Melted Marshmallow Cupcakes

Last weekend I was unable to resist and bought a cupcake recipe book! The book is Cupcakes (Collection Cuistot) and contains recipes for more than 70 delicious-looking cupcakes. As such, I could not wait to try a recipe with my new cookbook and my new KitchenAid hand-mixer (a birthday gift from my dad!). I chose a recipe for marshmallow cupcakes because it sounded delicious. Although my coworkers generally found them to be a bit too sweet, they seemed to like them nonetheless. Beware though, this recipe is very messy while cooking! The marshmallows ooze out of the muffin liners. Do not stop this from trying the recipe though, I don't think you will regret it.

N.B. I am currently trying out the method of weighing ingredients for better accuracy and consistency between each batch. So far it's seems to work out.

Ingredients for cupcakes:

2 eggs

125 g butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup buttermilk*

2 cups self-rising flour*

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

100 g mini-marshmallows

Ingredients for frosting:

1 1/2 cups icing sugar

125 g butter, softened

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

100 g mini-marshmallows, melted*

* If you do not have buttermilk, you can substitute it using the following recipe: for each cup of milk, add 1 tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice. Let sit for 10 minutes prior to using.

* If you do not have self-rising flour, you can follow the following recipe for a substitute: for each cup of flour, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder and 1/2 teaspoon of salt.

* To melt the marshmallows, heat in the microwave in 20-second intervals, mixing well between each.

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 325°F. Place the muffin cups in the pan.

2. In a bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

3. Add the butter and sugar. Mix until the mixture is light and smooth.

4. Add the buttermilk, flour and vanilla extract. Mix well for at least 2 minutes.

5. Add the marshmallows to the mixture and combine well.

6. Fill the muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes. WARNING: extremely messy. Wait until the cupcakes are entirely cooled before frosting.

7. For the frosting, combine the butter, icing sugar and vanilla extract. Add the melted marshmallows and mix until frosting is fluffy. You may add coloring gel at this point.

Enjoy!!

Yield: 12-14 cupcakes