"SWEET POTATO CASSEROLE CUPCAKES {HOMEMADE MARSHMALLOW FROSTING}"

By RoketJSquerl

Ingredients

• For the Marshmallow Frosting:
• 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon (slightly rounded)
• 1/8 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/2 cup light brown sugar, packed
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted*
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest (about 1 small lemon, dark yellow parts only)
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1 cup sweet potato puree (about 2 small potatoes. directions below)
• 2/3 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, packed
• 1/3 cup flour
• 6 tablespoons melted butter*
• 1 cup chopped pecans, toasted
• Dash Saigon cinnamon
• Pinch kosher salt
• 4 egg whites
• 1 cup sugar
• pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• pinch Saigon cinnamon

Details

Servings 16
Preparation time 25mins
Cooking time 45mins
Adapted from americanheritagecooking.com

Preparation

Step 1

Peel and cut your sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. It doesn’t have to be exact. Place in a small saucepot and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce to medium and continue to cook until very tender and can easily be pierced with a fork. Drain and mash with a spoon, puree with an immersion blender, or press through a ricer (my favorite because it gets out some of the strings).
Preheat your oven to 350° and line 16 muffin tins with liners (I use 2 plain liners per cup).
Mix all the topping ingredients together in a medium bowl and set aside.
In another medium bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, soda, salt and all spices; set aside.
In a large bowl, beat sugars, melted butter, and lemon zest together with a hand mixer until thickened, 3-4 minutes. Add eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Add the vanilla with the last egg.
Add the sweet potato puree and mix on medium until smooth and creamy, about 30 seconds.
Alternately add flour and milk, beginning and ending with flour. I add a third of the flour then half of the milk and repeat. Fold the last flour addition in by hand to avoid over mixing.
Scoop into prepared tins, filling almost to the top of the cup. Add a generous amount of topping the top of each cupcake, pressing some down inside. Bake in preheated oven 15-20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out with a few clinging crumbs. Mine took 17 minutes.
Remove immediately from muffin tins to cool completely on a wire rack.
Assemble the Cupcakes:
Once cupcakes are cool, frost with your favorite piping tip! You can spread the frosting on but it will be messy and you will probably be covered in marshmallow fluff by the time you are done.
Toast the frosting with a kitchen torch or under a broiler. The frosting is delicious untoasted, so that is always an option.
Notes:

*Melting Butter: I melt my butter in the microwave in 10 second intervals on 50% power until almost all the butter has melted. At this point I remove it from the microwave and stir or swirl the bowl until all the butter has melted. I do not like when the cream separates from the butter, which will happen if you cook it too long or at too high a power (or heat on the stove).

**Toast whole Pecans on a rimmed baking sheet in a single layer for 10 minutes in a preheated 350° oven, or until you can smell them and the light parts of the pecans have turned a light golden brown. Pre-chopped pecans will toast faster!

For the Marshmallow Frosting:

Bring 1 inch of water to a simmer in a pot. In the bowl of your stand mixer add egg whites, sugar and salt, whisk to combine. Place bowl over the simmering water making sure that the bowl fits tightly but the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water.
Heat the sugar mixture, whisking frequently, until a candy thermometer reads 120° F or they are hot to the touch. Remove bowl from heat and place in the base of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.
Beat the mixture until cool and glossy. Add the vanilla and cinnamon (more to taste), and beat to incorporate.
Spoon into a large piping bag fitted with your favorite tip. I used a Wilton 2D for these sticks.