Favorite Rocky Road Cupcakes

Favorite Rocky Road Cupcakes were inspired by the popular chocolate and marshmallow ice cream.

These mouthwatering cupcakes offer the perfect balance of rich and moist chocolate cake balanced by crunchy toasted almonds and topped off with a sweet marshmallow meringue frosting.

What is rocky road?

Most often associated with ice cream, rocky road features a rich chocolate base (such as ice cream) that is enhanced with crunchy nuts and sweet marshmallows.

I like that this impressive and tasty dessert recipe is rather simple to make!

Did you try my Easy Rocky Road Krispie Treats?

If you are a fan or Rice Krispie treats and Rocky Road, you will probably enjoy those Rocky Road Krispie treats. Both those treats and this cupcake recipe are tempting desserts with a rocky road theme.

To make the meringue topping you will need vanilla bean powder.
You can find a selection of vanilla bean powder here.

Why we love this chocolate cupcake recipe.

These cupcakes take the usual chocolate cupcakes up a notch.
Not only are they chocolaty, these cupcakes also have a crunchy nutty element complemented with sweet meringue topping.

Here is what else we like about this recipe.

• Rocky road cupcakes are perfect for serving at gatherings such as birthdays, holiday celebrations, or even at a neighborhood block party.
• Personalizing these cupcakes is as easy as adding a few chocolate chips or filling your cupcakes with a bit of fluff.
• These cupcakes taste great when served with a glass of milk, cup of coffee, or a favorite after dinner beverage.
• Rocky road cupcakes also taste great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on the side.
• These impressive looking cupcakes can be made in less than an hour.
• About everyone seems to like these cupcakes too!

Ingredients needed to make these chocolate cupcakes from scratch.

• Flour. Use all purpose flour that has been scooped and leveled.
• Sugar. Regular granular sugar is used to sweeten these cupcakes.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. This is what gives our cupcakes that chocolate flavor and look.
• Baking Powder. The leavening agent used in this recipe.
• Oil. Vegetable oil is used to give these cupcakes moisture.
• Milk. A wet ingredient used to also give moisture. For best results, use a full fat milk.
• Eggs. Use fresh eggs that are at room temperature for optimal ingredient blending.
• Vanilla Extract. The vanilla gives a flavor balance to these cupcakes.
• Almonds. Toasted almonds that were chopped were used in my cupcakes.
• For the meringue topping you will need egg whites and vanilla bean powder.

Tips for making the best rocky road cupcakes.

Regular unsweetened cocoa powder was used to make my cupcakes. For a richer and darker cupcake you can try using Dutch process cocoa powder.

More helpful tips for you.

1. If you are not a fan of the meringue topping you can use a frosting of your choice. I like a marshmallow frosting, marshmallow fluff, or the frosting of your choice sprinkled with mini marshmallows.
2. Or, you can use a cupcake corer to pull part of the centers out of the cupcakes and then fill those centers with fluff or frosting.
3. Adding a teaspoon of dry espresso to the batter to help bring out the chocolate flavor.
4. Vanilla bean powder rather than extract is used in the topping as it incorporates more evenly while preventing the added liquid from destabilizing the egg whites. Vanilla extract can be substituted however, your topping may not look like mine.
5. The cupcakes should be fully cooled before adding the topping as you do not want the topping to melt on you.
6. Lastly, a kitchen torch was carefully used to lightly toast the meringue on my cupcakes. This was done just before serving.

How to make Favorite Rocky Road Cupcakes

Prep Time: 20 minutes.
Cook Time: 25 minutes.
Servings: 12 average sized cupcakes.

1. Preheat your oven to 350 and prep your cupcake pan for nonstick. Liners were used when making my cupcakes.
2. In a medium bowl, use a whisk to blend together the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, and baking powder.
3. Next, in a mixing bowl, mix together the vegetable oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla until combined. Then stir in the dry ingredients from the first bowl, mixing until just combined.
4. Use a rubber spatula or similar item to carefully fold in the almonds.
5. To fill the cupcake cups, ese a cookie scoop or similar item to to fill the cupcake liner three fourths of the way full.
6. Bake the cupcakes for 15-17 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Then allow the cupcakes to sit in the pan for three minutes before transferring them to a wire rack to fully cool.
7. To make the meringue topping, use the double boiler method to cook the egg whites. Add the egg whites and granulated sugar to the heatproof bowl that sits over the simmering water. Cook the ingredients, whisking constantly, until the temperature of the egg whites reaches 165F. (the time may vary depending on how cold your egg whites were when you started, I would check the temperature with a thermometer to make this recipe work correctly).
8. Once the egg whites have reached 165F, you can transfer them to the bowl of a stand mixer outfitted with the whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on medium high speed until stiff peaks form (about three to four minutes).
9. Add the vanilla bean powder to the egg whites and mix to combine. Then transfer your meringue to a piping bag fitted with your choice of tip (a Wilton #2D was used on my cupcakes) and frost the cupcakes as desired.
10. For added presentation, you can use a kitchen torch to lightly toast the meringue topping to look like mine.

Expert Tip👉 For the double boiler method used in making the meringue, heat a small saucepan of water over medium heat. Once the water is at a simmer, place a heatproof bowl over the pan.

How to store leftover cupcakes.

If you have added the meringue topping on to your cupcakes, these cupcakes are best enjoyed on the day they were made as the meringue will start to weep in the fridge and turn the cupcakes soggy. Once the cupcakes have fully cooled, you can however store them unfrosted in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a few days.

You may also be interested in these ideas.

• No Churn Rocky Road Ice Cream
• Oreo Cheesecake Cupcake Recipe
• Oreo Penguin Cupcakes
• Dark Chocolate Raspberry Filled Cupcakes
• Chocolate Chip Watermelon Cookie Cake
• 4 Ingredient Whipped Raspberry Dessert

Print the recipe for Rocky Road Cupcakes

Favorite Rocky Road Cupcakes, a simple and mouth watering moist and chocolaty dessert recipe topped with a delicious Marshmallow Meringue.

Please see recipe post for further details on this recipe.