Semi-homemade Chocolate Cupcakes with Homemade Marshmallow Topping

as you all can probably tell i have become a little obsessed with making cupcakes. now, since i am no expert baker i have greatly adopted the concept of having them be semi homemade. this past week EM and i found a coupon on duncan hines cake mix. cake mix make the best cupcakes! my mother in law had another get together with her friends, so i decided to make some goodies for her to take over.

i started off with making simple, and incredibly moist might i add, chocolate cupcakes.

it is incredibly important that you allow the cupcakes to cool fully before you even think of putting any sort of frosting or topping on them. 

then i had the idea of doing something a bit different...marshmallow. i had never made a marshmallow topping before, but how hard could it be? 

you start out with some simple ingredients ...

allow the egg whites to sit out and become as close to room temp. as possible. then in a kitchen aid mixing bowl combine all ingredients except the vanilla. mix, and place over a pot with about an inch of boiling water. (make sure the water doesnt touch the bowl) and whisk until all the sugar is dissolved, about 6 minutes. remove the bowl from the heat and place back into the stand mixer. beat on medium for about a minute then on high for 5, or until you get nice stiff peaks. add your vanilla and mix for another minute until fully incorporated. then BOOM! yummy yummy marshmallow frosting. 

with a spatula scoop the frosting into a piping bag, i personally use a gallon size zip lock bag for easier filling, and pipe onto the cooled cupcakes. 

allow the frosting to set for about 30 minutes then brulee the top with a kitchen torch or long fireplace lighter. 

when EM came home he was able to taste one before they were gone, and he loved them! 

here is the list of ingredients and quantities for the frosting. 8 large egg whites, at room temp. 2 cups granulated sugar. 1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar. 1/8 teaspoon fine salt. 2 teaspoons of vanilla. (i cut all the amounts in half and still had plenty left over)

XOMB