I’m only a teensy bit obsessed with all things marshmallow. Did you know that about me by now?! I find more and more excuses to stir a little marshmallow cream into this and that and the other thing. I can’t help myself. I ♥ it!
And when I tasted the fluffy hidden surprise inside these Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Marshmallow Filling and Chocolate Buttercream (a mouthful, I know!)…I knew I had reached a new level of marshmallow bliss. Even our oldest daughter said, “That filling tastes like pumpkin pie!”
I know!!
And it tastes sooooooo wonderful surrounded by chocolate…a moist cake and a creamy buttercream swirl. It’s a lovely fall ensemble!
I created these cupcakes for more than my own selfish marshmallow needs, though. They are, first and foremost, a sweet treat to benefit sweet kids and their families who are dealing with cancer. I teamed up with OXO to Bake a Difference. For this blog post, OXO will be donating $100 to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer, a non-profit organization founded in 2008 by two OXO employees who were inspired by their young son Liam’s battle with cancer.
Be sure to keep an eye out for this sticker. Purchase any of these stickered OXO Baking Tools and OXO will donate 25 cents in support of pediatric cancer as part of the company’s $100,000 pledge to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer in 2013.
100% of proceeds raised by Cookies for Kids’ Cancer fund pediatric cancer research.
I had been wanting to try OXO’s cupcake corer, so this cause provided the perfect opportunity to do so. Previously, I was using a paring knife to cut little cone shapes out of the cupcake centers when I wanted to add a filling. Such a pain! This little tool turned out to be a super time saver, and proved itself worthy of being added to my gadget drawer.
Cupcakes, anyone?!
Chocolate Cupcakes with Pumpkin Spice Marshmallow Filling & Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
- for the chocolate cupcakes:
- 3 c. all-purpose flour
- 6 T. cocoa
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 c. sugar
- 1 T. espresso powder
- 2 tsp. baking soda
- ⅔ c. vegetable oil
- 2 T. vinegar
- 2 c. cold water
- 2 tsp. vanilla
- for the pumpkin spice marshmallow filling:
- 2 c. marshmallow cream purchased or homemade
- 1 c. unsalted butter softened
- 2 tsp. cinnamon
- ½ tsp. ground ginger
- ¼ tsp. nutmeg
- ¼ tsp. allspice
- ⅛ tsp. ground cloves
- for the chocolate buttercream:
- 1-1/2 c. unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 c. powdered sugar sifted
- 2 T. heavy cream
- 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
- ¼ tsp. cinnamon plus more for dusting the finished cupcake
- ¼ tsp. kosher salt
- 6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate melted and cooled
Instructions
for the chocolate cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350° F. Line 2 regular size cupcake pans with 24 paper liners and set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk all dry ingredients to combine. Make 3 large holes in the dry ingredients. In a separate smaller bowl, combine oil and vinegar. Pour this into the 3 holes. Pour the water over entire mixture. Mix with a fork. Add vanilla and stir. Divide evenly into the 24 cupcake wells. Bake for about 25 minutes, or just until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove cupcakes to wire rack to cool completely.
for the pumpkin spice marshmallow filling:
- In a medium bowl, stir together all ingredients until incorporated.
for the chocolate buttercream:
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle, beat the butter until creamy. At low speed, beat in the powdered sugar. Increase the speed to high and beat until fluffy, scraping down the side of the bowl, about 2 minutes longer.
- At low speed, beat in the cream, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt, then gradually beat in the cooled chocolate. Scrape down the side of the bowl and the paddle, increase the speed to medium-high and beat until light, 3 minutes longer. Using a wooden spoon, vigorously beat the buttercream for 30 seconds to deflate any air bubbles.
to assemble the cupcakes:
- With a cupcake corer or a paring knife, cut a hole in the top center of each cupcake. Aim to cut about 1” deep. If the hole is any deeper, the cupcake gets weak. Spoon the pumpkin spice marshmallow filling into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (or use a sturdy plastic zip bag and snip off a corner.).
- Pipe the marshmallow filling into each cupcake hole. Then spoon the chocolate buttercream into a pastry bag fitted with a large plain tip (I used Ateco No. 808) and swirl it on top of each cupcake. Finish with a dusting of cinnamon.
Notes
Nutrition Information:
If you liked these chocolate cupcakes, you might like:
- Chocolate Cupcakes with Fluffy Marshmallow Buttercream
- Layered German Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Ganache
- Chocolate “Wacky Cake” Cupcakes with Salted Caramel Buttercream
- Malted Milk Chocolate Cupcakes from Brown Eyed Baker
- Dark Chocolate Cupcakes from Savory Simple
- Double Chocolate Cupcakes from Simply Recipes
I was not compensated to write this post. OXO provided me with a set of cupcake baking tools and will be making a donation to Cookies for Kids’ Cancer for this post.
These cupcakes sound incredible, Brenda! I love the chocolate-pumpkin flavor combo!
Wow, these look fantastic. I want to dive right in! I love your cupcake liners. Very festive. :)
I am so glad to see a big company do something for childhood cancer. Too many kids going through this awful stuff and not enough support like there is for breast cancer. Check out MiracleParty.org I think it is to see what a mother started and now has many volunteers. They really need support.
Oh yum — these look amazing, Brenda!
Can’t wait to make these Brenda! I have to go find that OXO cupcake corer tool! What a great way to help with a good cause and get another gadget to add to my baking drawer. The cupcakes sound like they will taste fantastic!
Breanda these are so fun! My kids would LOVE these as an after school treat. Just pinned to try soon!!
Is the pumpkin missing from the recipe or do the spices mimic the pumpkin flavor?
Correct, Jackie. There is no pumpkin in it. It’s “pumpkin spiced”. I actually tried mixing pumpkin and marshmallow, but it made for a very unpleasant combination! ;)
These are beautiful cupcakes! I love everything about them :)
Oh me oh my! This one might be a problem. I don’t think I can share these with my kids. Yum!!!
Oh, my, oh, my.
Looks great, Brenda!
Happy weekend!
So you are telling me I can bake cupcakes AND contribute the greater good? Lady, what a win! These cupcakes are totally my happy place: chocolate, pumpkin, and marshmallow. All of life’s good things!
(PS. I desperately need a cupcake corer. All of my hand-done holes are a disaster!)
I’m definitely putting these on my ‘to make’ list. They look decadent and delicious.
Love the cupcakes, love the frosting! Love everything!
I love chocolate and pumpkin together! These cupcakes are fabulous!
Brenda, these are simply beautiful, and sound sooooooo delicious! Perfect fall flavor combo! :)
Good thing those aren’t in front of me because I’d polish off ALL of them ; )
Wow…pumpkin spice + marshmallow….I’m sold! These cupcakes are beautiful!
These are so cute, Brenda!!
Your obsession in cupcake form with pumpkin and chocolate. Oh my gosh are these spectacular! If these are anything like your Banana Cupcakes I may not stop making them! What a great cause to endorse and I am ordering a cupcake corer too
These are some of the greatest cupcakes I have seen in a while! Great cause and insane flavor!! I love the pumpkin spice marshmallow filling and that frosting? YUM!!