Chocolate cupcakes & marshmallow frosting Hi-hat cupcakes

Easy chocolate cupcakes recipe Hi-hat chocolate cupcakes style with silky and fluffy marshmallow frosting and a delicious crunchy dark chocolate layer as delicious as a slice of my chocolate birthday cake.

These cupcakes are super generous for chocolate lovers and perfect for any occasion! The crunchy chocolate shell reveals a cloud of sweetness with a fluffy marshmallow frosting to finish on a super chocolatey and flavourful cupcake.

They are quick and easy to make and super delicious. With multiple textures under your teeth ! the crunch of the chocolate shell, a smooth and sweet texture of the frosting and a soft and chocolatey cupcake.

Hi-hat Chocolate Cupcakes

These easy chocolate cupcakes called high-hat cupcakes or Hi-hat cupcakes is a super original recipe! A really easy recipe with a perfect composition of texture and flavors! To prepare for all occasions, especially to offer to loved ones or for a birthday.

It's a perfect combination with perfectly textured, soft and moist chocolate cupcakes. With a super silky and sweet homemade marshmallow fluff frosting and a crunchy chocolate shell.

This dessert is a perfect recipe for making homemade chocolate cupcakes. With a super moist, soft texture and great chocolate taste.

Homemade marshmallow Fluff frosting

Marshmallow Fluff frosting is an American specialty with a soft and silky texture that you can buy in the supermarket. But here it's a homemade version made with egg whites and syrup, a recipe similar to Italian meringue.

A crunchy chocolate shell

And what we like even more in this recipe is this hard chocolate shell that makes these cupcakes even more delicious. A crunchy layer under the tooth, which lets discover a silky and sweet icing, a perfect association full of flavors.

Useful tools for this recipe

• Cupcake pan
• Cupcake liners
• Disposable piping bag
• Ice cream scoop
• Candy thermometer
• Stand mixer or electric mixer

Ingredients

Flour

Use all-purpose flour, I usually use white wheat flour that you can easily replace with another flour.

Tip: For a gluten free version simply change the flour to rice flour, or another gluten free flour.

Cocoa powder

Cocoa powder complements the texture of the flour and adds the flavor of chocolate to the cupcakes. Use mostly real, unsweetened cocoa powder.

Eggs

I use medium to large eggs, at room temperature so that they can be mixed with the other ingredients to make a smooth and homogeneous batter.

Tip: If your eggs are cold, run them for a few moments under hot water to bring them back to room temperature faster.

Sugar

A fine granulated sugar, I used a white refined sugar but you can use a sugar not refined like brown sugar, cane sugar or coconut sugar.

Vegetable oil

In this recipe no butter or a mixture of both, just vegetable oil which will give an extra moist texture to your cupcakes. You can smell a little oil when you take it out of the oven, but once it's at room temperature you won't notice it's made of oil. Also use a neutral vegetable oil, such as grapeseed oil or canola oil.

Tip: If you prefer to use butter, it is possible, use the same amount as the oil, just the butter must be either melted and cooled down a bit or softened well.

Buttermilk

These chocolate cupcakes are made with buttermilk which is a key ingredient to get that super moist and soft texture. You can simply substitute it with plain yogurt.

Tip: As I know it's not easy to always have buttermilk in your fridge, you can replace it with either semi-skimmed milk and if you can add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar. 

Leavening agents

A mixture of baking powder and baking soda to help the dough rise and have soft cupcakes.

Tip: Fill the cupcake cases halfway as the dough will rise in the oven and they may overflow if you put too much dough in.

Instant Espresso

As an option, instant espresso will help accentuate and bring out the chocolate's strong taste, so you won't smell the coffee in the cupcakes at all.

Salt and vanilla extract

Add a pinch of salt and a little vanilla extract to bring out all the flavors of the ingredients.

How to make Hi-hat chocolate cupcakes

Making the easy chocolate cupcakes

Start by preheating the oven and placing paper liners in a cupcake pan. (see recipe card above for complete instructions)

Then in one container, mix together all the dry ingredients, flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, packet of instant espresso coffee (optional), baking powder and baking soda and pinch of salt.

In a separate large bowl, whisk together the wet ingredients, vegetable oil, powdered sugar, eggs and vanilla until well blended.

Finally, add alternately the dry ingredients and the buttermilk milk, mixing gently between each addition until a homogeneous paste is obtained.

Then, using an ice cream scoop, fill cupcakes liners halfway (not more than that, otherwise they will overflow).

Bake in the oven at half height for about 12 to 15 minutes without opening the oven door. A few minutes before the end, Check for cooking with a toothpick inserted in the center which should come out clean.

Remove the cupcakes from the oven and let them cool for a few minutes before removing them from the pan and letting them cool completely on a wire rack.

Homemade marshmallow Fluff frosting

Start by making the sugar syrup by placing the water and powdered sugar in a saucepan and heating over medium heat.

Check the temperature with a cooking thermometer, it should reach 244°F/118°C.

Meanwhile, place the egg whites at room temperature in the bowl of your hand mixer or stand mixer with the whisk attachment. As soon as the thermometer reads 239°F/115°C, start mixing the egg whites at medium speed.

When the syrup reaches the right temperature, the whites should be foamy, then gently add the cooked sugar to the mixer bowl while letting it run at slow speed.

Continue mixing the whites and syrup at high speed for about 5 to 7 minutes. While mixing add the vanilla extract, the meringue is ready when it is cooled, white and forms firm peaks. 

Then fill a disposable pastry bag with the marshmallow frosting and form swirls on the chocolate cupcakes, starting from the center and working your way up.

Finish by placing your cupcakes in the freezer for at least 30 minutes.

Chocolate Glaze

Start by breaking the chocolate into pieces and placing it in a container with the vegetable oil. Then place this container on a saucepan filled with a little water to melt it in a double boiler.

When the mixture has melted and is smooth, transfer it to a deep container, I took a glass for this step.

Then take the cupcakes out of the freezer, the meringue should be frozen and firm to the touch so it doesn't melt when it comes in contact with the hot chocolate mixture.

Hold the cupcakes upside down and dip the marshmallow frosting completely into the melted chocolate and remove immediately. Shake a little to release excess chocolate.

And place the cupcakes covered with chocolate glaze on a cake rack and let them cool completely, the chocolate will harden and form a hard shell.

You can decorate the cupcakes with gold leaf or chocolate sprinkles.

How to store

These hi-hat chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 1-2 days.

More cupcakes

• Lemon Curd Cupcakes
• Coconut cupcakes
• Vanilla cupcakes

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