Snickers Cupcakes.. mmm

Okay so I have to admit, a friend of mine had the idea for these little gems-- and I did not object!  They're simple to make but will look like you spent HOURS on them... what could be better? Plus, they are a chocolate cupcake stuffed with snickers+caramel, topped with a marshmallow frosting, caramel syrup, and crushed up snickers. HEAVEN!!  We actually made two types of cakes to fill with the snickers, a caramel cake and our favorite chocolate cake-- Chocolate was the clear winner!

Snickers Cupcakes :
Yields 24 cupcakes (or, if you're like me- about 18)
For the Cake:
2 cups sugar
1¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup cocoa powder
1½ tsp. baking powder
1½ tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
2 large eggs
1 cup almond milk (I use almond milk but you can use normal)
½ cup olive oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water


For the Filling:
About 4 bars of snickers, chopped
Caramel Syrup
Preheat the oven to 350° F.  

To make the cake batter, sift together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment; mix on low speed just to combine.  In a mixing bowl, combine the eggs, milk, olive oil and vanilla extract; whisk together.  Add to the dry ingredients slowly and mix on low speed for 30 seconds.  Scrape down the sides of the bowl, then beat on medium speed for 2 minutes.  Add the boiling water and stir just to combine (batter will be thin).

Bake about 18-20 minutes.

To fill cupcakes let cool and use an apple corer or the cone method to make a hole in the center of the cooled cakes.  Fill with mixture of chopped snickers bars and caramel syrup- yum!

Marshmallow Frosting:

Makes enough for 24 cupcakes

8 Large egg whites, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

1/2 tsp. cream of tartar

2 tsp. vanilla extract

Caramel Syrup and Snickers for garnish

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in the top of a double broiler. (Or, combine them all in your mixer bowl and place this over a pot of boiling water.)  Heat the mixture, whisking frequently, until it reaches 160F with an instant read thermometer.  Transfer the mixture to the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Whisk starting at low speed and gradually increasing to medium-high until stiff, glossy peaks form.  Mix in the vanilla until combined.  Frost cooled cupcakes as desired.  Top cakes with caramel syrup and snickers.