Sweet Potato Cupcakes

The Crawford County Fair is here! If you didn't know, it is the largest agricultural fair in Pennsylvania. That's something to be proud of! Anyway, I have been to the fair every year that I have attended Allegheny, so this year I decided I would take the plunge and enter something. Last Friday, I spent hours brainstorming, testing ideas and concepts, until it came to me. I pulled out my trusty wooden spoon and apron and got baking. 

The result was sweet potato cupcakes with marshmallow frosting, and drizzled with cinnamon brown sugar. I proudly entered these in the fair, and even though I didn't even got an honorable mention, I am still happy that I submitted them and officially have a fair number! 

Next year, I will have to try again....

Sweet Potato Cupcakes

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato (peeled and chopped)

½ cup milk

¼ cup butter

1 egg

¼ teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg

2 tablespoons brown sugar

¼ teaspoon vanilla

1 tablespoon canola oil

1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

¼ teaspoon baking powder

1 pinch of salt

Directions:

Heat the oven to 375 degrees.

Place milk, butter and sweet potato pieces into a pot. Bring to a boil and stir occasionally until the sweet potato is cooked all the way through and easy can be split apart with a wooden spoon. Pour all the content of the pot into a food processor and process until a puree.

Let sweet potato mixture cool until Luke warm. Stir in egg, and nutmeg. Add brown sugar, vanilla, and canola oil. Sift together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir sifted dry ingredients into sweet potato mixture.

Fill each cup of a standard cupcake tin a little more than half full.

Bake for 15-20 minutes, until tops begin to brown slightly.

Makes approximately 10 cupcakes

Marshmallow Frosting

Ingredients:

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 teaspoon light corn syrup

½ teaspoon cream of tartar

½ cup confectioner’s sugar

2 teaspoon water

6 drops of vanilla extract

Additional confectioner’s sugar as needed

Directions:

Grease the top half of a double boiler with butter. Add marshmallows and corn syrup and stir with a metal spoon as the mixture begins to melt.

When almost completely melted, add corn starch and sugar, stir until completely mixed. Add water to thin out the texture and make it easier to stir in about 6 drops of vanilla extract.

Take the top of the double boiler off the heat and beat contents with electric mixture, adding a teaspoon at a time of confectioner’s sugar until desired consistency is reached (about 2).

Frost cupcakes immediately.

Frosts about 7 cupcakes

Cinnamon-Brown Sugar Drizzle

Ingredients (Approximate ratio):

3/4 tablespoon butter

¼ teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon brown sugar

Directions:

Melt all ingredients together in a sauce pan over medium low heat. Drizzle carefully with a spoon over cupcakes.