Recipes Hot Cocoa Cupcakes with Meringue Frosting 4.0 (1,101) 2 Reviews A mother of two and former bakery owner Silvano Nardone loves nostalgic desserts, like these rich chocolate cupcakes mounted with a fluffy marshmallow-esque meringue frosting. The recipe calls for a homemade gluten-free flour, but you can use store-bought if you need to. By Silvana Nardone Silvana Nardone Facebook Instagram A Food & Wine Digital Food Award-winner, Silvana Nardone is the author of six bestselling books focused on gluten-free, dairy-free baking and cooking, including Cooking for Isaiah (2010) and Silvana's Gluten-Free Kitchen (2014). She is also the founder and CEO of the Cooking for Isaiah brand of gluten-free, dairy-free flour blends and baking mixes. Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on March 8, 2017 Print Rate It Share Share Tweet Pin Email Photo: © Sarah Bolla Active Time: 30 mins Total Time: 50 mins Yield: 12 to 12 cupcakes cupcakes Ingredients Silvana's Kitchen Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour 6 cups white rice flour 3 cups tapioca flour, preferably Shiloh Farms 1 1/2 cups potato starch 2 tablespoons xanthan gum 1 tablespoon salt Cupcakes 1 1/2 cups Silvana's Kitchen Gluten-Free All-Purpose Flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder (not Dutch process) 1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips 3/4 cup boiling water 1 cup sugar 3/4 cup sour cream, at room temperature 1/2 cup canola oil 2 large eggs, at room temperature 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract Marshmallow Frosting 4 large egg whites, at room temperature 1 cup sugar Pinch of cream of tartar 3/4 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (optional) Directions Make the Gluten-Free Flour In a large bowl, whisk together all of the ingredients. Set aside 1 1/2 cups and store the rest in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 year. Make the cupcakes Preheat the oven to 350°F and line a 12-cup muffin pan with paper liners. In a bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a separate, larger bowl, whisk the cocoa powder and chocolate chips with the boiling water until smooth. Add the sugar, sour cream, canola oil, eggs, and vanilla; whisk until no streaks remain. Whisk in the dry ingredients until incorporated. Fill the prepared muffin cups with the batter and bake for about 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cupcakes comes out clean. Transfer the cupcakes to a rack and let cool completely. Make the Frosting In a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl shouldn't touch the water), whisk the egg whites with the sugar and cream of tartar until the sugar has dissolved, about 3 minutes. Remove from the heat. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the whites at high speed until stiff peaks form, about 6 minutes. Beat in the vanilla if using. Transfer the meringue frosting to a piping bag fitted with a large round pastry tip and frost the cupcakes. Make Ahead The cupcakes can be kept at room temperature for up to 1 day. Rate it Print