These high altitude high hat cupcakes are made with moist chocolate cupcakes, topped with a swirl of old fashioned 7-minute frosting (homemade marshmallow frosting), and dipped in a chocolate shell. The marshmallow cream is deliciously sweet and pillowy inside the glossy dark chocolate coating, pairing perfectly with the soft chocolate cupcakes.
You might also love these recipes for gooey s’mores brownies, homemade vanilla bean marshmallows, and chocolate hostess cupcakes.
This site contains affiliate links. As an Amazon associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that I may make a small commission if you purchase a product using those links. This in no way affects my opinion of those products and services. All opinions expressed on this site are my own.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Soft and Moist. The chocolate cupcakes are incredibly moist, and topped with the marshmallow cream frosting, these high hat cupcakes are a dream dessert.
Tastes Like Ding Dongs. When my husband ate one of these, he compared the combination of the cake, cream and chocolate shell to a Ding Dong hostess snack cake, which I hadn’t even thought of, but they really do taste similar.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cupcakes. This is my favorite recipe for high altitude chocolate cupcakes, and I’ve used it as the base for many other flavor combinations. They’re soft, moist, and very easy to make.
7-Minute Frosting (Marshmallow Frosting)
7 minute frosting is an egg white based cooked frosting or meringue frosting that tastes very much like marshmallow cream or marshmallow fluff. If preferred, you could also frost your high hat cupcakes with American buttercream.
- Egg Whites. Use fresh egg whites and save the leftover yolks for making icing cream. Carton egg whites may not produce the best results for whipping the frosting to stiff peaks.
- Sugar. Granulated sugar sweetens the frosting and adds stability.
- Cream of Tartar. An acid that helps to stabilize the frosting.
- Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
Chocolate Shell
- Chocolate Chips. I suggest using semi sweet or dark chocolate chips, to balance the sweetness of the frosting.
- Vegetable Oil. The oil helps to smooth and thin out the melted chocolate a little to more easily dip your cupcakes. If you don’t want to use vegetable oil, you can try another type of oil, such as coconut oil, which is commonly added to melted chocolate when making homemade magic shell.
Instructions
Make the Chocolate Cupcakes.
- Make the chocolate cupcakes as instructed. Cool completely before frosting.
- Pro Tip: I suggest removing the centers of the cupcakes, so you can fill the center with frosting, too. This gives the frosting more “grip” so it won’t fall off the cupcakes when you turn them upside down to dip in the chocolate.
Make the Frosting.
- Get ready by soaking a cotton ball in vinegar and wiping clean all the utensils, whisk attachment and bowls that will come into contact with the egg whites. If there’s any trace of grease or fat, it can prevent the whites from whipping correctly.
- Clear enough space in your freezer for a rimmed baking sheet.
- Separate the yolks from the whites, taking care not to break the yolks. If any yolk gets into a white, set that one aside and use another egg. Save the leftover egg yolks for another recipe.
- Set up a double boiler (a saucepan with an inch of simmering water, with a heatproof bowl placed on top) on the stove over medium to medium low heat. In the bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Heat the egg white mixture, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the mixture smooths out with no remaining grittiness from the sugar, and the temperature reaches between 155-160 F.
Pro Tip: If you’re having trouble getting rid of the grittiness, try transferring the egg white mixture to a clean bowl and use a clean spatula to stir it as you continue to heat it over the water. This will get rid of any lingering sugar granules around the edge of the bowl, and can help to finish dissolving the sugar. If the sugar is not fully dissolved, your frosting will have a slightly granular texture.
- Pour the egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the egg whites on medium high speed (#8 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) for approximately 7 minutes, until the mixture has nearly tripled in volume and stiff, glossy peaks form, then beat in the vanilla. If it takes a minute or two less or more, that’s fine, too. Don’t under-whip the frosting, though, or it won’t be as stable.
Frost and Chill the Cupcakes.
- Fit a disposable 16-inch piping bag with a large round tip (#2A), and fill half full with the frosting. Immediately pipe tall swirls of frosting onto each cupcake, starting by filling the centers of the cupcakes and working your way up. Refill the piping bag as needed.
- Set the frosted cupcakes on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes to chill them before dipping in the chocolate.
Dip in Chocolate.
- Combine the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a microwavable dish and microwave for several minutes on 60% power, stirring until melted and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes, then scrape the chocolate into a tall glass or measuring cup. If you use a shallow dish, it’s much harder to dip the cupcakes without smashing the frosting.
- Dip the chilled cupcakes in the melted chocolate, lightly shake off the excess, then place the chocolate dipped cupcakes back onto the baking sheet. Refrigerate for several minutes until the chocolate has set. (Before the chocolate set, I sprinkled it lightly with some finely crushed chocolate graham crackers.)
Pro Tip: To add a little more stability to the marshmallow frosting, dip the cupcakes far enough to completely cover the frosting with chocolate, all the way to the top of the cupcake. This will help to seal the frosting inside the chocolate shell and hold it in place. If you don’t completely cover the frosting with chocolate, it will not be as stable, and can start to slip and slide around within a few hours at room temperature. This is only for marshmallow frosting, but is not an issue with American buttercream, which is very stable.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep the cupcakes refrigerated in an airtight container until ready to serve. These cupcakes are best eaten within 1-2 days. If you use buttercream instead of the seven minute frosting, the cupcakes do not need to be refrigerated, unless you want to keep the chocolate shell more firm.
Marshmallow frosting is not nearly as stable as American buttercream, although refrigeration does help. I kept my cupcakes refrigerated for two days, and the frosting was still in place under the chocolate shell.
That should work just fine.
If you’re having trouble getting your egg white frosting to stiff peaks, these are the usual culprits. There was a trace of grease or fat in your mixing bowl or on your whisk, or from a broken egg yolk. You didn’t fully dissolve the sugar when heating the egg whites, or you didn’t heat it to the correct temperature, both of which can make it less stable. It’s a humid day where you live, and there’s too much moisture in the air. It’s important to take preventative measures to avoid these issues, so follow all instructions carefully for the best results.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
Did you love today’s recipe? Please rate the recipe and let me know in the comments what you thought! Also, be sure to follow Curly Girl Kitchen on Instagram, and tag me when you try one of my recipes so I can see all your delicious creations!
High Altitude High Hat Cupcakes
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Whisk Attachment
- Digital Instant Read Thermometer
Ingredients
Chocolate Cupcakes
- 1 recipe Chocolate Cupcakes
7-Minute Frosting (Marshmallow Frosting)
- 5 large egg whites (not from a carton)
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- ½ tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Chocolate Shell
- 12 oz semi sweet chocolate chips (1 3/4 cups)
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
Chocolate Cupcakes
- Make the chocolate cupcakes as instructed. Cool completely before frosting.
- Pro Tip: I suggest removing the centers of the cupcakes, so you can fill the center with frosting, too. This gives the frosting more "grip" so it won't fall off the cupcakes when you turn them upside down to dip in the chocolate.
7-Minute Frosting (Marshmallow Frosting)
- Get ready by soaking a cotton ball in vinegar and wiping clean all the utensils, whisk attachment and bowls that will come into contact with the egg whites. If there's any trace of grease or fat, it can prevent the whites from whipping correctly.
- Clear enough space in your freezer for a rimmed baking sheet.
- Separate the yolks from the whites, taking care not to break the yolks. If any yolk gets into a white, set that one aside and use another egg. Save the leftover egg yolks for another recipe.
- Set up a double boiler (a saucepan with an inch of simmering water, with a heatproof bowl placed on top) on the stove over medium to medium low heat. In the bowl, combine the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar. Heat the egg white mixture, stirring constantly with a spatula, until the mixture smooths out with no remaining grittiness from the sugar, and the temperature reaches between 155-160 F.Pro Tip: If you're having trouble getting rid of the grittiness, try transferring the egg white mixture to a clean bowl and use a clean spatula to stir it as you continue to heat it over the water. This will get rid of any lingering sugar granules around the edge of the bowl, and can help to finish dissolving the sugar. If the sugar is not dissolved, your frosting will have a gritty texture.
- Pour the egg whites into the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip the egg whites on medium high speed (#8 on a Kitchen Aid mixer) for approximately 7 minutes, until the mixture has nearly tripled in volume and stiff, glossy peaks form, then beat in the vanilla. If it takes a minute or two less or more, that's fine, too. Don't under-whip the frosting, though, or it won't be as stable.
- Fit a disposable 16-inch piping bag with a large round tip (#2A), and fill half full with the frosting. Immediately pipe tall swirls of frosting onto each cupcake, starting by filling the centers of the cupcakes and working your way up. Refill the piping bag as needed.
- Set the frosted cupcakes on a rimmed baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes to chill them before dipping in the chocolate.
Chocolate Shell
- Combine the chocolate chips and vegetable oil in a microwavable dish and microwave for several minutes on 60% power, stirring until melted and smooth. Let cool for 5 minutes, then scrape the chocolate into a tall glass or measuring cup. If you use a shallow dish, it's much harder to dip the cupcakes without smashing the frosting.
- Dip the chilled cupcakes in the melted chocolate, lightly shake off the excess, then place them back onto the baking sheet. Refrigerate for several minutes until the chocolate has set. (Before the chocolate set, I sprinkled it lightly with some finely crushed chocolate graham crackers.)Pro Tip: To add a little more stability to the marshmallow frosting, dip the cupcakes far enough to completely cover the frosting, all the way to the top of the cupcake. This will help to seal the frosting inside the chocolate shell and hold it in place. If you don't completely cover the frosting with chocolate, it will not be as stable, and can start to slip and slide around within a few hours. This is only for marshmallow frosting, but is not an issue with American buttercream, which is very stable.
Leave a Reply