CHOCOLATE SURPRISE CUPCAKES
Author: 
Recipe type: Dessert
Cook: 
Total time: 
Serves: 12
 
Ingredients
  • 1 cup cake and pastry flour (you can substitute all-purpose but they won't be QUITE as light and fluffy :))
  • ½ tsp baking powder
  • ¼ tsp baking soda
  • ¼ tsp salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • ¼ cup canola oil
  • 1 egg white
  • 1 whole egg
  • 2 tsp vanilla
  • 3 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
  • ⅔ cup buttermilk
  • 12 large marshmallows
  • MARSHMALLOW BUTTERCREAM ICING:
  • ½ cup butter, softened
  • 3½ cups confectioner's sugar, divided
  • 8-10 large marshmallows
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 2 Tbsp HOT water
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper liners.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
  3. In larger bowl, or bowl of electric mixer, cream together sugar and oil until well combined. Add egg white and beat well. Add whole egg and beat until mixture is very smooth.
  4. Beat it vanilla and melted chocolate.
  5. Alternately beat in flour mixture and buttermilk: Start with ⅓ of the flour mixture, then half the buttermilk, then another ⅓ of the flour, then the remaining buttermilk, and finally the remaining flour. The batter should be very smooth.
  6. Scoop batter into prepared pan, dividing evenly over 12 cupcakes. Bake for 20-22 minutes, until tops of cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a tester comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  7. Let cool in pan on rack for 5 minutes, then remove cupcakes from pan and, while hot, use a spoon to scoop out enough of the center to fit a marshmallow. Don't worry if the marshmallow doesn't fit all the way in - the heat from the cupcake will melt it a bit and it will smoosh down.
  8. Nibble on cupcake scraps while you let them cool completely before icing :)
  9. When cupcakes are cool, PREPARE ICING:
  10. Cream butter and 2 cups of confectioner's sugar until fairly well mixed.
  11. Melt marshmallows in microwave for about 30 seconds, stirring to complete melting. Add that sticky mess and your vanilla to the icing and beat (the marshmallow will stick to the beaters quite a bit at this point!).
  12. Add another 1½ cups confectioner's sugar and 2 Tbsp hot water and beat until icing is completely smooth. Add more water or confectioner's sugar if necessary to achieve desired consistency.
  13. Ice and decorate cupcakes as desired (if you're just spreading on a thin layer of flat icing, you will likely only need half of this icing recipe).
Notes
Store in an airtight container at cool room temperature for up to 4 days (refrigerating not recommended, but do keep them out of a sunbeam or the icing might get melty :))
Recipe by Hidden Ponies at https://hiddenponies.com/2012/06/saturday-sweets-chocolate-surprise-cupcakes/