Many of you got to see firsthand the magic of Seattle's own Trophy Cupcakes today on the Martha Stewart Show, wherein owner Jennifer Shea demonstrated how to make the newest exciting addition to their beautiful line of cupcakes: the Chocolate-Graham-Cracker Cupcake, topped with Toasted Marshmallow Meringue Frosting (a much prettier way of saying "S'more Cupcake", we think).
Yup--Trophy Cupcakes hosted a little to-do in celebration of their fifteen minutes, featuring mini samples of the cupcake in question, punch (alas, not spiked) and a TV set up to air the segment. And what a to-do it was: the locals came out en masse, and those cupcakes disappeared so quickly that the staff hastily (and kindly) brought out several additional trays of vanilla-chocolate cakes to quiet the masses (it worked). Of course (as if you ever had a doubt), the Cakespy crew managed to elbow past the children in the room to secure our own samples of the coveted brand-new cake before it disappeared.
But OK, the new flavor was on TV. Was it really gonna be good? Or was it all pomp and circumstance, little more than marshmallow fluff?
Well, friends and bakers, in the opinion of these humble Cake Gumshoes, this one is worth seeking out. If you're in Seattle, it's worth trekking over to the Wallingford Center; if not in Seattle, it's worth breaking out the blowtorch: you can find the recipe here. The dense yet soft chocolate cake was beautifully offset by the crunchiness and slightly salted graham bottom layer, which had a flavor deepened yet more by an almost-secret sprinkling of bittersweet chocolate in the center. The marshmallow meringue frosting was the perfect contrast to the dense cake, offering a sweet flavor and light-as-air texture. Indeed, upon eating this cake, it became exceedingly evident why they didn't simply call it a S'more Cupcake--it was so, so much more. (Pause as the Cakespy crew collectively gets a bit misty recalling the experience).
