Tuesday, January 26, 2010

Marshmallow Fluff: The Cupcake Baker's Best Friend















I love a good cupcake.  But more than a good cupcake, I love a good frosting.  I spend a lot of time over at Cupcakes Take the Cake, admiring the professional decorating jobs, wishing I could get my frosting to pile on fluffy and thick like they do.  I have a couple of tried-and-true recipes, but while they taste good, they don't have much body to them, so big, puffy piles of piped-on frosting just don't happen for me.

Until now.  I think I've discovered a frosting hack.

And it's Marshmallow Fluff.

I had half of a container left over from Christmas fudge making and I needed to use it up, so I combined about 8 oz. of Fluff with about 3/4 c. softened butter and added powdered sugar and vanilla to taste (probably about 1/2 to 3/4 c. sugar and a 1/2 t. of vanilla) and mixed with my faithful KitchenAid stand mixer.  It was good!  Rich and not too sugary.  But more than that, it was really fluffy and I could spread and pipe to my heart's content.  I'd say it made enough to frost 18-24 cupcakes, depending on how generous you're feeling.

I think the Marshmallow Fluff brand of marshmallow creme is made in Massachusetts, so maybe it's more of a regional treat, because I had a tough time finding it here in North Carolina.  In Maine, I remember flavored Fluff -- raspberry and strawberry, I think.  I'd love to get my hands on that for frosting purposes.  In the meantime, I think I'll experiment with orange extract.

Let's hear it for Fluff, the baker's best friend.

18 comments:

  1. I know that you can find it in Minnesota, but then we are the bland food state.

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  2. Good 'ol Marshmallow Fluff! Just thinking about it makes my mouth water. I've never tried in frosting per se, but I know it makes out of this world filling for Whoopie Pies! Oh my goodness. I have made Whoopie Pies for probably 20 years or more with just a regular icing recipe. Then my daughter-in-law, who is from Maine, and I had a discussion about the pies. That's when I tried making them with the Fluff! I'm going to try your recipe for the frosting and I'll be experimenting with some different flavors!

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  3. I think it was Real Simple magazine, I saw cupcakes with just Marshmallow Fluff spread on top then put under the broiler for a short, short while to get lightly brown.
    Am going to try your recipe as I'd certainly like to decorate with it.

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  4. Ok - now you've got the cake decorator in me intrigued.... Seriously - this is something I'm going to have to check out! Thanks for sharing!! :)

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  5. I'd love to check out that icing! Though I am pretty partial to the kind that comes in the small tubs at the grocery store!

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  6. I use a sharp bread knife or a new razor blade to slash my dough. Pull it across the dough really fast, barely using any downward pressure. I was always afraid of deflating it, but somehow it never happens. lol :)

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  7. I'm going to have to try this trick! Great idea!

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  8. Tried it - loved it! Thanks so much for the recipe, I'll be using this one a lot.

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  9. I live in NC too, out near Hickory (in the foothills.) I get my Fluff fix at Walmart - they sell the name brand and a store brand that works just as well. I believe I saw strawberry fluff the last time I stocked up. Love this recipe - have a chocolate cake in the oven right now. Going to have to whip this up! Thanks!

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  10. I am definitely going to try this recipe! I was practicing my piping "skills" last night and had a similar problem with frosting. I don't know if its humidity or what, but it is a magical day when my frosting is fluffy! GREAT idea, thanks for sharing!! :)



    P.S. Don't hesitate to stop by my blog and take a looksy :) I'm just a beginner & LOVE opinions.. HONEST ones! :)

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  11. I tried it and LOVED it! I little on the sweet side but that can be fixed with a little less sugar.

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  12. Wow! I don't regularly read you blog (however, I WILL be following you now!) and I just did a search for marshmallow frosting in hopes of finding something great. All I could find were complicated, icing-type recipes. Then I came across yours and I knew it would be perfect for my s'mores cupcakes! This was SO easy and just made my day… THANK YOU!! Perfect timing for this post :)

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  13. I am going to try this today. What a great idea. I love the fact that is not too sugary:)

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  14. SOOO good! It tasted like a mix of buttercream and HEAVEN!!!

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  15. You. Are. An. Absolute. Genius. This recipe totally saved my bacon this past weekend when it came to making about a bajillion cupcakes for a 90+ person party. Thank you!

    Also, if anyone's curious, this comes out more like a light buttercream, and it's not very marshmallow-y at all. That will require more experimentation. :D

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  16. Thank you for this recipe! Used it today and it turned out AMAZING!!!

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  17. Made this today and it is delightful! Thank you!!!

    I have a deep-seated love for 7 minute icing, but a fear of working with it (am I the only one who can never get it right?) This is a great substitute for it, and so much easier!

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  18. I'm in NC, and don't have a problem finding it (especially an off brand), but no other flavors. I first used fluff in a lemon frosting recipe, and was looking for that when I came across this one. If you aren't looking for the fluff part, but you want a good flavored icing try warming it up just a little, and add more butter.

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