Cake is a vehicle for frosting

Last week in my American Indian Studies class I gave a presentation about myself.  This presentation was to include a personal artifact: something that holds cultural significance in your life. I brought cupcakes as my artifact and talked about how food is such a significant part of my life: how I love to eat and cook but most importantly I love how food brings people together.  I grew up in a family where we ate almost every supper together, this time was set apart from the rest of our day to just be together: to talk about our day and listen to each other.  Family meals are certainly a beautiful thing and I'm so glad my parents made this a priority.

So my speech went well and there were cheers when I passed out the chocolate cupcakes with chocolate marshmallow frosting.  When I was done with my speech I opened the floor for questions, a guy in my class raised his hand and promptly asked me to marry him.  The class erupted in laughter and then he asked me a serious question. 

For the cupcakes I just used a chocolate cake mix and substituted dark coffee for the water and sour cream for the oil, and adding 1 Tablespoon vanilla.  Once the cupcakes were baked and cooled I frosted them with Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting.

Chocolate Marshmallow Frosting

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup dark chocolate chips, melted
4 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon Vanilla
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 cup sour cream
1, 7 oz. tub marshmallow cream

Combine all ingredients in a stand mixer with wire whip attachment.  Mix on low for 1 minute or until all the powdered sugar is combined, scrape down the sides mix on high for at least 5 minutes.  If you like your frosting thicker add more powdered sugar by the 1/4th cup, thinner add milk by the Tablespoon until the desired consistency is reached.

Pipe onto cupcakes or brownies, spread on crackers and/or eat by the spoonful.