Tonight I had an impulse bake, an impulse bake that I am very thankful I was semi-prepared for. My ingredients-shelf is very much full 90% of the time, for those 'just in case' moments. Unfortunately for my better half I was missing one key ingredient for this recipe and as usual I called upon him to nip to our local Tesco for some granulated sugar (he's such a hero!) I'm a bit shocked actually because sugar is one thing I have a lot of and as for granulated sugar I can't remember a time we didn't have it in. Coming to think of it, we have been trying to cut down on our sugar intake so maybe my Mum just decided to toss it out, you know, to avoid temptation. Well there'll be no hiding from temptation in any kitchen that has these yummy cuppies lying around.This recipe is from The Primrose Bakery Book by The Primrose Bakery and in complete honesty although this was the first recipe that caught my eye, (because of the gorgeous images used in the book) I had avoided baking them for such a long time. Purely because I had a been put off baking any sort of marshmallow frosting. I thought it would involve way too much hard work. Not that I am lazy, I just like easy going and fun bakes. I've seen so many youtube tutorials of how to make marshmallow icing and it's always seemed so nightmarish. They'd completely put me off with the boiling of sugar to the perfect degree. Anyhow this recipe only calls for a few ingredients and I thought, with so little this can't be too difficult. It actually states in the book, before you start that the method to making this icing really isn't difficult at all. And The Primrose Bakery App (which is amazing) actually rates the recipes for you, this has 3 stars. So instead of avoiding this recipe like the plague, I could have been indulging in mountains of flumpy, sweet marshmallow fluff! I absolutely LOVE marshmallows (can't you tell by how many times I've said the word?) I love the stuff so much it's almost like that episode of Sabrina The Teenage Witch when Sabrina (also my name) becomes addicted to pancakes and the maple syrup lady is randomly following her around. It's exactly like that! When Ben came into the kitchen I had mallow-fluff all over my face, my hands and arms were so sticky I was sticking to my t shirt!
So in a nutshell. I love this recipe it's simple, it's tasty and I am so pleased with the fact the recipe calls for 2 eggs and says it'll make 16 cupcakes. Although I made 12 there was more than enough mixture to make 16. Same goes for the mallow icing recipe. My advice is to definitely bake your cupcakes in advance as the mallow icing is best used as soon as it's made. It's easier to work with and keeps the smooth glossiness of proper marshmallow fluff. Hope you all enjoy!
Ingredients
For the Cupcakes
115g Dark Chocolate
85g Butter
175g Soft Light Brown Sugar (I used dark brown)
2 Eggs (seperated)
185g Plain flour
3/4 tsp Baking Powder
3/4 tsp Bicarb Soda
Pinch of Salt
250ml Semi-Skimmed Milk
1tsp Vanilla Extract
Method
-Preheat oven to 190 degrees/gas mark 5 (I cooked at 160degrees.) Line muffin trays with cases.
-Melt the chocolate in a bowl over a pan of simmering water, or in the microwave. Leave to cool slightly. (I prefer to use the pan as I find I burn the chocolate to easily in the microwave. And the smell of melting chocolate on the hob just adds to the whole baking experience.)
-Cream together the butter and sugar until pale and smooth. Slowly add the egg yolks and beat well.
-Next add in the melted chocolate and beat again.
-Sift flour, baking powder, bicarb and salt together into a separate bowl and stir together.
-Measure out milk and stir in vanilla extract.
-Gradually add alternate amounts of the flour-mix and the milk-mix to the butter and sugar, beating well in between.
-In a clean bowl using a whisk, whisk the egg-whites until they form stiff peaks. Then using a spatula carefully fold the whites into the main batter until everything is combined.
-Spoon the mixture into the cases and bake for 20-25 minutes. A skewer poked into the cakes comes out clean.
-Leave the cakes to cool in their tins for 10 minutes then turn them onto a wire rack to cool further.
For the Icing
120g Granulated Sugar
80g Golden Syrup
1 1/2 tbsp water
2 Egg Whites
1/2 tsp Vanilla Extract
Method
- Put the sugar, golden syrup and water into a pan and cook on a high heat for around 2 minutes. The mixture will thicken and turn golden and should slowly drip from a spoon. (The soft ball stage).
-Whisk the egg whites until soft peaks start to form then keep beating while you slowly pour the hot sugar mixture into the bowl.
- Continue beating at a higher speed until the mixture becomes thick, glossy and cool. Add the vanilla extract towards the end. (I added a drop of Wilton Rose food colouring at this point, then mixed in on a high speed until the icing was pale pink.)
Decorating
The mallow icing looks so cool when pallet-knifed on, I used this method and also used a large, plain piping tube (along with a piping bag) to create an even fluffier look, then topped with pink and white fondant flowers and finished with a sprinkle of edible, hologram glitter.
