Coconut Marshmallow Cupcakes

We received 24ml rain on Saturday, and yet we were still going out to meet a fellow mum who's home-schooling her 4 daughters. I admire her efforts to educate her children in what I call a friendly, loving, caring and comfortable environment. I do think education is very important. A learning goes a long way in a very long span of time, which often is to be the ground our children take decision for their future, in the real life.

Went back home, I was driven into something that I want to do for Cupcakes Spectacular 2008. I have wanted to try my hand on a new skill on cake decorating but there's not much time to muck around with one complicated pattern while there are heaps of easier options. I decided to loose up a little bit. I go for topping my lime cupcakes with marshmallow, based on Denise's lime and coconut cupcakes.

The marshmallow was an accident. I was going to ice the cupcake with cream cheese and I had no idea how I ended up heating up sugar and water in a pan? I had also seen myself soaking the gelatin while on the back of my brain I was meant to make cheesecake-like icing, and it did not happen that way. I got marshmallow, instead!! I think I've made marshmallow a long time ago when I was still mad at recipes-tests (still am!). I probably somehow mixed up that memory with what I was doing. I don't know. I've got so many things going on on my mind, sometimes I am in the middle of something where I should do something else. A bit annoying. Never mind. I should just be more organized, really.

Anyway, this is my personal entry for Cupcakes Spectacular 2008, where people are baking and icing their cupcakes to look spectacularly edible!

See Lime and Coconut Cupcakes on Denise's blog for the base of the cupcake. And here's what I did to make marshmallow.

2 cups sugar,
¾ cup hot water,
3-5 tsps gelatine,
½-3/4 cup water,
1 tsp coconut essence, optional (use almond or vanilla)
cherries and almonds as optional,
dark chocolate to decorate

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan, stir to dissolve the sugar and boil it for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, soak gelatine into the second measured water. Leave until soft. Pour in the hot sugar syrup into the gelatine. Stir until the gelatine is dissolved. Then, beat the mixture until thick and stiff (well, it should not look stiff, but when you stop the beater, you can see the mixture stays where it is). Add the fruits and nuts if desired, then pour on to the cupcakes. Leave it to cool. Drizzle with the melted chocolate or decorate as you like.

Now, just a gentle reminder that we're already on 3 March 2008, everyone, and if you should send your entry, in case you've forgotten, there's still plenty of time until 15 March 2008. The event won't be as merry as to have your beautiful cupcakes!