Last weekend was my spouse's billiards team's annual "pool" party. Everyone gets together and the one teammate's house for brisket, ribs, beer, and, of course, some pool. Throughout the season, the guys on the team each pitch in an extra buck each week. This money sponsors the end of year party by paying for the 30 pounds of meat, assorted beer, and money left over to divvy up. Of course, the money is not divvied for long as everyone heads to the pool table to begin mini-tournaments. This year's mini-tournament was scotch-doubles 9-ball with teams drawn blind. I was surprised when the duo I was in went further than my spouse's! He is a much better player.
Anyways, I was excited to attack my Cherry-Almond cupcake recipe and top it with this mysterious Cloud Frosting.
Basic start, as with most, is my lovely vanilla cake. A good dose of finely chopped maraschino cherries and almond extract instead of vanilla will quickly convert them.
I love these candied fruits despite everything becoming sticky and the risk of stain at a moment's notice. When dealing with maraschino cherries, I recommend starting there and then clean up your surfaces and tools immediately. Only then, move on to the cake.Unfortunately, somewhere along the lines I did not account for the additional moisture. I either needed to counterbalance within the batter or bake them slightly longer. I ended up with cakes a little sunken in on top as a result but luckily there was no sticking to the paper cups. I hate that!
The addition of the almond extract and maraschino cherries was a subtle change to the cake. The almond flavor was very gentle within the cake and the little cherry chunks were a snappy little burst of flavor.
These little dolls were all set to the side to cool. I stretched my hands and turned to the mixer. It was time to venture to the clouds and see what I'd find.
What I found was what a baker's dreams are made of. Well, this baker's dreams anyway.
The ingredients went through a staged process with some hand whisking over simmering water on the stove until warm and frothy. Then transferred to the mixer to run until, as usual, stiff peaks form.And boy did they! At first, I would glance in the bowl as I passed by, cleaning the kitchen while my clouds formed. The frothy soup seemed to not be doing much initially. It took a good 10 minutes before I started to notice a whipped cream sort of style being created in the bowl. By 15 minutes, I could tell there was density to the cream. These clouds were about ready to float.
At about 18, maybe 20, minutes I stopped the mixer and lifted the arm. The bowl did not want to relinquish what the whisk still cradled. Wow. I have never seen whipped cream like this before!
After a taste, I realized why. I hadn't made whipped cream. Oh no. I had just made my childhood love: marshmallow fluff. And I had made a LOT OF IT. 2 cups of sugar and 6 egg whites go a long way to filling up a Kitchenaid bowl!
My tastebuds were a whirl as I could not stop snatching little tastes of the fluff. I felt like a kid in the kitchen while mom is baking; waiting until her back is turned to grab a pastry bag or adjust the line up of cupcakes then, quick as lightning, dip a finger across the beater for a sweet taste of fluff! This was amazing and I could not wait to combine one of these little beauties and dive in.
As it so happened, I did wait but mainly because I saw how beautiful they were and I just had to have some time to enjoy the view before I enjoyed the flavors.
I looked at my pastry tips and was tempted to us the 12, a simple round tip, but decided that was just too plain. Besides, I intended to go a step beyond frosting them with fluff and drizzle them with cherry juice, sprinkle with chopped almonds. The 21 tip caught my eye next and after a couple of tested techniques, and spousal input, I had my plan in place.
Cherry-Almond with Marshmallow Fluff: A++ Cupcake. After the fluff sits in the fridge a couple hours it gets a slight film layer to it as if it truly were made from marshmallows. I suspect this recipe actually is a basis for making marshmallows. Perhaps something I will need to look into...
Also, the fluff recipe makes a lot; way more than needed for two dozen cupcakes. I have found that it freezes well and it makes a wonderful dip for Granny Smith apple slices!
