I Made Marshmallows for a Hot Cocoa Cake!

And it was easy! A while ago I threatened to make a hot cocoa layer cake with marshmallows, all from scratch, and today I did it! I'm taking it to a friend's birthday tonight.

Yes, it took me all day and yes, every single surface in my kitchen is covered with powdered sugar (literally every surface) and yes, I had to go to the store three times and yes, I now have a sink full of dishes, but I did it!



The marshmallows were reaaalllly sticky but tasted good! They tasted exactly like marshmallow fluff from a jar. Uh....not that I know what that tastes like ;)

You have to wet the knife to cut them apart and then throw them in the powdered sugar bowl to coat their sticky edges, but then you get perfect little blocks!



I like making things from scratch that really don't need to be made from scratch. I think it goes with my "all-by-hand" quilting mentality. But it sure is labor intensive. These are the best photos I could get of the cake, since it took all day, the lighting was not so good!

The cake ended up with three layers even though the recipe only makes two layers, because while I was at the store getting a candy thermometer for the marshmallows, my two year old made an end run around dad to dig out a big hunk of cooling cake for herself :( She ruined one of the two layers I had, so when I got home I had to make another whole cake recipe to get two more layers. On the upside, my family got to eat the ruined layer and loved it! :)



Look at those adorable little cubes! Click to enlarge. Once they're rolled in the powdered sugar they are just the softest, dearest little things, like baby bunnies.

Enjoy!

A Little Known Fact About Me

Here's something only a few people know about me - I enjoy making foods from scratch that don't really need to be made from scratch. It amuses me. And shows me how easy scratch really is. I also like the challenge of doing something i'm terrified of.

It started with frosting, cakes and artisanal breads and worked its way up through bagels, pasta sauce, and now, as of last night, it has arrived at lasagna noodles and creme brulee using an actual vanilla bean! My first vanilla bean - cost $4 by the way, and yes, it does make a difference.

As I made the noodles, I was scared but I channelled all the strength of my Italian foresisters as I cracked the eggs into the well of flour and started rotating them with my fingers to incorporate only the barest amount of flour. My first well broke and water and egg ran all over the table! I had to throw the whole mess away. The second try I made a wider well. As I kneaded the dough for 25 minutes, my two year old Giacinta (Gigi) jumped up to knead too! I knew her great great great grandmother Giacinta was smiling down on her. She had a great time pushing the dough around.

It's funny how sometimes women get really defensive when they hear that I make things from scratch - I don't do it to be "better than you", I do it for a hobby. You all know what I mean, i'm sure you get the same thing sometimes when women hear that you quilt. Like an "I could never do that" vibe. Well you know that they CAN do that, they just never have or they aren't interested in trying. To tell the truth, i'm really not that great at cooking - sometimes the recipes come out, sometimes they don't. In fact, those aren't my lasagna noodles at the top of the page, mine were full of holes and looked terrible. And I don't always cook from scratch, just sometimes. I've got a full time job, two kids and a quilting/fabric addiction to tend to!

This year, 2010 is going to be all about doing things I've filed away in my brain but haven't tried because they scare me. I'm going to face my fears and just DO IT this year. I'm almost 39 for Pete's sake!

Where is this penchant for making things from scratch that don't really need to be made from scratch going now, you may ask? Straight into the gooey, sticky arms of marshmallows. Yeah, you heard me right, marshmallows. Because I want to make this - Hot Chocolate Layer Cake with scratch marshmallows.

Aw, yeah baby. Bring it on.