Easy Marshmallow Icing
This easy recipe produces a thick, glossy icing, unlike buttercream, it won't wilt or melt in the heat.
Ingredients
2 cups heavy or whipping cream
1 bag/10 oz mini marshmallows
1 cup icing sugar
1/8 tsp salt
2 tsp vanilla extract
Method
Place the cream, marshmallows, icing sugar and salt in a deep saucepan. Heat over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the marshmallows melt completely. Remove from the heat, and stir in the vanilla.
Pour the icing into the bowl of your stand mixer or another mixing bowl, and refrigerate until thoroughly chilled, overnight is better.
Remove the thickened icing from the refrigerator. Scrape it from the sides of the bowl into the centre. Beat it at high speed, using your stand/hand held mixer. It is not possible to beat thoroughly enough by hand, so use a machine. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure you're incorporating all of the chilled icing.
Beat until the icing is smooth and glossy; this will probably take less than a minute. The icing may stay quite thick; or it may thin out and become almost sauce-like. If the icing thins, set it aside to rest at room temperature for 30 to 45 minutes; it'll stiffen as it sits, bringing it to spreadable consistency.
Spread or pipe the icing on to cupcakes, or use it to fill a round layer cake.
NB. Yields 3 to 4 cups icing, enough to ice 24 cupcakes or 8" or 9" round layer cake.
This basic white icing can be flavoured to taste.
To make chocolate icing, add 1/2 cup natural cocoa powder to the marshmallows and cream before heating.
For coffee icing, add 2 teaspoons espresso powder to the marshmallows and cream before heating; once the marshmallows are melted, increase the flavour by adding additional espresso powder to taste.
If you let the icing chill completely in the fridge, it'll be stiff and harder to beat. But just keep beating, it'll gradually soften as it warms up.
For pure white icing, omit the vanilla.
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