My aunt used to bring a box of snack cakes to every family cookout, and the ones with the cream center always disappeared first. This is the homemade version. You get a soft cocoa cupcake, a marshmallow cream middle, and a chocolate ganache dip on top.
The batter is a one-bowl job. You sift the dry things, add the wet things, and whisk. That is it. The part that takes a little patience is the filling and the two toppings, so read the whole method once before you start.
One batch gives you 24 cupcakes, which is two standard muffin tins. If that is more than you need, the extras freeze well and I have notes on that below.
Step-by-Step Instructions
1. Heat the oven
Set the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two muffin tins with paper liners. Do this first so the batter does not sit around once it is mixed.
2. Sift the dry ingredients
Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk until there are no cocoa lumps left.
3. Add the wet ingredients
Pour in the warm water, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until the batter is smooth and glossy. It will be fairly loose, thinner than a brownie batter.
4. Fill the liners
Scoop the batter into the liners, filling each one a little more than halfway. You should get 24 cupcakes from the batch.
5. Bake
Bake for about 20 minutes. The tops should spring back when you press one gently with a fingertip, and a skewer in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely in the tins.
6. Whip the filling
Beat the chilled heavy cream with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add the marshmallow cream and keep beating until the peaks stand up stiff.
7. Bag the filling
Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a medium round tip, or a zip-top bag with one corner snipped off.
8. Core and fill the cupcakes
Push the end of a whisk handle down into the center of each cooled cupcake to make a hole. Pipe the filling in and level the top with a small spatula. Freeze the filled cupcakes for 15 minutes while you make the toppings.
9. Melt the ganache
Put the chocolate chips and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
10. Stir up the icing
Mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth. It should fall off the spatula in ribbons. Too thin means a spoon more sugar, too stiff means a few drops more milk.
11. Dip the tops
Dip the top of each chilled cupcake into the ganache and set it aside to dry for 10 minutes.
12. Pipe the icing
Put the icing in a piping bag with a small tip, or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Pipe curls across the center of each cupcake and leave them at room temperature for 15 minutes to set.
Tips & Tricks
- Fill the liners a little more than halfway. Any fuller and the tops spread into each other before they set.
- Push the handle of a whisk or a small spoon straight down into each cooled cupcake to make the filling hole. Do not twist, or you tear the sides.
- Let the cupcakes cool completely before you fill them. A warm cake soaks up the filling and goes soggy.
- Chill the cream and the bowl for the filling. It whips in about half the time.
Pro Tips
Variations
No buttermilk
stir 1 tablespoon lemon juice or vinegar into 1 cup of milk and let it stand 5 minutes before using.
Less sweet
cut the sugar in the cake by up to 1/2 cup. The crumb stays soft, it just tastes sharper against the marshmallow center.
No piping bags
two zip-top bags work for both the filling and the icing. Snip a medium corner for filling and a very small one for icing.
How to Store Chocolate Snack Cupcakes
Refrigerator
Keep the finished cupcakes in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 4 days. The marshmallow filling is dairy, so do not leave them out overnight.
Freezer
Freeze filled cupcakes without the ganache and icing for up to 2 months. Wrap each one, then thaw in the fridge and add the toppings once they are cold.
Reheating
Let them sit at room temperature for about 20 minutes before eating so the cake softens. Do not microwave, the filling turns runny.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Can I make these cupcakes ahead of time?
Yes. Bake and fill them a day ahead, keep them covered in the fridge, and do the ganache and icing the day you serve them. The ganache dip stays glossy for a few hours and then dulls a little, which is normal.
Q: Why did my cupcakes sink in the middle?
Usually it is one of two things. Either the batter sat in the tin too long before baking, or the oven door was opened early. Get the batter into the oven as soon as it is mixed and keep the door shut for the first 15 minutes.
Q: Do I have to use buttermilk?
You can make your own with milk and lemon juice or vinegar, as noted in the variations. Plain milk works too, but the cupcakes rise a little less and taste slightly less tangy.
Q: How do I know the cupcakes are done without a timer?
Press the top of one near the center. It should spring back instead of leaving a dent. A skewer inserted in the middle should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
Q: Can I skip the marshmallow filling?
Yes. The cake and ganache work on their own. Just dip the cooled cupcakes in the ganache and add the icing curl.
Chocolate Snack Cupcakes With Marshmallow Filling
Moist chocolate cupcakes with a marshmallow cream center, a ganache dip and a thin icing curl on top. One batch makes 24 and bakes in about 20 minutes.
Ingredients
Instructions
- 1Heat the oven — Set the oven to 350°F (180°C) and line two muffin tins with paper liners. Do this first so the batter does not sit around once it is mixed.
- 2Sift the dry ingredients — Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt into a large bowl. Add the sugar and whisk until there are no cocoa lumps left.
- 3Add the wet ingredients — Pour in the warm water, buttermilk, eggs and vanilla. Whisk until the batter is smooth and glossy. It will be fairly loose, thinner than a brownie batter.
- 4Fill the liners — Scoop the batter into the liners, filling each one a little more than halfway. You should get 24 cupcakes from the batch.
- 5Bake — Bake for about 20 minutes. The tops should spring back when you press one gently with a fingertip, and a skewer in the middle comes out clean. Cool completely in the tins.
- 6Whip the filling — Beat the chilled heavy cream with an electric hand mixer until soft peaks form. Add the marshmallow cream and keep beating until the peaks stand up stiff.
- 7Bag the filling — Spoon the filling into a piping bag with a medium round tip, or a zip-top bag with one corner snipped off.
- 8Core and fill the cupcakes — Push the end of a whisk handle down into the center of each cooled cupcake to make a hole. Pipe the filling in and level the top with a small spatula. Freeze the filled cupcakes for 15 minutes while you make the toppings.
- 9Melt the ganache — Put the chocolate chips and cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in 30-second bursts, stirring between each, until melted and smooth.
- 10Stir up the icing — Mix the powdered sugar and milk in a small bowl until smooth. It should fall off the spatula in ribbons. Too thin means a spoon more sugar, too stiff means a few drops more milk.
- 11Dip the tops — Dip the top of each chilled cupcake into the ganache and set it aside to dry for 10 minutes.
- 12Pipe the icing — Put the icing in a piping bag with a small tip, or a zip-top bag with the corner snipped. Pipe curls across the center of each cupcake and leave them at room temperature for 15 minutes to set.
Priya writes about eggs and breakfast casseroles, cookies and bars, and slow cook breakfasts that feed a crowd without fuss. Her angle is flexible, budget-minded cooking: one base recipe that scales for two or for a holiday table, with clear notes on freezing and reheating. She keeps the writing light and story-first, then lands on a tight recipe card.
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