Pumpkin s’more cupcakes

pumpkin s'more cupcake close up

As previous iterations on this blog indicate, s’mores are great. And seeing how I currently reside in a place obsessed with seasonality, why not cheekily join the trend and unite the beloved s’more with one of autumn’s best symbols – a humble pumpkin? It truly is amazing how versatile a pumpkin can be, easily stepping up to either savoury or sweet dishes. Along with carrot and zucchini, it’s a great way to increase one’s produce intake and make desserts at least a little bit healthier. Obviously – and especially during this time of the year – there are countless inspirations and interpretations all over the web, but here is my take on pumpkin s’more cupcakes.

I generally like to experiment with flour combinations, but you can use all white or all purpose flour for this recipe as the most commonly available. Pumpkin pure used here is simply out of a can without any additions or flavours. Since I usually have left over whey from cheese making, I often use it in place of milk but any type of your preferred milk should work.

Pumpkin s’more cupcakes ingredients:

165g flour (I used 95g white and 70g whole wheat)
1tsp baking powder
½tsp baking soda
½tsp fine salt
1½tsp ground cinnamon
½tsp ground nutmeg
pinch of ground cloves
125g melted butter
2 large eggs
300g pumpkin pure
85g brown sugar
80ml whey (milk)
1tsp vanilla extract

For the ganache and Swiss meringue frosting:

80g dark chocolate 55%
70ml heavy cream
pinch of salt
75g egg white (from about 2 large eggs)
75g sugar
1tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat oven to 175C(350F) and line a standard 12 muffin tin with paper cups. Combine 165g flour, 1tsp baking powder, 1/2tsp soda, 1/2tsp salt, 1½tsp cinnamon, 1/2tsp nutmeg and a pinch of cloves. In a separate bowl combine 125g melted butter, 2 large eggs, 300g pumpkin pure, 85g brown sugar, 80ml whey (milk) and 1tsp vanilla extract.
Lightly whisk the flour and spices together. Then whisk the pumpkin mixture until well blended.
Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and quickly whisk together until just combined, do not overmix. Scoop the batter into lined muffin tin and bake in preheated oven for 18-20min, or until cupcakes have risen and a skewer/toothpick inserted into a centre of one comes out clean. Cool completely on a wire rack.
Once the cupcakes have cooled down, hollow out a bit of the centre of each cupcake, reserving the removed tops. To make the ganache: combine roughly chopped 80g dark chocolate, 70ml heavy cream and pinch of salt in a small bowl and heat in a microwave in short bursts, making sure to not overheat, stir until smooth. Using a spoon fill each cupcake with a little ganache and cover with the reserved tops.
To make the Swiss meringue: combine 75g egg white and 75g sugar in a mixer bowl set over a pot of lightly simmering water, making sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water. Heat while whisking occasionally until the mixture reaches a temperature of 55C(131F).
Remove the mixer bowl from the water bath and whisk the meringue on medium high until hard peaks form and the bowl is cool to touch, about 6-8min. Add 1tsp vanilla extract and whisk until combined.
When ready, transfer the finished Swiss meringue into a pastry bag and pipe it on top of the ganache-filled cupcakes. Alternatively, you could simply spoon a bit of the meringue onto the cupcakes and swirl around for a casual rustic look.
Finally, using a blowtorch, gently toast the meringue all over, holding the blowtorch horizontally near the paper cups in order to not set them on fire.