Summer Nostalgia in a cupcake, not a cone! These delicious Neapolitan Cupcakes are chocolate and strawberry layered sponge, topped with a silky vanilla marshmallow swirl which is dipped in dark chocolate for good measure. Make these for your next party and wow all your guests with their beauty!
WHY YOU WILL LOVE THIS RECIPE
Three for one | For the people who can’t choose one flavour, these cupcakes give them all them all three and a chocolate coating! There are four parts in total;
- Chocolate sponge
- Strawberry sponge
- Vanilla Marshmallow
- Chocolate shell
A great surprise for guests | On the outside these cupcakes resemble a a beautiful yet plain chocolate cupcake, then when you cut them open its like BAM! The tri-colour surprise its unexpected and will wow your guests every time!
Fun and creative | Baking is all in the creativity and fun and these cupcakes have both in an abundance!
WHAT IS A HI HAT CUPCAKE?
So what is a Hi-Hat Cupcake I hear you ask? Well they’re pretty spectacular if you ask me.
Today Hi Hat Cupcakes come in many different forms, but traditionally they are a chocolate cupcake, topped with a stable marshmallow frosting that is covered in a hard chocolate shell. Kind of like a chocolate covered Mr Whippy. So with ice cream in mind, I took things to a new level with these cupcakes and opted for flavours of Neapolitan sponge instead and I have to say it’s really stepped up the Hi Hat Cupcake game.
ALL YOU NEED TO KNOW ABOUT SWISS MERINGUE
French vs Swiss Meringue | Firstly let me tell you what Swiss Meringue is in comparison to French Meringue. French meringue is made by whisking egg whites with sugar slowly until soft glossy peaks are created. Swiss meringue has the same ingredients but the process is a little different as the egg whites and sugar are mixed together over heat until the sugar dissolves and then whipped to glossy peaks. The Swiss meringue is the most stable of the two and creates the most marshmallowy texture which is why it’s perfect for these cupcakes!
Ways to use Swiss Meringue | Once whipped, Swiss Meringue can be used in a number of different ways. It can be swirled onto cupcakes, iced onto a cake, piped and baked into crisp meringue nests or pavlovas, topped onto pies like Lemon Meringue or whipped with butter to make the silkiest Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Storing left over meringue | If you find you’ve got plenty of left over unused meringue it can be wrapped and stored in the fridge for up to 48 hours.
TOOLS YOU WILL NEED
Standing Mixer/Hand Mixer | You can whisk the meringue by hand but you’ll have a rather sore arm afterwards so I highly recommend a hand mixer or standing mixer to help you do the job. Hand mixers are great but with 5 minutes of whisking a standing mixer is better, as are many things that are hands-free 🙂
Cupcake Tin | It goes without saying that cupcake cases need cupcake tins, but you could also use a muffin tin if you want really deep big cupcakes.
Cupcake Cases | There are good cupcakes cases and there are bad cupcakes. The bad can mean your cupcake cases peel, or they turn see-through during the bake. The good will provide you with a really stable cupcake, with a case that doesn’t peel or go see through. I find the Dr Oetker ones are best and they come in white or all the colours of the rainbow.
Large Glass | You’ll need a wide glass for dipping the cupcakes and to ensure that your meringue swirl gets fully coated. I used a glass short tumbler and it worked really well.
Shop these tools
LOVE NEAPOLITAN FLAVOURS? TRY THESE
I would love it if you tagged me @mykitchendrawer on Instagram if you make these Neapolitan Hi Hat Cupcakes. It’s the biggest honour to see my recipes come to life in your kitchen and if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to drop me a message. Happy baking!
Neapolitan Hi Hat Cupcakes
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 150 g caster sugar
- 3 eggs large
- 150 g self-raising flour
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 50 g freeze dried strawberries
- 25 g cocoa powder
For the Swiss Meringue Icing
- 4 egg whites large
- 200 g caster sugar
- 1/2 tsp cream of tartar
- 1 tsp vanilla
For the Chocolate Shell Coating
- 200 g dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp vegetable oil
Instructions
For the Cupcakes
- Preheat the oven to 160°C and line a cupcake tray with cupcake cases
- Blitz the freeze dried strawberries in a food processor until they become a fine powder then leave to one side.
- Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and aerated then add the eggs, flour and vanilla and mix until just combined.
- Add the freeze dried strawberries into one bowl and the cocoa powder to the other and mix them through to create the strawberry and chocolate sponge batter.
- Fill each case with a tablespoon of chocolate batter, then repeat with another tablespoon of strawberry batter.
- Bake for 20 minutes until well risen and lightly golden, then leave to cool whilst you make the swiss meringue icing
For the Swiss Meringue Icing
- Add the egg whites and sugar to a heatproof bowl and set it over a pan of simmering water.
- Whisk the mixture continuously for about 4-5 minutes until the mixture begins to loosen and all the sugar has disolved. You can check this by dipping your finger carefully into the mixture and rubbing your fingers together to check for sugar crystals.
- Bring the bowl off the heat and whisk the mixture for 5 more minutes on a high heat until soft, glossy peaks begin to form. Be careful not to overmix to avoid losing the marshmallow texture.
- Fit a piping bag with an open star nozzle and pipe generous swirls of swiss meringue onto each cupcake. Transfer the cupcakes to a freezer for about 45 minutes.
For the dark chocolate coating
- Melt the chocolate in a heatproof glass or mug then mix through the vegetable oil. Make sure you use a deep mug for this as you want to ensure all the meringue gets coated when it's dipped in. You will have left over chocolate after which you can chill and eat later or use in another bake.
- Remove the chilled cupcakes from the freezer and one by one dip the meringue swirls in until fully coated. Leave them aside to set and let the cupcakes defrost.
- These cupcakes are best eaten on the day but will keep for up to 3 days in an air tight container
