes 12-14 cupcakes. (I got 16.)

Once the cupcakes were cool, I filled a piping bag with milk chocolate frosting. Using a fairly large tip (it’s a star tip, so it has the sharp ridges on top), I stuck the tip down into the top of the cupcake and gave the bag a good squeeze while I pulled it up and out of the cupcake.

Milk Chocolate Frosting
(Source: RecipeZaar.com)

Ingredients:
– 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, room temperature
– 1/8 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted
– 1 cup powdered sugar
– 1 1/2 tbsp. whipping cream (more if needed) — I substituted milk

Directions:
1. Place softened butter into a mixing bowl.

2. Add in the cocoa powder, powdered sugar, and whipping cream. Start beating with an electric mixer. Add in more whipping cream as needed to create desired texture.

3. Beat until mixture is smooth and creamy.

Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting
(Source: Hello, Cupcake!)

Ingredients:
– 1 container (16 oz.) Marshmallow Fluff
– 3 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into 1-inch pieces
– 1 tsp. vanilla extract
– 1/2 cup confectioner’s sugar, plus additional sugar, if necessary

Directions:
1. Spoon the Marshmallow Fluff into a large bowl. Beat with an electric mixer on low.

2. Gradually add the butter pieces, beating well after each addition, until smooth.

3. Add the vanilla extract and the confectioner’s sugar. Scrape the bowl well to incorporate. Add more confectioner’s sugar, if necessary, to adjust the texture.

I have had this recipe saved as a “must try” for a really long time. I have just been waiting for the right occasion to make it.

That occasion came yesterday, which was my sister-in-law’s 18th birthday.

I baked the cake on Tuesday, and brought it over to my in-laws’ for the little family party last night. I had never made brown butter frosting before; in fact, I don’t know if I had ever even tasted it before. I was surprised at how different it tastes than normal buttercream, but the surprise was certainly pleasant. It is very sweet!

The sweetness of the frosting perfectly compliments this cake, which is not overly sweet on its own. The cake is moist, but dense. It reminds me of a pound cake in a lot of ways.

Anyway, it was a complete hit. Everyone loved it. My father-in-law (not a big sweets eater) even liked it, and my mother-in-law sang its praises as well. And of course, the birthday girl thought it was tasty, too.

Banana Cake with Brown Butter Frosting

For the frosting:
– 6 tablespoons butter (no substitutions)
– 3 cups confectioners’ sugar
– 5 tablespoons milk
– 2 teaspoons vanilla

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13×9 baking pan; set aside. (I decided to make a two-layer cake, so I used two 8-inch rounds. I greased and floured them well.)

2. In a small bowl, combine bananas, lemon juice, and vanilla.

3. In another small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon.

4. In a large bowl, add brown sugar, sugar and butter; beat on medium speed until light and creamy. Add 1 egg at a time; beat well after each one.

5. On low speed, alternately add the flour mixture and the banana mixture; start with flour and end with flour. Beat batter just until smooth.

6. Spoon batter into prepared pan and bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick comes out clean. (Baking time was about the same even though I used smaller pans. I started with 20 minutes, and kept adding time as needed. I kept checking it with a toothpick.)

Cool cake on wire rack.

For the frosting:
1. In a small sauce pan, heat butter over medium heat until melted and dark nutty brown color, but not burned, about 6 to 8 minutes; stir occasionally. Immediately transfer butter into pie plate; refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes. (I had to crank the heat a little higher on my stove in order to brown the butter. If you have to do the same, make sure to keep a close eye on it. It’s important not to burn it. The butter is browned when the little “grains of sand” you’ll see in the bottom turn a uniform color, a nutty brown.)

2. In a large bowl, add chilled butter, sugar, milk and vanilla on medium speed until creamy and smooth. (I recommend adding your milk one tablespoon at a time until you reach the consistency you want. When I added the full 5 tablespoons at once, my frosting turning out more like an icing or a glaze, and I ended up having to add more sugar and brown more butter to get my desired consistency.)

3. Spread frosting over cooled cake.

P.S. Please excuse my conflicting photography styles in this post. I am working on learning some new techniques, so I’ve been doing a lot of experimenting and practicing!