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.

Book Reviews

Water for Elephants by Sarah Gruen: This book was a difficult story of loss and love in the circus industry during the depression. This isn't a "feel good" book, the painful realities of the depression are evident on every page and the potentials for human cruelty are portrayed vividly and often. I am glad I read it but I definitely walked away from this book very sad for the people who actually lived in the conditions presented in Water for Elephants.  I hope to check out the movie from the library sometime soon and see how it compares to the book.

The Fault in Our Stars by John Green:  A superb book:  "I laughed, I cried, I read some parts aloud to my roommates because they were too beautiful to keep to myself, and a few times I just had to stop and breathe because I felt all the feelings." -my quote to a friend about The Fault in Our Stars. This book tells the incredible story of teenagers living with cancer and trying to make the most of the time they have.  It may sound cliche, but it is not.  This book is my favorite of John Green's books, a must read for everyone.

The Help by Katheryn Stockett:  I will admit that I saw the movie before I read the book.  I went to the theater by myself and it was a busy night so I sat next to people I didn't know.  I cried through most of the movie and the folks I was sitting by just kept turning and looking at me weird.  Oops.  Anyway the book was better than the movie, although the movie did follow the book pretty well, it can't compare.  Stockett writes from the truth of her life, growing up with a black maid herself, as well as doing extensive research.  Even though The Help is a work of fiction so much of it rings true still today.  Reading about the complete dehumanization of African-Americans was really quite terrifying.  I am still astounded by the racial climate of that time, and how it persists today in similar forms.  I cried while reading the book, but I had the good sense to read it in my apartment rather than out in public where people could give me weird looks.