Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes with Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

Chocolate and Vanilla Cupcakes with Marshmallow Fluff Frosting

Last Christmas, I was given a jar of Marshmallow Fluff (lucky me), and not knowing quite what to do with it, I popped it in my baking cupboard where it has sat, lurking there ever since.  Quite possibly the most unhealthiest thing ever to grace my kitchen cupboards, Marshmallow Fluff is diabetes in a jar.  Jawachingly sweet, it sticks to the roof of your mouth (and anywhere else that I manage to get it) like superglue.  Surprising then, that it's actually quite tasty (I've been sneakily eating it by the spoonful.. shh).

Well, the 'Fluff is nearly out of date and I needed to use it up pronto.  Aside from making a Fluffernutter (google it... its not as rude as it sounds), I wanted to turn it into a frosting to top some lovely cupcakes.

But what flavour cupcakes? I couldn't decide on just one... So I decided to make Vanilla AND Chocolate (ooh how extravagant)...

The cake mix below will make approximately 18 cupcakes.

INGREDIENTS:
For the Vanilla Cupcakes:

4oz Golden Caster Sugar
4oz Butter
2 Medium Eggs (lightly whisked)
3 1/2 oz Self Raising Flour
1/2 oz Cornflour
Small Pinch of Salt
2 Teaspoons of Vanilla Extract (the proper stuff)

For the Chocolate Cupcakes:

4oz Golden Caster Sugar

4oz Butter

2 Medium Eggs (lightly whisked)

3 oz Self Raising Flour

1/2 oz Cornflour

1/2 oz Cocoa

Small Pinch of Salt

1. Preheat the oven to 180C/ 160C Fan / Gas Mark 4
2. Line a muffin tin with cases - you will probably need to cook the cupcakes in two batches, unless your luckily enough to have two cupcake tins.  

To Make the Vanilla Cupcakes:

1. In a bowl beat to together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this will take a few minutes).
2. Sift in the flour, cornflour and salt mix and half of the lightly whisked eggs, and gently beat in to the butter and sugar. 
3. Add the rest of the eggs and the vanilla extract and beat until fully mixed.  Take care not to over mix.

To Make the Chocolate Cupcakes:

1. In a bowl beat to together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy (this will take a few minutes).
2. Sift in the flour, cocoa, cornflour and salt mix and half of the lightly whisked eggs, and gently beat in to the butter and sugar. 
3. Add the rest of the eggs and beat until fully mixed. Take care not to over mix.

To Make the Marbling:

1. Using a dessert spoon put a dollop of the chocolate mix into each of the cupcake cases.
2. Then, using the vanilla mix put another dollop into the cases, on top of the chocolate mix.  
3. Using a sharp knife, gently swirl the mixes together.  You don't want to totally mix them up or you'll lose the marble effect.  
4. The two spoonfuls of cake mix (one vanilla, one chocolate) should fill the cases about 1/2 or 3/4 way full.  If not, top it up with a little bit of either cake mix, so that they are (no more than) 3/4 full.

5. Put the cakes into the oven for 15 minutes or until done (put a skewer through the biggest one and it should come out clean).  Resist the temptation to open the oven door for at least 10 minutes or your cakes may not rise so well.  

6. Leave the cakes to cool for several hours (or overnight) or the frosting will melt.

INGREDIENTS:
For the Marshmallow Fluff Frosting:


1 Jar of Marshmallow Fluff
60g Unsalted Butter, cut into cubes
400g Icing Sugar, sifted
2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
2 Tablespoons (or so) of Milk
Gel food colouring (optional)

1. Scoop (as best you can) the Marshmallow Fluff into a bowl and beat for a few minutes using an electric whisk.
2. Beat in the butter, one cube at a time, until it is all fully incorporated. 
3. Sift in half of the icing sugar and the vanilla extract and mix.  
4. Sift in the rest of the icing sugar and beat.  You will probably need to add in a drop of milk.  Add a little at a time until you reach a good piping consistency. 
5. If you are going to colour the icing, then add in the food colouring and beat until fully mixed.
6. Pipe (or splodge onto the cupcakes)