cupcake hero :: march marshmallow!

could i be the next cupcake hero? is it possible? well, i'm not saying it's NOT possible, but given that it's my first try at this wikkid fun food blog event, i'm not holding my breath. i had a great time coming up with a good entry, though.

the theme for the month was MARSHMALLOW. so, of course i went down the s'mores path. but ultimately, i couldn't find a suitable way to get the graham into the mix. a chocolate cupcake with marshmallow frosting would be excellent, but how do you get the graham in there? well, i also figured there'd be lots of s'mores-type entries, so i gave up on the quest and finally landed on a recipe i have had for years--raspberry cupcakes. i usually do a lemon glaze on them, but for the challenge, i made it a lemon marshmallow frosting which *totally* rocked. it was SO good.

so, here's how it's done:


RASPBERRY CUPCAKES WITH LEMON MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

1 egg
4 egg whites
2/3 cup butter, softened
1 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
4 teaspoons baking powder
1 2/3 cup sugar
3/4 cup raspberry puree (approx. 1 pint of raspberries, sieved to remove seeds)
1/2 cup milk
2 1/4 cup flour

:: preheat oven to 350.

:: with an electric mixer, mix all ingredients on low speed to combine, and then on high speed for about a minute.

:: pour into 18 prepared cupcake tins, and bake for around 20-25 minutes.

MARSHMALLOW FROSTING:
2 large egg whites
2 cups sugar
1 cup water
9 standard-size marshmallows
3 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

::In a large bowl with electric mixer on high speed, beat egg whites until soft peaks form; set aside. In a medium saucepan, combine sugar and water. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium high and boil until a thin syrup forms that drops in a thin thread from spoon -- about 15 minutes.

:: With mixer on medium speed, gradually pour half of the syrup into egg whites and beat until soft peaks form; keep remaining syrup at a simmer. Add marshmallows, one at a time, to syrup mixture until the marshmallows melt down. Gradually beat syrup into the frosting mixture until it reaches spreadable consistency. Beat lemon juice in.