Chocolate Chip Cupcakes with Marshmallow Icing

I made these chocolate chip cupcakes with marshmallow icing last weekend. The original plan was to try and use the marshmallow icing to create a ghost shape and then use black icing or chocolate chips for the eyes, ready for Halloween. It would have worked beautifully, if I had used the biggest circle icing nozzle but I used the next size down which didn't make large enough swirls. Oh well, they weren't ghosts but they were pretty delicious!

Marshmallow icing, if you have never had it, is essentially a buttercream with melted marshmallow added to it. When it is set, it's soft and pliable. You need quite a good grip to pipe it, but it holds the shape that you pipe, beautifully. Biting into it is like eating a marshmallow but with a thicker texture. It tastes delicious! I can imagine it would be beautiful on top of dark chocolate cakes too.

The cupcakes in their accidental form would be great for kids parties. Chocolate chip cake is always a crowd pleaser and it's very simple to make. You can also decorate the marshmallow icing with anything that you can push into it. Sprinkles will just fall off, but you can push chocolate chips, sugar crystals etc into it enough that they will stay.

Hope you enjoy!

Ingredients
(makes 14)

(for the cakes)
200g butter, softened
200g caster sugar
3 eggs
200g self raising flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
100g milk chocolate chips

(for the icing)
200g butter, softened
400g icing sugar
2 tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla
150g marshmallows

Method

1. To make the cakes, start by creaming the butter and sugar together.
2. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing them in well before adding each one.
3.Sift the flour and baking powder into the mixture and fold it in until combined.
4. Add the chocolate chips (leaving ahandful to one side for decorating) and mix just until they are distributed through the mixture.
5. Spoon the mixture into cake cases. Three quarters full will do it.
6. Pop the cakes into the oven at 180 (170 fan, gas mark 4) for 13-15 mins.
7.  While they are baking, cream the butter for the icing with the icing sugar and vanilla until it's smooth. If necessary, use an electric whisk to really get it light and smooth.
8. Add the milk to loosen the icing and mix it through.
9. Put the marshmallows in a bowl and microwave in 30 second bursts until the marshmallows are melting and have puffed up. It may only take one 30 sec blast, depending on your microwave.
10. Scrape all the marshmallow into the icing mixture and mix through until combined. 
11. The warm marshmallow will make the icing very loose, so put it in the fridge to firm up.
12. Remove the cakes and transfer to a cooling rack.
13. When the cakes are completely cool and the icing has firmed up, you're ready to ice the cakes. 
14. Scoop the icing out and put it in an icing bag with a large round nozzle. The icing will have a smooth texture but be slightly rubbery, as though you could mould it into shapes.
15. Pipe the icing in circles and then dot each cake's icing with a few of the remaining chocolate chips. I pushed the pointed ends in so that they would hold.