Is there anything more fun than a hi hat cupcake? These homemade chocolate cupcakes are fun to look at and even more fun to eat-especially with my favorite marshmallow frosting!
These cupcakes are incredibly tender, delicious, and with a little patience true show stoppers! I knew I had to add them to my easy dessert recipes!
I love how you can cut down the middle and get a perfect cross section of the cupcake, frosting and hard chocolate shell. Amazing!
What you need for Hi Hat Cupcakes:
- Cupcakes From Scratch: Unsalted Butter, Cake Flour, Baking Soda, Salt, Cocoa Powder, Instant Espresso Powder, Boiling Water, Buttermilk, Vanilla Extract, Sugar, Vegetable Oil, Extra-Large Eggs
- Marshmallow Frosting: Egg Whites, Sugar, Cream of Tartar, Vanilla Extract Food Coloring
- Chocolate Shell: Refined Coconut Oil, Chocolate Chips
Tips and Tricks
- Cupcakes: Use any cupcake recipe you want! Check out my white chocolate, yellow, funfettie, grapefruit, orange, or lemon, or use boxed cake mix!
- Eggs: I love using extra large eggs for this recipe but if all you have is large eggs just sub those out 1-1. In recipes with 3 or less extra large eggs the extra liquid isn't missed too much.
- Marshmallow Frosting: I use carton egg whites for this recipe! That way you don't have a bunch of leftover egg yolks.
Holiday Variations
- Easter: For these cupcakes I thought it'd be perfect to add a little Easter coloring to the frosting for a fun surprise! I left some frosting white, and then dyed the rest light purple and light green.
- Christmas: I'd do a red or green with a white swirl.
- Halloween: I'd make a deep purple and bright orange.
- 4th of July: I'd do Red, White, and Blue of course- either each individual, swirled, or layered like these 4th of July Cupcakes!
Design Advice
Try different tips when piping for different designs. Try sticking with the larger tips for easier piping.
Okay, let's talk about the amazing chocolate cupcake. This chocolate cupcake recipe isn't too complicated and produces a delicious cupcake every time!
This is my go to recipe I use to make the best buttermilk chocolate cake and my base for this amazing german chocolate cake. (If box mixes are more your style that's okay too! I recommend this Chocolate Strawberry Cake recipe if you go that route.)
How to make Hi Hat Cupcakes:
- Mix together the flour baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- Boil water and mix in espresso powder.
- Whisk together the cocoa powder, buttermilk, and vanilla, then combine with the espresso mixture.
- Whisk sugar and butter until fluffy. Then mix in each egg one at at time.
- Stir in the oil. Then, alternating between the buttermilk mixture and the flour mixture, fold in ½ at a time.
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- Bake until cupcakes are done, then allow them to cool completely.
Tips for amazing cupcakes:
- Flavor: The espresso powder helps bring out more of the chocolate flavor! If you don't have espresso powder use a little bit of strongly brewed coffee instead.
- Folding in the buttermilk and flour helps keep air in the batter creating a light cupcake.
- Fill cupcake liners only about ⅔rds full so that they have a nice flat area to pipe on the frosting.
How to make Marshmallow Frosting:
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heat proof bowl. Set over simmering water- but make sure it doesn't touch the water.
- Whisk until well combined and frothy.
- Add in your extract and any food coloring and transfer to a cold stand mixer.
- Whisk on high until stiff peaks form.
- Pipe onto cupcakes and refrigerate for 30 minutes to help set the frosting.
Tips for making the marshmallow frosting:
- When the bowl is over the simmering water whisk continually so you don't get scrambled eggs!
- I like to keep my mixing bowl in the refrigerator so it's nice and cold when I pour the egg white mixture in.
- Sometimes after whisking into stiff peaks, I will refrigerate the frosting before piping so it sets up even more.
- The key to this frosting is to keep it cold (after you cook it!).
How to make Chocolate Hard Shell?
- Microwave the chocolate chips and coconut for 30 seconds, stir, and repeat until melted!
- Dip the frosted cupcakes fast then set aside and allow to harden.
Tips for dipping your cupcakes in a chocolate hard shell:
- It's the same type of chocolate that creates a hard shell if you pour it on ice cream! Super easy to make too- just melt chocolate chips and coconut oil together and then dip away!
- I use the refined coconut oil so it doesn't leave a coconut taste, but hey if you like coconut flavor go ahead and use unrefined! Either type of coconut oil will work!
- I also recommend keeping the cupcakes in the fridge until you are ready to dip and then dip them fast. You don't want the frosting to melt off of the cupcake and fall into the chocolate.
Make sure to check out these other chocolate marshmallow recipes:
- Chocolate Marshmallow Wands
- Dark Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Birthday Cupcakes
- Moon Pies
- Marshmallow Cookies
- S'mores cookies, bars, brownies
Hi Hat Cupcakes
These hi hat cupcakes are fun to look at and even more fun to eat-especially with my favorite marshmallow frosting!
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Servings: 24 Cupcakes
Ingredients
Cupcakes
- 1 ⅓ cup cake flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup cocoa powder
- ½ teaspoon instant espresso
- ⅓ cup boiling water
- ½ cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- 1 ¼ cup sugar
- 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
- 1 extra-large yolk at room temperature
- ¼ cup vegetable oil
Marshmallow Frosting
- 10 egg whites*
- 2 ¼ cups sugar
- ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- 2 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract*
- Food Coloring optional
Chocolate Shell
- 3 tbs refined coconut oil*
- 3 cups chocolate chips*
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Preheat oven to Preheat oven to 350°F. Line cupcake pan with cupcake liners.
- Sift flour, baking soda and salt into a large bowl.1 ⅓ cup cake flour, ¾ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Boil water and add espresso to it, stirring until dissolved.½ teaspoon instant espresso, ⅓ cup boiling water
- Whisk cocoa powder, then buttermilk and vanilla into water/espresso mixture.⅓ cup cocoa powder, ½ cup buttermilk, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Using a stand mixer, whisk sugar and butter until fluffy. About 10 minutes.½ cup unsalted butter, 1 ¼ cup sugar
- Add each egg and the yolk, one at a time, into the butter mixture, letting each one fully mix into the batter before adding the next. About 2-3 minutes of mixing in between each egg. Add in oil and mix until fully combined.2 extra-large eggs, 1 extra-large yolk, ¼ cup vegetable oil
- Fold in ½ of the flour mixture and then fold in ½ of the buttermilk mixture to the batter. Then fold in remaining flour and then remaining buttermilk mixture.
- Bake for 20-25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
Marshmallow Frosting
- Combine egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in a heat proof bowl/double boiler. Set over pot of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn't touch the water. Whisk until well combined and frothy. It will be slightly warm. About 7 minutes.10 egg whites*, 2 ¼ cups sugar, ¾ teaspoon cream of tartar
- Add vanilla extract and food coloring if using and then transfer to a stand mixer (you can also use a hand mixer). Using the whisk attachments beat the mixture on high until stiff peaks form. About 5-10 minutes.2 ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract*, Food Coloring
- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and stick in the fridge for about 30 minutes to help it set up.
Chocolate Shell
- Melt chocolate and coconut oil. To melt, microwave ingredients for 30 seconds, and then stir. Microwave another 30 seconds, stir and repeat until everything is melted.3 tbs refined coconut oil*, 3 cups chocolate chips*
- Dip cupcakes quickly into melted chocolate, letting excess chocolate drip off. Once all have been dipped, refrigerate for at least 10 minutes to help the chocolate set up completely.
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- *I use carton egg whites for this step so I don't have a bunch of yolks separated that need to be used up.
- *You can use any extract you want to give the frosting some flavor! Besides vanilla, sometimes I'll use almond or even orange extract!
- *Refined coconut oil doesn't have a coconut flavor, unrefined does and will work for the recipe too- but it will taste like coconut.
- *I used milk chocolate chips for this recipe but you can use whatever kind you want!
- For more tips on dipping and making the frosting and cupcakes see my post above!
- Store leftover cupcakes in the refrigerate in an air-tight container.
- Best eaten day of making but will stay tasty for 2-3 days if refrigerated.
Nutrition
Calories: 340kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Cholesterol: 35mg | Sodium: 111mg | Potassium: 72mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 43g | Vitamin A: 205IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 39mg | Iron: 0.6mg
Ava says
Can I use instant coffee instead of instant espresso?
Lisa says
Yep!
Bob says
Wow, like the look of these. They remind me of a cookie when I was a kid but I can't think of the name.
Lisa says
Thanks Bob! I think I know what you are talking about! How fun!
Valerie says
What sugar are you using caster or icing
Lisa says
I used just normal granulated but castor would work too!
Marcie L. Reinertson says
Ok folks I have made everything exactly as the recipe states but every time I dip the cupcake the marshmallow falls in the chocolate.
Any ideas?
Lisa says
Oh no! I’m sorry you are having so much trouble. The cupcakes are cold and you refrigerate the the frosted cupcakes for at least a half hour? Are you using the melted chocolate chips or a different chocolate ganache? I guess I reckoned refrigerating it even freezing them a little longer. Also allow your chocolate to cool but not solidify. I know I started to have some slippage towards the end of dipping since the cupcakes weren’t cold enough.
Marcie L. Reinertson says
Yes, they were in refrig for 45 minutes. I used Nestle Chips. I even tried freezing a couple.
Could it be I live in the mountains?
Lisa says
Maybe! Did the frosting turn into stiff peaks like a meringue? It could've possibly been over or under whipped, or it was an altitude thing! Your chocolate chips and coconut oil is a standard hard shell so that should be fine. Sorry again I can't figure it out- wish I could help more!
Jo Soriano Ferguson says
Could I use A Marshmellow in stead of egg whites .
Lisa says
Do you mean marshmallow cream instead of the frosting or put actual marshmallows instead of the egg whites? For the first one I haven't tried it with marshmallow cream so I don't know, but I'd think it probably wouldn't work since it isn't very stiff to hold it's shape (hence in fills the container like a liquid would). The second using marshmallows instead of egg whites won't work either because the egg whites are necessary to stiffen the frosting.
Barb says
Forgot to click on the rating button.
Barb says
I can’t wait to try making these! They look fun and delicous!! I’ll rate based on the picture & recipe, and how much I salivate when I read the recipe / look at the picture!
Lisa says
Thanks!
Kimberly says
These look AMAZING!! Does the espresso give them a coffee flavor? And do you use milk chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips?
Lisa says
The espresso just deepens the chocolate flavor without making it taste like espresso- although I wouldn't mind if it did taste like espresso! I used milk chocolate for this recipe, but you could use any type you want the chocolate shell to be!
Stephanie says
These look delicious! Your photos are lovely, too 🙂 Thanks for the tip about buying a carton of egg whites - I was JUST thinking to myself "But what would I do with 10 egg yolks!" Super helpful - thanks!!
Lisa says
Right! It sure is handy to be able to get a carton of them!
Heather says
Wow wow WOW! First of all these cupcakes look amazing. Second of all... THAT CHOCOLATE SHELL!! What an amazing idea! Definitely need to give these a try 🙂
Lisa says
Thank you! The chocolate shell is my favorite part! I love that it cuts so cleanly!
April says
Oh my my my! I love the way the chocolate cupcakes look. I can see my 5 year old going straight for the beautiful chocolate coating first. This looks so delicious!
Lisa says
Thank you!
Kacie says
The marshmallow frosting looks divine - if only I had the patience to make these for myself!
Lisa says
It is totally worth the time haha!
Camila says
Girl, these cupcakes are phenomenal! They look like they came straight out of a magazine!! Awesome!!
Lisa says
Thanks Camila! They tasted pretty good too haha!
Fred Nonterah says
Wow, chocolate cupcakes with marshmallow frosting! I love to bake but never have I tried this one. My son is a big fan of cupcakes and I'm sure he'll love this one. Thanks for sharing!
Lisa says
Thank you!
Asia says
Omg, they look so yummy! I could have all od them. All of them! Right now!
Lisa says
Thanks! They are super tasty!