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:

Anonymous said...

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

Dianna said...

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!

Anonymous said...

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.

Ellen said...

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!! :)

Mike said...

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!

How To Eat A Cupcake said...

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 :)

cookies and cups said...

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

Rain said...

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

Beth said...

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!

Anonymous said...

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! :)

Liz said...

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

kpalamaro said...

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 :)

Kelly said...

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

Laura :) said...

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

e said...

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

Melissa T. said...

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

Ronica said...

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!

Anonymous said...

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.