Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Marshmallow Frosting

Name: Sweet Potato Cupcakes with Brown Sugar Marshmallow Frosting
Yield: 12 cupcakes
Ingredients: for the cupcakes-; 1/2 cup coconut oil {or butter}; 1/2 cup packed brown sugar; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1 egg + 1 egg yolk {save the white for the frosting!}; 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste {or 1/2 teaspoon extract}; 1/2 cup cooked, pureed sweet potato*; 2/3 cup all purpose flour; 2/3 cup white whole wheat pastry flour; 3/4 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon salt; 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon; 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg; 1/4 cup milk; for the frosting-; 1 cup packed brown sugar; 1/2 cup granulated sugar; 1/3 cup cold water; 1/4 cup mini marshmallows; 1 egg white; 1 large pinch cream of tartar; 1/4 teaspoon vanilla bean paste {or 1/2 teaspoon vanilla}; 1/4 cup chopped & toasted pecans, optional

0 · Mar 5, 2012

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Hello Monday!! Boy have I missed you! {NOT}

Yesterday, my daughter informed me that it was her birthday…again. {Her real birthday is the beginning of February.} She also told me that she wanted to sing and eat cake. Oh and yesterday was also Christmas.

She has a vivid imagination.

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So, in an effort to be a good parent and play along, I started making cupcakes.

EXCEPT…..problem 1: no butter. Usually I never run out and have my body weight in butter spread between my fridge and freezer. Somehow I happened to finish my last stick without realizing it. {–>What?? How would I not notice?}

Solution: Coconut Oil. Worked like a charm and gave a really yummy coconut undertone.

I continue baking when…

Problemo numero dos-o: almost no all purpose flour left. Can a girl just not catch a break? Again, how did I neglect to see this?

Never fear! White whole wheat pastry flour is here! I’ve never been more glad to have 17 different flours on hand! Just kidding. I have 5.

So, I get the cupcakes into the oven when……son of a mother–> no powdered sugar. Ohhhhh effffff. {That’s the third thing to go wrong, incase you’ve been counting along with me.} I start going through my mind about what I could make without powdered sugar when the figurative light goes on and I remember marshmallow frosting. Pure genius.

The universe really wanted us to have cupcakes, apparently. Or, I’m a little persistent.

So, my cupcakes get pulled out of the oven, my mind is blown by this frosting, and we enjoy our afternoon celebrating a fake birthday. These cupcakes were ~~a pain in my side~~ moist, sweet, tender and downright delicious. And the frosting was amazing. A different texture than regular frosting but not quite like eating a marshmallow either. You basically just have to try it to be a believer. Pretty pretty please make these. They won’t dissappoint. My happy little accident cupcakes 🙂 Here’s how you do it:

Mix some coconut oil, brown sugar and granulated sugar together in a bowl.

To that, we’re going to pour in some vanilla bean paste {or just regular vanilla extract} and an egg + an egg yolk

and the mashed sweet potato.

Whip this up until it looks light and fluffy.

Now in a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients–all purpose flour, white whole wheat pastry flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg.

Find one of these cover things {which is a brilliant creation from KitchenAid–>perfect for baking with kids and messy adults}

and with the mixer on low, alternate adding in the dry ingredients

with some milk. Go back and forth starting and ending with the dry ingredients.

After all the ingredients are combined, remove the bowl from the mixer and give it a few stirs by hand.

Now we’ll scoop our batter into our prepared pan and bake. Set these aside.

Now for the frosting {the best part!!} Pour some water into a pot filled with brown sugar and sugar. Stir this around and place over medium high heat.

We have 1 egg white left over from making the cupcakes, so we’re going to whip it up with a little cream of tartar.

You want stiff peaks like so.

Back to that sugar, once it comes to a nice rolling boil, start timing 1 minute. If you think it’s going to boil over, just stir in a little.

After the minute, remove it from the heat and stir in a few marshmallows until melted and smooth.

Now, at this point, I ran out of hands so you’re just going to have to trust me that I slowly poured that hot sugar mixture into the bowl of egg whites at the same time I was whipping it with my hand mixer. Once all the sugar is incorporated, continue whipping until the mixture is thick like frosting. Stir in a little vanilla and use immediately. No dilly dallying! I got mine into a piping bag and went to town!

My daughter topped these with nuts and we had a lovely faux celebration! Try these out and let me know what you think! They truly are one of the best cupcakes I’ve ever had…and that’s saying a lot! Happy Monday! 🙂