EASY Marshmallow Frosting Tutorial

I wanted to make some cupcakes for Valentines Day and decided I HAD to try out a recipe for marshmallow frosting. I don't remember where I saw it, but upon a quick Google search of several different recipes, I realized that it's actually buttercream icing with the added deliciousness of marshmallow fluff. Can you say, "YES, PLEASE!"

So here's a simple tutorial for how I went from THIS:

to THESE:

Want some? Just follow these simple steps and you'll be licking your lips in no time.

Cake Ingredients:

Boxed cake mix of your choice and ingredients listed on the back - usually butter or oil, eggs, and water. (Or if you're one of those over-achievers, make your own cake mix from scratch.)

Make the cupcakes by following directions on the back of the box.

I whipped the cake batter. I whipped it good.

I found these adorable Valentine cupcake papers at Michaels. 

Yes, my cupcake pan is "well loved." I mustache you not to judge.

Tip: DON'T OVERFILL CUPS

I may have overestimated how much I was actually putting in each cup, and they may have overflowed the top of the pan. They overflowed SO much that when I pulled the pan out of the oven, they looked like cookies. I could not see the cups at all. I used a serrated knife and sliced off the tops.

 

My husband and kids did not mind at all!

Okay, on with the directions.

Marshmallow Frosting Ingredients:

1 cup softened butter

7oz jar marshmallow fluff (or about 1 cup of marshmallow fluff if you have a big jar like I did)

2 cups powdered sugar (I ended up needed a bit more to make it thicker)

2 tablespoons milk (it doesn't have to be exact)

1 tsp vanilla

Food coloring

Extras:

Sprinkles (I used Valentine heart sprinkles)

Cupcake toppers (Check out Etsy or Pinterest to make your own if you prefer that over a trip to Michaels or your local crafts store.) 

Directions:

Beat the butter with a mixer until it's creamy (unless you're just THAT strong.)

Add the marshmallow fluff and beat until mostly mixed in with the butter. (You'll be doing a lot of mixing, so it's okay if it's not completely mixed in.)

Add the powdered sugar and milk alternately, a little bit of each at a time, mixing well in between. I usually start with the powdered sugar, add a splash of milk, add more sugar, splash of milk, and so on until you reach the desired consistency. If you're one of those by-the-book people, let me reassure you that it's okay if you use a bit more milk or sugar than what's listed.

Add in the vanilla and food coloring (if desired) at any point while mixing in the sugar. I used pink since they're Valentine's Day cupcakes.

To make thinner: add more milk

To thicken: add more powdered sugar

That's basically it. You can now make the frosting any consistency according to your desires. I typically use the Dairy Queen blizzard rule - it needs to be thick enough that when I lift the mixer, it doesn't fall off the paddle. But again, that's a personal preference. However, if you want to do any kind of fancy decorating by piping, it should be on the thicker side.

This is what my frosting looked like. 

See how the peaks are stiff? That's what you want.

It's also not a bad idea to pop the frosting in the fridge while the cupcakes cool off, 

just to give it some extra time to be firm enough not to melt in your hand when you start piping.

I have several icing tips I inherited from my mom. She used to be a professional cake decorator as a home business and she taught me everything I know. I used to have a cookie business where I made those big fat soft cookies with specialty decorations on top, so it wasn't hard to remember how to pipe icing. If you don't know how, this is not included here, sorry. Check out Wilton's website for materials and tutorials.

Anyway, I used a large round tip, dropped some icing in a decorator bag, and went to town. I didn't have a big star tip, unfortunately, to make the prettier designs. So the round tip had to do. I think it came out right nice. I did find some adorable cupcake toppers from Michaels as well. 

This is the end result:

Hope you have as sweet of a Valentines Day as we'll be having! Enjoy!