Edible Ice Cream Cups

**Confession: This post was supposed to be all purple. Purple was my wedding color....I also was supposed to have the picture taken on my wedding day...in my dress....with a cupcake....with monogrammed fondant and purple sprinkles. Ya know when your photographer leaves the country for three weeks and asks if the 28th will be okay to get you the photo? Um......not so much. Aaaand, moving on. 

SPRINKLES!!!!!!

Aren't they best? Little pieces of happiness that just make everything in the world better. :)

Ya know what's a little crazy about sprinkles? I've never thought about how they were made. Not ever. In my 30 years of sprinkle love, I'd never thought about it. They are just pieces of rainbows, pixie dust and unicorn manes that make the world all better.

Now I know better! The new cookbook Sprinkles! by Jackie Alpersis is full of recipes on using sprinkles and MAKING sprinkles! You could learn to make the quins used to decorate these ice cream cups?! 
Quirk Books (the publisher) has been having a sprinkles round up! FUN. If you want to see some of the other sprinkles recipes check out  We Are Not Martha, Baked Bree,  Kitchen Konfidence, Kitchen Meets Girl and Bake or Break. 

Lots of love readers! You are not forgotten. My wedding is done, my house renovation is nearly done and I will be back with lots more fun and sprinkles soon! 

xoxo

Edible Ice Cream Cups

2 large egg whites

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract (optional, can replace with vanilla)

3 tablespoons vegetable oil

8 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon salt

8 tablespoons granulated sugar

3 teaspoons water

food coloring (optional)

melted chocolate (optional)

sprinkles (optional)

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees Fahrenheit and HEAVILY grease 2 9-X-13 inch baking sheets.

In a medium bowl, lightly beat the egg white, vanilla extract, almond extract (if using) and vegetable oil until frothy, but not stiff.

In a separate bowl sift together the dry ingredients, and then stir in the water. 

Add the flour mixture to the egg white mixture and stir until you have a smooth batter.  The consistency you are looking for is not runny. It will easily drop off a wooden spoon. If you want to dye the cookies, divide the “dough” into as many groups as you like. I usually do two or three colors at a time. Add the food coloring, stirring it into the batter. 

Place a tablespoon of batter onto the heavily greased cookie sheet, spacing them at least 3 inches apart. Using a spoon spread the batter out to form into a circle 4 inches in diameter.

Bake until the outer 1/2-inch of each cookie turns golden brown and they are easy to remove from the baking sheet with a spatula (14 - 15 minutes). If you’ve dyed the cookies this will be harder to recognize, especially if you used a white food dye, but you should be able to notice the change in the texture of the cookie, even if you can’t see the color.

Working quickly, remove the cookie with a spatula and flip it over in your hand. Mold over a cup or bowl, or wedged between two stacked brioche pans as I did. 

Dip edges in melted chocolate and decorate with sprinkles if desired. Store in an airtight container until ready to serve. 

Enjoy! 

Pork Pot Stickers

Iron Chef Carrot was a major success! My pork pot stickers were gone within minutes! 

Iron Chef Carrot was one of the largest crowds we've had. I was amazed at the number of people (who sadly did not all bring dishes), and amazed at the food. I was somewhat bemused by the amount of people who clearly came for the freebies. I am starting to get concerned that no matter how many times I tell people "It's a Cook Off. NOT a 'Mooch Off'" they are never going to get that point. Yes, it's a party, and a fun party, but......it's a party for people who like to cook! So cook!

We did have plenty of great dishes, and thankfully many of them could feed the hoard. I made 50 pot stickers that lasted all of five minutes. That should have been about one pot sticker a person...but, we all know how people react to free food. Nom. Nom. Nom.

Our winner, Erika, made easily the largest plate of stacked enchiladas I have EVER seen. Ever. I'm used to rolled enchiladas, senoran style, like my papi (pappap or grandpapa) used to make. We also had a slew of carrot cakes, tempura, Middle Eastern rice, lentils....chocolate chip cookies....with small shards of carrot in them. In general, I think some people missed the point, but  deserve points for the sheer cheek to put carrot into a chocolate chip cookie. To be fair, the recipe does exist but man, it's not making my priority list for baking! I'm perfectly fine not mixing vegetables into my sweets! Yep, I am willing to put bacon in ice cream, but I am not willing to put a carrot into a chocolate chip cookie. (oh like you don't have double standards too!)

It was a great night. Erike our winner picked what I consider to be our most challenging ingredient yet: Dates. If you have any great suggestions for me (sure that's cheating but, c'mon, what can you expect from a girl with double standards about chocolate chip cookies) email them to me at jana [@] cherryteacakes.com. I could use the help. I've spent time in the Middle East, but cooking with dates is new for me....and I'm betting a lot of participants! Yikes! This'll be a fun one!

I'm still trying to track down Erika's winning recipe! Hope to have it soon to share! In the meantime try the pot stickers! Let me know if they last longer than five minutes if you make them!

Pork Pot Stickers

1/3 pound ground pork

1 tablespoon candied ginger, minced

1/2 small carrot, coarsely shredded

2 green onions, thinly sliced

2 cloves roasted garlic, minced

1 tablespoon soy sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1/8 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

50 pot sticker wrappers

1/4 cup canola oil

Mix first eight ingredients in a bowl. Cover and let marinate for one hour.

On dry surface, lay out one wrapper. Spoon 1 1/2 teaspoons filling into center, then moisten halfway around edge with wet finger. Fold to form open half-moon shape and form tiny pleats along the edge to enclose filling. Cover with a moistened tea cloth. Repeat with remaining filling and wrappers.

Heat a 10 inch skillet over medium heat.  Add oil and arrance pot stickers in tight circles standing up in the pan. Fry the bottorms  for 2 to 3 minutes then add 1/2 cup water around the outer edges of the pan. Place  a lid or large plate over the top and cook until golden, about 7 to 10 minutes. Shake skillet to loosen pot stickers and remove to a serving dish.

Dipping Sauce

3 to 4 tbsp. olive oil
2 tablespoons candied ginger
2 cloves roasted garlic, minced
1/2 cup white wine
3 tablespoons soy sauce

Heat oil in a small pan. Add ginger and garlic and sauté until lightly brown. Add wine and soy sauce. Boil for about 3 minutes until reduced. Remove from heat. 

Mojito Snowball Cookies

A take on a classic snowball cookie, these cookies have a hint of lime, mint, and rum flavoring to give them a hint of the refreshing taste of a mojito. 

Sunday's Iron Chef Lime dinner was INSANE! We have never had such a large turnout! I could hardly breathe! The votes were in and everyone LOVED the lime challenge! We had dishes in every shape and size! Fiesta Chicken Fettuccine, turkey, lime bars, three cheesecakes, lime sherbet with blueberry coulis, pad thai, pulled pork salad with lime cilantro dressing, nachos, four different drinks, yogurt, lime coconut cake, and the list goes on and on!

It took THREE of us to gather the votes and its was close! One vote either way and we were looking at a three way tie between the lime sherbet with blueberry coulis, the pulled pork salad with lime cilantro dressing, and a lime and white chocolate no bake cheesecake. Personally I voted for the pulled pork....because I left the dressing off and was happily oblivious to the taste of lime! After five minutes of calling out votes we had a winner! The no bake cheesecake! Congratulations to Eve and Dave on their winning dish! The recipe is posted below!

If your new to my blog, you may not know that I am not a huge fan of lemons and limes. I love oranges, tangerines and clementines....but....lime? lemon? Not my favorite. I'm sure you know the feeling where, if you don't like a certain flavor it's ALL you taste in the dish. So while I can taste the lime easily in my cookies, it turns out that others couldn't! I HATE that. Everyone agreed the cookies were delicious, just not as "limey" as a mojito cookie should be. Booooo. So, take my recipe and consider it to be a "to taste" guideline. If it were up to me, the cookies would just be mint. No lime. But that's not the challenge!

Cheers!

Mojito Snowball Cookies

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 tablespoons lime cocktail syrup (to taste. I prefer a very light lime flavor)

2 tablespoons rum or 1 tsp. rum extract

2 teaspoons peppermint sugar (made from a handful of peppermint candies)

1 cup powdered sugar

Using a food processor, grind a handful of peppermint candies into a fine powder.

Whisk flour and cornstarch in medium bowl to blend. Using electric mixer, beat butter and 1/2 cup powdered sugar in large bowl until light and fluffy. Mix in lime juice, rum or rum extract, and peppermint sugar. Beat in flour mixture until smooth. Refrigerate dough until just firm, about 45 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.

Using scant 1 tablespoon for each, form dough into balls and place on prepared sheets, spacing 1 inch apart.

Bake cookies until pale golden on top and browned on bottom, about 23 minutes. Transfer baking sheets to racks; immediately sift generous amount of powdered sugar over cookies. Cool cookies completely on baking sheets.

Key Lime Mousse Pie

as adapted from Paula Deen

2 cups crushed graham crackers

1/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup butter, melted

6 tablespoons fresh key lime juice

1 1/4 ounces (1 envelope) package unflavored gelatin

2 1/2 cups heavy cream, divided

10 ounces finest quality white chocolate, chopped

24 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 cup sugar

2 tablespoons lime zest

1 1/2 ounces white chocolate, grated or shaved into curls, for garnish

Mix together the cracker crumbs, sugar, and butter. Press the mixture into the bottom and 1-inch up the sides of a 10-inch springform pan. Set aside.

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the lime juice. Whisk in the gelatin and 1/2 cup of the heavy cream and bring to a simmer. Remove the pan from the heat. Add 10 ounces of white chocolate and stir until smooth. Allow to cool.

Using an electric mixer, blend together the cream cheese, sugar and lime zest in a medium bowl, until smooth. Slowly beat in the cooled white chocolate mixture into cream cheese mixture.

Using clean, dry beaters, beat the remaining 2-cups heavy cream in a small bowl, until it forms soft peaks. Fold it into the white chocolate mixture and pour into the pie crust. Cover and freeze overnight.

Remove from freezer and run a sharp knife around inside of springform pan to help loosen the pie. Release springform ring from the bottom of the pan and transfer the pie to a serving plate. Grate or curl the white chocolate over the top. Cut into wedges with a knife that has been dipped into hot water and serve.

Mango Orange Ice Cream Floats

Lately I've been craving bright and tropical flavors. I made mango orange ice cream and paired with ginger ale to create a vibrant drink for Iron Chef Mango!

One line reminder to vote for my entry in the California Raisin Let's re-Do Lunch Competition! Vote Daily!

I think everyone in DC is feeling about the same way I am. The clouds, the rain, the cold....we're done. We survived Snowmaggedon last year, and we're just not ready for anything resembling cold weather yet. I didn't really realize it until I sat down and thought about how nobody really wants to eat pumpkin, or cranberries. I feel like if we give in too much to these holiday flavors then we will be starting that slow death march to the bitter cold of February. I'm not ready. 

In a state of denial, our monthly Iron Chef potluck was themed for mango! And thank heaven next month will be lime! We're keeping the food tropical and maybe if we crank up the heater enough we might forget for an hour of two that a bitter cold winter is right around the corner. 

Wow. That was a bit of a downer. Let's get back to yummy food. 

My friends Tristan and Rachel, from the amazing weekend of pumpkin fun and a New England road trip, brought some fierce competition. Tristan told me about a year ago his only goal is to beat me. Just once. Congratulations! You succeeded! It will never happen again... just kidding! I love you! And since we both brought mango drinks it was a fair fight. Ra-stan...no, maybe, Trichel? Hmmm....either way, their team made a fabulous mango lassi, based off of a few different recipes they'd found online! 

The evening was a great success with mango drinks all around! 

Mango Orange Ice Cream Floats

2 cups Mango/Orange Juice

2 eggs

3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp. lemon flavoring

2 cups cream

1 cup milk 

In a small saucepan, boil the mango/orange juice until reduced to about 1/3 of a cup. Allow to cool slightly.

In a stand mixer combine the eggs and sugar. Beat for one minute until light and fluffy. 

Gently mix in the cream, milk, lemon flavoring and mango orange syrup. 

Transfer the mixture to an ice cream maker. Allow the ice cream to churn until finished and freeze according to the manufacturer’s instructions.

Rally to Restore Sanity and/or Keep Fear Alive!

That's right! I was there for the Stewart Colbert Rally and had "special guest" tickets! Up close and personal to all the hilarity! 

the stage decor, and me with my little sign in the special guest section (thank you brandon!)

Yep! There I am! Complete with a cute little Team Fear Sign! Let me just tell you...there was fear. A lot of fear. Mostly due to the people you can see behind me in the picture. As it turns out, these people were there since the hours of the day/and or night that I don't acknowledge to exist. Not only were they tired, and standing for hours...but look at them, they are caged in, crowded, and clearly on the brink of revolution.....so, for me to have twenty clear feet of green space around my lush over sized blanket with tons of room for snacks, card games, camera tripods and the like..well...there was a man dressed as a clown, and you could tell he had murder on the mind. To keep from rubbing this in too much, I only included a very small picture of my friends and my blanket in the collage below. 

signs, signs, carved pumpkins of awesomeness- on sticks thus counting as a sign, and the crowd doing the wave as instructed by the MythBusters!

Clearly some people missed the apolitical nature of the rally. But for those of us knew that this is the Festivus of political marches it was a blast! 

The day started out with what had to be the worst set ever performed by John Legend & The Roots. The music was slow, and for a crowd this pumped, this jazzed, this ravenous behind their clown costume...you really got bring the funk. They. Did. Not. 

Luckily we had a recovery, and our first showing of celebrities we cared about: The MythBusters! Perfect crowd control. How else can you get a few hundred thousand people to all focus their attention??? You can't. But they had us doing a two hundred thousand person wave, and jumping in unison, only to realize that a few hundred thousand people jumping in unison creates roughly the force of a car going 35 mph into a brick wall. Seriously? Sad! But they also got us all silent, laughing like mad scientists, and cheek popping together. So much fun! 

And then it got CRAZY! Welcome Jon Stewart and off this rally went! My personal favorite was the dueling trains musical number! Cat Stevens singing Peace Train, and Ozzy Osbourne singing Crazy Train over top of one another. Personally I was on Ozzy's side. No offence to Cat (Yosef) but it's just more my style......but that could only last a few minutes before the OJ's came out and topped them all with Love Train! And yes, we did all join hands and ride on that love train! 

Next up Sam Waterston reading a poem by Colbert (If you have no patience for poetry, even when it's humorous scroll down): 

Did you hear that?  No?  You’re probably going deaf.

It’s your kids back home. Cooking up some crystal meth.

Did you turn off the oven? Did you set the alarm?

They still haven’t caught the man with one arm.

Look around at these people.  How safe do you feel?

Your car, when you parked, did you lock it?

Think reasonably now…what are the odds that no one here’s a pick-pocket?

That guy who just coughed down your neck…Could he have an infection?

The restaurant where you went to brunch – did it fail its health inspection?

A mad man could set loose a virus for which there isn’t a cure and while these things may be unlikely - ask yourself – are you sure?

And can you be sure…

that you won’t get ebola from a tainted diet cola toxic waste are getting chased by a bearded Ayatollah.

Funnel clouds inhale, anthrax in the mail, your lover will discover your vestigial tail.

Someone’s robbing your house.

I can see through your blouse.

Your mother was right – you chose the wrong spouse.

Unlabeled drano tornados torpedos the horrible sights of some Guidos in Speedos.

STD’s, PCB’s SUVs, UV Lights

A giant pimple on your face, you have a date tonight

Choking on a biscotti being whacked by John Gotti

Getting trapped overnight in a full port-o-potty

And I have a final fear to drop in the bucket about a friend of a friend of the man from Nantucket.

There once was a man from O’Claire

Who no one was able to scare

He wouldn’t join in on the panics

About the Hispanics

And later was killed by a bear

True story.

Personally, I'm LOVING that. It kinda comes off as the worst Dr. Seuss poem ever. And by worst, I mean funniest for adults, not so much kids.

From there it was only more ridiculousness, including matching outfits for Jon and Stephen, a very boring musical number by Kid Rock and Sheryl Crow, sighting of Kareem Abdul Jabbar (which thanks to this rally I now know how to spell), Tony Bennet and Arianna Huffington (who forbid her staff to come? yet showed up herself? odd.) and of course, the twenty foot tall puppet of Colbert....which Kareem Abdul Jabbar could stand eye to eye with. That man is TALL! Watching Colbert run, jump and attempt to high five him was hilarious!

celebrities everywhere! 

And lastly we had the actual "speech." Which I whole heartedly agreed with one point made:

 Most Americans don’t live their lives solely as Democrats, Republicans, liberals or conservatives. Americans live their lives more as people that are just a little bit late for something they have to do—often something they do not want to do.

If you want to see the whole speach I've embeded a player for it here.

Sorry there's no food in this post. Just food for thought. Though we did eat my leftover cake from the six layer torte from The Palm. So if anyone is furious that there is no sweet treat to end this, hopefully that will assuage you! If not, go to The Palm and get the cake. That most certainly will. :)

Go Team Fear and/or Sanity!

DC State Fair: Chocolate Bacon Cupcakes

I love chocolate and bacon! Yes, it sounds odd at first, but once you realize two of the best items on the planet got rolled into one you can't imagine life without it! I used my chocolate bacon gnache from the chocolate bacon truffles as a cupcake topping for the DC "State" Fair! 

Bring on the HEAT! Holy cow! Could it have been any hotter for DC's inaugural "State" Fair? I doubt it. I was feeling borderline heatstroke towards the end of the pie judging. And before you say, psht, yeah right, let me remind you: I'm from the desert. I know heatstroke! 

For a first run state fair, not too shabby, especially when you consider that DC is not a state. Taxation without representation. Yep, that is our "state." More than half the tents were filled with political groups and political campaigns, but it's DC after all. I get accosted by an activist every time I leave any metro station, why would I expect any less at the fair? All that was really missing was funnel cake. I'm sorry to be the one the point this out, but it will never be a true state fair until there is funnel cake. 

whirling twirling kid ride of death, the Queen of Columbia Heights pageant, and a cute kid petting a yak

I'm also hoping that there will be twirly whirly rides next year, of a larger nature than the ones you see these two children above having a good time in. No, sadly, that kid did not throw up. I think that is my second requirement for it to be a state fair: ridiculously rickety rides that make young boys throw up.  I was watching him and he looked like he had it in him, but nope, held his own on that one. He was on there a long time! Didn't take me long to figure out why. I took a little spin....turns out you can't stop. That thing is built for perpetual motion. Found that out the hard way. Many thanks to my friend Brandon who snapped pictures (which I hope never see the light of day) while laughing hysterically instead of helping me out of the whirling twirling kiddie ride of death. . 

Aside from the one "ride" (otherwise known as a playground) there were the other traditional state fair items including a petting zoo, live bands, and a rather low budget beauty pageant. I pass no judgement. Last year I entered in the Miss Punkin Chunkin Pageant after all last year for kicks and giggles. I even bought a bump it so I'd have appropriately sized hair for the occasion. :)  (he he and this year they are having a "ms" category that I think I might enter too. It was just too fun!)

Last and in no way least, was the food competitions! Pies, pickles, jams, cupcakes you name it! Did I win? NO! Some granny with a carrot cake to die for came out of nowhere with that one! Good for her! The world needs more amazing carrot cake out there. I've had one in my life I've liked. One! And with forty different cupcakes to compete against that was some stiff competition! So three cheers for a fair winning carrot cake! I also hear the watermelon rind pickles were excellent. So intrigued with that one.

All in all a great HOT day. I am so so happy to be inside instead now, happily blogging and getting rehydrated.

Chocolate Cupcakes

adapted from Chocolate Pound Cake

1 1/2 cups butter, softened

3 cups white sugar

5 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/4 cup buttermilk

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup dutch process cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Line a cupcake pan with cupcake wrappers.

Mix together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Beat in the flour mixture alternately with the buttermilk. Pour batter into lined cupcake tins.

Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes minimum, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Bacon Chocolate Gnache

1 part bacon grease

1 part butter, melted

2 parts dark chocolate

Chopped up bacon to taste

Cook the bacon and measure the bacon grease in grams. Melt and equivalent amount of butter in the same pan (uncleaned to pick up more bacon flavor) you cooked the bacon in.  Add in the two parts of chocolate  and melt.

Once all is melted and combined, set aside to cool. We opted to cool ours covered in the freezer stirring frequently. Chop a few pieces of cooked bacon into tiny pieces, and set aside. We like it extra crispy for texture.

Once the mixture has cooled to a spreadable consistency, spoon it out into a stand mixture and whip at a high speed until it is light and fluffy. Fold in bacon pieces. 

Cinnamon S'more Cupcakes

Light, fluffy and chalk full of yummy vietnamese cinnamon-butter-brown-sugary goodness topped with homemade marshmallows!

I have three great announcements to make! 

Firstly, KANSAS! Day. After. Tomorrow. Alright, I know I'm the only one excited about that! If you've ever done long distance, you know what I mean. 

Secondly, I'm very excited to announce that I am going to London and Edinburgh for my Thanksgiving Holiday! Tickets have been booked and it should be an excellent time! I'm already looking for foodie suggestions! So if you have a great tip for me please comment below or send it to jana[at]cherryteacakes.com!  

And last (and probably the only one you'll care about) but not least: Amelia Showalter, Gradually Greener, Jenna Huntsberger, ModernDomestic and  Ken Moore, The Indoor Garden(er)  are planning the FIRST DC "State" Fair as part of the Columbia Heights Day Festival on August 28, 2010 at Tubman Elementary Field (11th and Irving Streets NW) AND THEY ARE HOLDING A CUPCAKE BAKE-OFF!!!! If you are a DC resident you can enter here by August 25th! The winner of the cupcake contest will win "fame, glory, and a delicious prize box of treats from Treet!!!" 

• 
  
  I'm already scheming away! Only one week to think of what to make! And in honor of this lovely contest here is a little cupcake ditty to get any of you DCists thinking! 

Cinnamon S'more Cupcakes

One day ahead make the marshamallows!

Homemade Marshmallows

Adapted from Alton Brown

1/4 cup confectioners' sugar

1/4 cup cornstarch

Nonstick spray

3 packages unflavored gelatin

1 cup ice cold water, divided

12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups

1 cup light corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Flavorings or food colors, as desired

First things first prepare your pan! Spray the pan heavily with cooking spray (or grease with shortening if you prefer). Mix cornstarch and powdered sugar in a separate bowl. Pour about half the mixture into the pan and shake around the coat. Over wax paper, tap out any excess powder. Picking the wax paper up, return the excess powder to the bowl.

Fit your stand mixer with its whisk attachment. Pour the gelatin and ½ cup of the ice water into its bowl. Allow to sit as you continue to make the marshmallow syrup.   

In a small saucepan combine: 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Cover and cook on medium or medium high heat for about 3 minutes. No need to stir.

Take the lid of the syrup, and attach your candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Continue to boil for about 7 minutes until the syrup reaches 240 degrees and remove from heat immediately.

Put your stand mixer on low speed churning the gelatin mixture for a few turns and then, while running, SLOWLY pour the syrup down the side of the bowl. When all the syrup is incorporated, increase to a high speed. I cover the stand mixer with a tea towel for the first few minutes to prevent hot syrup from flying around my kitchen.  Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 -13 minutes. Add the vanilla, and other flavors or colors, if using, during the last minute of whipping.

If you have a sugar shaker, I recommend shaking on a little powdered sugar to coat slightly. Then take a few tablespoons of the powdered mixtures and brush on over top of the marshmallows. Allow to sit for 4 hours or overnight. Keep the remainder of the powder mixture.

To make the cupcakes:

1 1/3 cups packed golden brown sugar
2 1/2 tablespoons Vietnamese cinnamon
3 tablespoons flour
9 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 butter cake mix

2/3 cup buttermilk

1 stick of butter, softened

3 eggs

melted chocolate (optional)

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the brown sugar, cinnamon, flour and butter until well combined. Scoop out onto parchment paper and form into a log. Allow to freeze for at least 1 hour, until hardened.

Prepare a 9x13 pan. Butter the sides of the pan and dust with powdered sugar. Line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper. For cupcakes, simply line with regular cupcake liners.

Mix together the cake mix and buttermilk. Add in softened butter and blend. Add eggs one at a time, beating in between each addition.

Pour half the cake mix into the pan and distribute evenly. Remove frozen butter sugar mixture from the oven. Grate half the frozen mixture onto the cake batter, and gently fold in. You don’t want it to mix in, but rather have a rippled effect. Pour the cake batter into the pan.  

For cupcakes, scoop a little batter into each cupcake liner, about half of what you regularly would. Gently fold in the grated frozen filling into the remaining batter. Fill the cupcakes to their normal height.

Bake according to the package direction. Let cake two minutes 

To use the homemade marshmallows as a cupcake topping, cut into rounds and place on slightly cooled cupcakes. The heat of the cupcake will melt the bottoms of the marshmallows slightly to adhere them.  DO NOT place them on the cupcake in the oven, or directly out of the oven. The marshmallow will melt too quickly! 

Top with melted chocolate if desired!

** If using a store bought marshmallow place on the cupcakes while they have three minutes left to bake. Genlty press down the marshmallow as it comes out of the oven. 

Enjoy!