Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercream
These hot chocolate cupcakes are topped with a delicious marshmallow buttercream and made to look like little cups of hot cocoa! With a candy cane handle and mini marshmallows on top, these are so fun for the holidays!
Happy Thanksgiving Eve, y’all. It’s hard to believe that Thanksgiving is already here and right around the corner we have Christmas to look forward to. Time seriously feels like it’s flying by, but today I’m feeling a little down about that.
One of my best friends and her family is moving today, and it just feels like I have a big hole in the middle of my heart. See, when you live this military life the friends you make become like family.
You may have heard that said before from other military spouses, or maybe you’ve even experienced it yourself. If you have, then you know the pain that comes from having to say goodbye to someone you love and not knowing when or if your paths will cross again.
I’ve been blessed to make a handful of very very close friends through the army, friends who are like sisters to me. One of them is leaving me today and I’m really struggling with it.
The hardest part of all, though, is that I’m not the only one losing my best friend. My son is losing one, too.
See, he and my friend’s son are like two little trouble-making peas in a pod! They’ve been buddies since preschool and watching them say goodbye to each other last night really tore me apart. Mostly because neither one of them is registering what’s happening, and also because I know this is just the first of many heartaches that I’ll feel on behalf of my little guy.
It is crazy to me how poignantly a mother feels every emotion for her child, even when they can’t yet express those feelings themselves. Mothers are so intuitive, it’s incredible.
I’m sorry to be so down in the dumps today, but I knew that what I needed to deal with a situation like this was definitely chocolate. When I feel a big depression like this one coming on, I soothe it with chocolate, french fries, Stella Rosa wine, and trash TV!
If you’re looking for me over the next few weeks, I’ll probably have one of those things nearby. Just keep a lookout.
These cupcakes were a lot of fun to make and even though I feel sad today, they still bring a smile to my face and make me excited for the holidays. I used my favorite chocolate cake recipe for the cupcakes then topped them with a marshmallow buttercream.
The buttercream is light and creamy, and so delicious. Finally I added some mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes to the top, then finished them off with a a mini candy cane handle. They look like little cups of hot cocoa, and it’s hard not to smile when you’re holding one of those. Chocolate to the rescue, right?
More Great Holiday Dessert Recipes
- The Best Chocolate Pecan Pie
- Starbucks Cranberry Bliss Bars
- The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Gingerbread Cookies
Recipe: Hot Chocolate Cupcakes with Marshmallow Buttercream
Ingredients
Cupcakes:
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup buttermilk
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 cup hot water
Buttercream:
- 3/4 cup unsalted butter,, softened
- 1 (7 oz) container marshmallow creme
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Toppings and decor:
- Mini candy canes,, cut to fit (see note below)
- Mini marshmallows
- Chocolate chips
- Crushed candy canes
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two muffin tins with cupcake liners and set aside. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt, baking soda, and baking powder. Mix well.
- Add in vanilla, eggs, buttermilk, and vegetable oil mixing until smooth. Pour in hot water and mix well. Batter will be very thin.
- Pour batter into prepared cupcake liners, about ⅔ full. Bake in preheated oven for 16-18 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool completely on a wire rack.
- To make the frosting, beat softened butter with an electric mixer over medium speed until smooth and creamy. Add in marshmallow creme and beat until combined. Finally add in the powdered sugar and vanilla, scraping down the sides of the bowl and mixing until smooth.
- Top the cooled cupcakes with frosting, then sprinkle each one with mini marshmallows, chocolate chips, and crushed candy canes. Add a candy cane handle by inserting the hook end of the candy cane into the top-side of each cupcake. Enjoy soon after decorating.
Notes
Made the cake version of these. Super easy recipe. The cake and marshmallow buttercream were to die for. Huge hit, can’t wait to make again!
These look amazing. I want to make them for my daughter’s girl guide pot luck. But we are so busy. can i make them ahead of time and freeze them?
Yes you can do that!
Could you make frosting the day before and use next morning?
If you’re piping the frosting, make sure to double the recipe for the frosting. I made these and had to scramble to figure out extra frosting because the original recipe barely made enough for 12 cupcakes.
So yummy!! I made cupcake minis out of this recipe and they are so delicious. I just baked them at 2/3 the time (so about 11 min) and they came out perfectly moist! I did find I had to double the frosting recipe to have enough for all of the cupcakes, but I used Wilton icing tips so I may have just used more icing for each cupcake than if frosting with a spatula. 1 batch might be enough without the tips but I am not sure. This frosting did pipe very well with the tips. I also added about 1/3-2/3 more confectioners sugar to the icing just for taste as I found it a bit buttery, but that was just my taste buds! All in all a great recipe and will be making it again! 🙂
Better than I expected! I thought it would be sickly sweet but it’s not at all. It’s just a perfect combination of yumminess!
For those who have followed this recipe, does the buttercream pipe well with icing tips?