Yup – marshmallow fluff. It doesn’t HAVE to come out of a jar from the Jewel.
Rich asked for a carrot cake for his birthday this week, but not just ANY carrot cake.
He wanted the carrot cake Bobby Flay made for a Throwdown episode, which called for a bunch o’ stuff we don’t keep on hand (organic-free-trade-shade-grown-low-
emission-high-maintenance sugar). No problem, plain old sugar (brown, granulated, and powdered) worked just fine.
It also called for home made marshmallow fluff as part of the frosting. IN TRUTH, I had planned on just buying a danged jar o’ the Fluff; but it slipped my mind at the market, so I found myself staring at a candy thermometer while at the same time whipping some eggs whites into submission…
No fooling – you NEED a stand mixer to make this stuff.
INGREDIENTS
•3 tbsp water
•1/2 cup plus 2 tbsp light corn syrup
•1/3 cup plus 2 tbsp granulated sugar
•1/2 vanilla bean, seeds scraped out and saved – I used 2 tsp of extract
•2 large egg whites
•Pinch of salt DID YOU KNOW? Technically, a pinch is 1/16 tsp.
•Pinch cream of tartar
In a small saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer, bring the water, corn syrup, the sugar – MINUS 1 tbsp, and the vanilla bean (or extract) to 246º.
In the meantime, whip the egg whites, salt and cream of tartar in the clean, dry bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment until creamy and foamy, about 2 minutes. With the machine running, sprinkle in the remaining 1 tablespoon of sugar and continue to whisk until the whites hold very soft peaks, about 2 minutes.
Remove the vanilla bean, if used, from the sugar syrup.
Working quickly, and with the mixer on slow speed, carefully drizzle the hot syrup into the whipped eggs. Turn the mixer to high and whisk until thick, fluffy and just warm, about 7 minutes. Turn the mixer to low and whisk in the reserved vanilla seeds (if you used the pod) – since I used 2 tsp of vanilla in the sugar syrup, I was good at this point.
Scrape the fluff into a bowl – be forewarned – this suff is GOOD, but it is also WICKED STICKY – and prepare to have the
BEST. FLUFFERNUTTER. SAMMICH. EVER.
OR – tune in tomorrow when I combine it with some cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar for frosting this really cool (and TASTY!) carrot cake.