Espresso Infused Dark Chocolate Cupcakes with Whipped Sea Salt Buttercream, Honey Caramel Sauce, Smoked Fleur de Sel, + Crispy Cake Crumbs

Y'ALL. I am a self-proclaimed cupcake hater. Feel free to glitter bomb if you please, but it's just not my thang. Buttttttttt, these cupcakes have changed my tune. They are by far the best cupcakes I have ever made. The base is a luxurious espresso infused dark chocolate cupcake that has a deep complex flavor, yet manages to stay utterly moist during the baking process. My secret for that texture... a little bit of mayo. I know some of you will squirm, maybe throw your hands up in the air, or scoff at the idea of putting in a condiment that normally belongs on a hamburger into cake batter. But hear me out, okay? My great grandmother, Mama Jones, always added some creamy mayo into her recipes for cake. This is especially important in red velvet cake + any kind of chocolate cake. Listen though, it isn't too weird if you really think about it... mayo is simply eggs + oil whipped together. And well, we already put that in a lot of our cakes from the get=go, so why not give it the little push it needs to make an extra moist cake. Now that you've gotten over the initial shock factor of the mayo, the res of the batter has dark cocoa powder, freshly brewed espresso, buttermilk, and other classic baking ingredients. The star of this show, however, is by far the whipped sea salt buttercream. Why, oh why, I had I never thought of the concept. I never really like buttercream... it was always far too sweet, to the point where I almost just drop dead on the spot. But with the sea salt whipped in, it makes it not too sweet, not too salty... just rightttttt. While living in Savannah, a little gourmet chocolate shop was down the street from our apartment. We went nearly every week, if not twice, just so I could get my favorite truffle that had dark chocolate and a gooey local honey center. It was the most mind-blowing combination that I have ever come across. So a light bulb went off in my head and I just had an itch to top the cupcakes with a homemade honey caramel sauce. It was the perfect. And all those cupcakes needed was a sprinkle of smoked fleur de sel and a crispy dark chocolate cake crumbs. Voila! The best cupcakes y'all will ever eat, and I mean it!! Enjoy :)

For the Espresso Infused Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:

1 ¾C AP Flour

2C Sugar

1C Dark Cocoa Powder (high quality)

2t Baking Soda

1t Baking Powder

1t Kosher Salt

1C Buttermilk, Well-Shaken

½C Mayo

½C Vegetable Oil

2 Extra Large Eggs, Beaten

1t Vanilla Extract

1C Freshly Brewed Espresso

For the Whipped Sea Salt Buttercream:

2 Sticks of Salted Butter, Room Temperature (very soft)

½t Kosher Salt (add a little at a time until you have reached your desired saltiness)

2t Vanilla Extract

4C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

¼C Chilled Heavy Cream

For the Honey Caramel Sauce:

½C Honey

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter

¾C Light Brown Sugar, Packed

1 Can of Sweetened, Condensed Milk

¼t Kosher Salt   

Smoked Fleur de Sel, For Garnishing

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and line a cupcake pan with liners. Set this aside while you make the batter.

2. For the Espresso Infused Dark Chocolate Cake: Sift together the AP flour, sugar, dark cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of a standing mixer (fitted with the paddle attachment). In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, mayo, vegetable oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until completely combined. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. With the mixer still on low, pour in the coffee and stir to combine, scraping the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour the finished batter into the cupcake liners and bake for 10-15 minutes until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cupcakes cool completely before topping them with frosting.

3. For the Whipped Sea Salt Buttercream: In the bowl of a standing mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, add the softened, salted butter and beat until creamy. Throw in the salt and vanilla, and beat again. Start by adding one cup of confectioners’ sugar at a time, whipping it until it is smooth and incorporate before the next addition. Repeat until all of the confectioners’ sugar has been used. Finally, whip in the heavy cream to loosen the texture (you can use a little more if you need to).

4. For the Honey Caramel Sauce: In a medium saucepan, melt the honey, butter, and brown sugar on medium heat. Once melted, let the mixture come to a rolling boil for 2 minutes while stirring continuously. Add in the sweetened, condensed milk and stir to combine. Allow it to cook for another minutes or two so that it will thicken slightly. Remove from the heat and stir in the salt. Let this mixture cool slightly before topping the Buttercream with it.

5. Finishing the Cupcakes: Using a large ice cream scoop, gather the whipped sea salt Buttercream and plop it on top of the cooled chocolate cupcakes. Using a knife or a spoon, smooth out the sides and create a hollowed out center. Pour a little bit of the honey caramel sauce into the center and garnish with a sprinkle of smoked fleur de sel. If you want to decorate them, you can sprinkle on some chocolate sprinkles or toasted cake crumbs.

"Momofuku Style" S'mores Layer Cake with Chocolate Fudge Cake, Malted Chocolate Cake Soak, Malted Fudge Sauce, Graham Ganache, Graham Cracker + Chocolate Milk Crumbs, Charred Marshmallows, & Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

"Momofuku Style" S'mores Layer Cake with Chocolate Fudge Cake, Malted Cake Soak, Malted Fudge Sauce, Graham Ganache, Graham Cracker + Chocolate Milk Crumbs, Charred Marshmallows, & Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

Hi. Let's all be best friends. 

Okay? Why, you ask, I know. Well, 

Please... just please.

Now, that we got that clear. It's because I don't want to type a lengthy description of today's post. 

That's so lazy of me right? BUTTTT, there's so many components. Wordless Wednesday Monday.

1. Chocolate Fudge Cake 

2. Malted Chocolate Cake Soak

3. Malted Fudge Sauce

4. Graham Ganache

5. Graham Cracker + Chocolate Milk Crumbs

6. Charred Marshmallows

7. Toasted Marshmallow Frosting

That's it. NBD (no big deal). Amirite (am I right)? Right. Make this for everyone you know, and you'll have more best friends than Kate Hudson. She's so likable right? Love her. She has to have a lot of best friends, I just know it. Anyway, perfect for the 4th of July... it screams "Americana". 'Merica, f**k yeah!! Enjoy :)

P.S. Are there any fellow bloggers out there that want to do a guest post? I would love to have some people write recipes for my blog, or vice-versa! Comment below if you would like too!!

For the Malted Chocolate Fudge Sauce:

2oz Bittersweet Chocolate, Chopped

1C Chocolate Malt Ovaltine Powder

1t Sorghum Molasses

¼t Salt

2T Corn Syrup

¼C Sugar

½C Heavy Cream

For the Graham Cracker Milk Crumbs:

1 Sleeve of Graham Crackers, Roughly Crunched & Crumbled

½C Sugar

¼C Milk Powder

½tSalt

7T Melted Butter

  

For the Chocolate Milk Crumbs:

2/3C AP Flour

1t Cornstarch

½C Sugar

2/3C Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder 

1t Salt

6T Melted Butter

For the Chocolate Fudge Cake:

1 Stick of Unsalted Butter, Room Temperature

1 ½C Sugar

3 Eggs

½C Buttermilk

¼C Canola Oil

1t Vanilla Extract

3T Malted Chocolate Fudge Sauce (already prepared)

1 ¼C Cake Flour

½C Unsweetened Dark Cocoa Powder

1 ½t Baking Powder + Salt

     

For the Malted Chocolate Cake Soak:

¼C Milk

2T Malted Chocolate Ovaltine Powder

For the Graham Ganache:

1 ½C Graham Cracker Crumbs

¼C Milk Powder

2T Sugar

1t Salt (plus an extra pinch)

4T Melted Butter

¼C Heavy Cream

2/3C Milk (a little more may be needed for texture)

For the Toasted Marshmallow Frosting:

25 Large White Marshmallows, Toasted or Charred

1C Confectioners’ Sugar, Sifted

2 Sticks of Salted Butter, Room Temperature

1t Vanilla Extract

1 Jar of Marshmallow Crème

Directions:

1. For the Malted Chocolate Fudge Sauce: Combine the chocolate, Ovaltine powder, and salt in a medium bowl. Combine the corn syrup, molasses, sugar, and heavy cream in a saucepan and stir occasionally while bringing to a boil over high heat. The moment it boils, pour it into the bowl containing the chocolate. Let it sit for a minute. Slowly begin to whisk the mixture, and then increase the vigor of your whisking, every 30 seconds, until it is glossy and silky-smooth. Set this aside until ready to use.

2. For the Graham Cracker Milk Crumbs: Preheat the oven to 275 degrees and line a pan with a Silpat, and set it aside. Pour the sleeve of graham crackers into a bowl and crush them with your hands until they are quarter of the original size. Add the milk powder, sugar, and salt, and then toss to mix. Add the butter and toss to coat. This will bind the ingredients together. Spread the clusters onto the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until toasted, smell buttery, and crunch gently. Cool completely.

3. For the Chocolate Crumbs: Preheat the oven to 300 degrees and line a pan with a Silpat, and set it aside. Combine the flour, cocoa powder, cornstarch, sugar, and salt, and then toss to mix. Add the butter and toss to coat. This will bind the ingredients together. Spread the clusters onto the prepared pan and bake for 20 minutes or until toasted, smell buttery, and crunch gently (breaking them up gently throughout the cooking process). Cool completely. They will harden as they sit.

4. For the Chocolate Fudge Cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and then prepare your three cake pans by lining them with parchment paper and spraying them with Pam. (either 8 or 9inch pans will work here, as long as you have a 6inch cake ring). Combine the butter and sugar in the bowl of a standing mixer fitter with the paddle attachment and cream them together on medium-high heat for 2-3 minutes. Scrape down the side of the bowl, add in the eggs, and mix on medium-high heat for 2-3 more minutes. Scrape down the sides once more. On low speed, stream in the buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Increase to medium-high speed and paddle for 5 minutes, until the mixture is practically white, twice the size of your original fluffy mixture, and completely homogenous. Stop and scrape down again. Add the fudge sauce and mix on low speed until incorporated. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. On low speed, add the flour in and gently mix it until your batter comes together, about 1 minute. Scrape down and mix once again for 30 seconds to 1 minutes until the little lumps of flour are broken down. Pour the cake batter into the prepared pans, evenly. Bake each layer for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center runs clean. Remove the cake pans from the oven and let them cool completely to room temperature (on a cooling rack). Once they have cooled, you need to invert them out of the pan onto a silpat or cutting board. Next, spray your 6inch cake ring with Pam and use it to cut out the cake center (think of it like a large cookie cutter). Repeat with the other cakes, you should have three perfectly round and trimmed cakes (there will be a lot of leftover cake, which means you get to share it or snack on them while you’re decorating). After cutting them, you need to refrigerate them overnight or partially freeze them for a few hours, so that they will be firm in consistency and will hold their shape when assembling the cake.

5. For the Malted Chocolate Cake Soak: Whisk together the milk and Ovaltine until Smooth. Brush this mixture over the cake layers to soak and make it extremely moist.

6. For the Graham Ganache: Toss the graham crumbs, milk powder, sugar, and salt with your hands in a bowl to evenly distribute the ingredients. Whisk the butter and heavy cream together. Add to the dry ingredients and distribute. Place the small clusters into a food processor. Pour the milk into the food processor, along with salt, and puree on medium speed until whipped and smooth. It will take anywhere from 1-5 minutes, depending on how good your machine is. Scrape down the sides to make sure it is completely homogenous. Layer this ganache immediately into the cake layers.

7. For the Toasted Marshmallow Frosting: Place marshmallows on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper and sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. Place on lower rack of oven, and broil marshmallows until nice and brown on top, between 30-60 seconds. Remove pan from oven and gently turn the marshmallows over, and broil until they are golden brown (be sure to keep an eye on them, they burn very quickly). In an electric mixer fitted with paddle attachment, combine butter and icing sugar on low until blended, about 1 minute. Add vanilla and mix on med-high for about 3 minutes. Add marshmallow cream and toasted marshmallows, and mix on lowest setting for about 1 minute. Char some extra marshmallows to layer in between the layers of cake.

8. Assembling the Cake:This cake could easily be assembled any which way you like, but I decided to make it based off of the famous technique used by Momofuku Milk Bar. This requires a 6inch cake ring, strips of acetate, and pastry frosting bags. Since you have already cut the three cake layers with the 6inch cake ring, those no longer need to be trimmed. But, you will need to prep the cake ring for perfect layering. Place the cake ring onto your serving plate and line it with the acetate. Put one of the layers of cake into the ring; brush on some of the Ovaltine milk mixture (soak it good). Spread some of the graham ganache in an even layer. Sprinkle about 1C each of the prepared graham cracker and chocolate milk crumbs over the gooey butter topping, make sure to gently press the crumbs into the ganache, so the layers will mesh together (or a little more or a little less of the milk crumbs, it doesn’t have to be exact). Either using a pastry frosting bag or a large rubber spatula, add a third of the toasted marshmallow frosting on top of the milk crumbs and smooth it out over the crumbs until they are all completely covered. Top with some charred marshmallows as well. Garnish the frosting with a drizzle of malted chocolate fudge sauce. Repeat this layering process until all the ingredients have been used (you should have 3 chocolate fudge cake layers, 3 layers of milk crumbs, and 3 layers of graham ganache, toasted marshmallow frosting, and charred marshmallows). You can garnish the cake any way you like, but I just made a mound of more crumbs & fudge sauce drizzle. Transfer the tall, layered, assembled cake into the freezer and let it chill for 12 hours (keep the cake in the cake ring and lined with the acetate for the freezing process). At least 3 hours before you want to serve the cake, remove it from the freezer and pop it out of the ring and gently peel off the acetate liner. Let it defrost in the refrigerator for at least four hours. Slice the cake into wedges and serve immediately.