Rocky Road Cupcakes

It’s Cupcake Hero time again. This month’s theme was marshmallow. Thanks to everyone who voted in the poll. The winner by like 25 votes was Rocky Road. These cupcakes are fantastic! The devil’s food cake is p-e-r-f-e-c-t, yes I said it. The cake recipe is definitely a keeper. And the frosting…. Ooohhhhh the frosting…. It’s so sticky and ooey gooey, and with all the stuff mixed in it’s like eating a candy bar on top of a cupcake. I used the recipe for Sticky Fudge Frosting from Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans, and I just added traditional Rocky Road stuff to it. It is so indulgent! Make these right now!

Devil's Food Cupcake ingredientssmooth yummy batter

using my favorite kitchen tool, the ice cream scoop, to fill the cups

ready!

I get bored waiting, so I scooped some leftover batter into a pan.

Get it? Pan-cake? Yeah.

Well, duh it didn't work.

Devil's Food cuppies cooling

Rocky Road Frosting ingredients

melting everything over a double boiler (glass bowl over saucepan)

It's all smooth and ready to be whipped up!

Mmmm... doesn't this look tasty???

TADA! The Rocky Road Cupcake!

Devil’s Food Cupcakes (doubled from Cupcakes by Shelly Kaldunski)
Makes 24 cupcakes

2 cup all-purpose flour
½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 ½ tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
8 tbsp (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup lukewarm water
1/2 cup buttermilk

Position a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 350°F. Line two standard 12-cup muffin pans with paper or foil liners.

Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined. Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined; scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium-high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not overbeat.

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups, filling each about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 16-18 minutes. Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes. Transfer the cupcakes to the wire rack and let cool completely, about 1 hour.

Rocky Road Frosting (adapted from Sticky Fudge Frosting in Cupcakes! by Elinor Klivans)
Makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes

2 ounces unsweetened chocolate, chopped
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cup mini marshmallows
½ cup chocolate covered or plain almonds, coarsely chopped
½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Put the chocolate, butter, condensed milk, and salt in a heatproof bowl or the top of a double boiler and place it over, but not touch­ing, a saucepan of barely simmering water (or the bottom of the double boiler). Cook, stirring constantly, until the chocolate and butter have melted and the frosting is smooth and thick, about 5 minutes. Remove from the water and stir in the vanilla.
Scrape the chocolate mixture into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed until the frosting thickens further and cools to lukewarm (so it won’t melt the marshmallows), about 3 minutes. When thickened, the beaters should form lines in the frosting. Fold in marshmallows, almonds, and chocolate chips. Allow the frosting to thicken until it’s a spreadable consistency that won’t run down the sides of the cupcakes. (Just play around with it, you’ll know when it’s ready.) Let the cup­cakes sit uncovered until the frosting firms up, about 1 hour.
These cupcakes are best stored in a covered container to protect the frosting; store for up to 3 days at room temperature.