Strawberries and Cream Rocky Road

I really enjoy a good white chocolate rocky road, so when the idea came to me for a strawberries and cream version I knew I had to make it ASAP. The strawberry element comes from homemade strawberry marshmallows (made using fresh strawberries) and some freeze dried strawberries too. The cream element comes from the white chocolate,

I have written before that I love marshmallows. I know they can be a divisive thing, people have strong opinions about them. Most of these opinions are formed by the marshmallows found on supermarket shelves. Those marshmallows pale in comparison to homemade ones as are used in this recipe, so please don’t judge them before you try them! Everyone I know who says they don’t like marshmallows has liked these homemade ones, and been very surprised at how different they are to bought ones and how fresh the flavour is (as they are made with fresh fruit not artificial flavourings).

You can make the marshmallows a few days in advance and make the rocky road another day, this recipe can’t be done in one day anyway as the marshmallows need time overnight to set.

You won’t need all the strawberry marshmallows for the rocky road (or you could probably make a double batch of rocky road if you were thinking of using them as gifts), however they are superb on their own, and last around 3 weeks in an airtight container. The marshmallows make wonderful gifts on their own too.

Strawberries & cream Rocky Road

Ingredients for the Marshmallows: 

275g pureed fresh strawberries (the seeds can be strained if you wish, however the total weight still needs to be 275g)

50g gelatine powder

115ml water

820g white/granulated sugar 

320g glucose 

50g potato flour/starch

50g icing sugar (pure or confectioners)

cooking spray

Method: 

Spray a slice tin or lamington tray (at least 30x20cm) with the cooking spray and set aside. A slighly deeper tin will work well for this. If your tin is quite shallow, you may wish to prepare a second smaller tin) or grease some baking paper for any excess marshmallow that doesn’t fit into your main prepared tin.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, briefly mix together the strawberry puree and the gelatine powder. Leave for now, ensuring the whisk attachment is fitted and everything is ready to go once your sugar syrup is ready. 

In a medium/large saucepan place the water, then the sugar, then the glucose. Place over high heat and cook until the syrup reaches 120 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.

With the mixer on low, gradually pour the sugar syrup into the strawberry mix. Whisk on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture turns a more opaque colour. The mixture will also start to thicken. Then increase mixer to high speed for about 8 minutes, until the marshmallow has tripled in volume and has thickened. 

Pour marshmallow into the prepared tray, tapping it down on the bench to remove any air bubbles and to ensure it is sitting in the tray evenly. 

Leave to set overnight before cutting (room temperature is best, preferably covered with a food net or cover).

Once the marshmallow is ready to cut, in a small bowl whisk together the potato flour and the icing sugar (sift if necessary). 

Dust some of this mixture onto your clean work surface. Remove the slab of marshmallow from the tin, use a spatula to pull the sides away from the tin and tip it onto the dusted work surface. 

Dust more of the icing sugar mix over the top of the marshmallow slab, and around the sides. Using a large sharp knife, cut into cubes, by cutting the slab into rows, then cutting rows in the other direction. Dust your knife regularly with the icing sugar mix, and continue to dust the marshmallows as they are cut. The size you cut the marshmallows is completely up to you, I like cutting them into larger cubes (as pictured). 

Ensure every part of the cut marshmallows are covered in the potato flour and icing sugar mix. Toss them around on the bench to remove any excess.

Store in an airtight container. The marshmallows will keep for about 3 weeks. 

Ingredients for the Rocky Road:

700g white chocolate - choose one you like to eat (I used Cadbury Dream)

80g flaked or slivered almonds, lightly toasted

20g (approx.) freeze dried strawberries (sliced or roughly chopped whole strawberries)

500g homemade strawberry marshmallows 

Method: 

Line a square baking tin (approx. 22-23cm) with baking paper - I like to use small bulldog clips to hold the paper in place. 

Have all the rocky road elements ready to go next to your prepared tin. 

Melt the chocolate by placing a small pot with a little water on the stove and allow to simmer. Plate another pot or bowl that will comfortably sit over the top of the water pot, on top of the smaller pan, and add the chocolate to this pot/bowl. Gently mix the chocolate until completely melted. 

Pour about a third of the chocolate into the base of the prepared tin and allow it cover the base completely. Scatter in half the marshmallows, and one third of the almonds and freeze dried strawberries. Cover with another third of the chocolate, then place the remaining marshmallows and another third of the almonds and freeze dried strawberries. Cover with the remaining chocolate, and scatter over the remaining almonds and freeze dried strawberries.

Place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes to set (especially if you are working in warm or humid conditions), however you can prepare this in advance and cut the next day.

Once set use a large sharp knife to cut the rocky road into desired sizes. 

I prefer to keep the rocky road in the fridge. Keeps for about 2-3 weeks. 

Makes 8 generous blocks of rocky road. 

Rose Rocky Road Easter Eggs

The idea for this recipe came to me quite late in the piece. With only two weeks to go until Easter at the time I knew I would be lucky to get everything I needed in time. But with my ability to buy Easter treats severely limited this year, I felt I really needed to make something. And preferably something I would enjoy eating (which means no milk or dark chocolate!). 

I really liked the rocky road I made last year, and felt making it into a more Easter themed shape would be just perfect. I finally found some half Easter egg moulds online, they took ages to arrive hence why this post is only ready two days before Easter! 

I also decided to buy marshmallows rather than make my own. I thought making marshmallows right now just felt a little wasteful in terms of ingredients and since one batch makes so many, and I couldn’t really share them as I usually would, I thought buying some would be best. My favourite bought marshmallows are from Grounded Pleasures, so I bought their massive 700g box which will also hopefully get us through a few Wintery isolation hot chocolates too! 

Grounded Pleasures Marshmallows

This recipe is mostly an assembly job, and an even easier version of my Rose Rocky Road I posted last year. You can of course use other types of chocolate, and other moulds or cake tins to shape your rocky road. I made a Rocky Road Wreath for Grounded Pleasures at Christmas last year, so there is another idea for how to shape your rocky road.  

I prefer to use good quality chocolate, which is why the recipe is long as it needs to be properly tempered. You can use baking chocolate, just follow the instructions on the packet to melt and you shouldn’t need to temper as below. 

Tempering chocolate can be tricky, and I would definitely recommend a chocolate thermometer if using good quality chocolate. Don’t worry if it doesn’t turn out perfectly, if your chocolate blooms (if using milk or dark chocolate) it will still taste great and if it has trouble setting just store it in the fridge. I am definitely no expert when it comes to properly tempering chocolate, but it always tastes good regardless! Plus there are plenty of resources available online if you want to know more.

I hope everyone has a clam and quiet Easter/long weekend. Let me know in the comments if you have a go at making some rocky road or what other baking adventures you have been up too. 

Rose Rocky Road Easter Eggs

Ingredients: 

500g good quality white chocolate

pink colouring (suitable for use with chocolate)

rose flavouring (suitable for use with chocolate)

30g slivered almonds, roasted

160-170g marshmallows

dried edible flowers, for decoration (optional)

1 tsp freeze dried raspberry, for decoration (optional)

cooking spray

Method: 

Very lightly spray 6 medium half Easter eggs moulds (approx. 120ml capacity) with the cooking spray. Arrange the moulds on a tray with sides so the moulds aren’t about to move about too much. 

Have all the rocky road elements ready to go next to your prepared moulds.  

Place a small pot with a little water on the stove and allow to very gently simmer. Using another pot or bowl that will comfortably sit over the top of the water pot, measure out 300g of the white chocolate. 

Place this pot over the gently simmering water (ensuring the water does not touch the base of the pot above) and melt the chocolate. Ensure the chocolate is constantly stirred. Once the chocolate reaches 45 degrees Celsius on chocolate thermometer, remove from the heat and continue stirring while gradually adding the remaining 200g of white chocolate. Add a little at a time and allow to melt before adding more. 

Continue to check the temperature of the chocolate, once it has fallen to 34 degrees Celsius, the remaining chocolate should have all been added. Continue stirring to allow the chocolate to cool further to 32 degrees Celsius. Sometimes I find not all my chocolate has melted at this point, it can depend on the room temperature and the temperature of the chocolate to start with. I place my chocolate back over the warm water in the pot I used previously, and turn the heat on to very low. I keep stirring the chocolate and check that the temperature doesn’t rise about 34 degrees Celsius again. Once the chocolate has almost completely melted, remove from the heat again and continue to stir and allow the chocolate to return to 32 degrees Celsius. 

Add a little pink colouring at this point, and a few drops of the rose flavouring. Start small with both and add more if you think it’s necessary. 

Once the chocolate has reached 32 degrees Celsius, it is ready to use. 

Spoon in about a tablespoon of the melted chocolate into each mould. and spread it around so the inside of each mould. Place a few marshmallows into each mould (I found I could fit four marshmallows into each mould), and cover with more chocolate (try to distribute the chocolate evenly amongst each mould). I didn’t fill each mould to the brim, leave a gap at the top as this will help you remove the chocolate later. Tap each mould onto the bench gently to encourage the chocolate to evenly distribute and remove any air bubbles. 

Sprinkle some almonds over the top of each, and follow with the dried petals and freeze dried raspberries if using. 

Leave to set at room temperature if you are in a cool environment, otherwise place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set. 

Once set remove from the moulds and store in an airtight container.

I prefer to keep the rocky road in the fridge. Keeps for about 2-3 weeks. 

Makes 6 medium half Easter eggs. 

Reference: ‘Bourke Street Bakery All Things Sweet’ by Paul Allam and David McGuinness (Murdoch Books, 2017), pp.104-105 + 119.

Bergamot Marshmallows + A New eBook!

To celebrate the release of my second eBook, Cosy Winter Bakes, I decided to share another seasonal Winter recipe that I love to make. 

I think I have mentioned before that I have always loved marshmallows. So many flavour combinations are possible. And when our bergamot tree is fruiting I am always trying to think of something different to make with them. I love making the same cakes and biscuits with our bergamot each year as I look forward to their season so much, however this year after making the Bergamot Loukoumia from Georgina Hayden’s book Taverna, I thought I would have another go at using bergamot in confectionary. 

View fullsize

View fullsize

I was pleasantly surprised that the bergamot flavour in the marshmallows worked, for some reason I wasn’t 100% sure it would. The flavour actually gets better a couple of days after the marshmallows have been made and cut. 

These marshmallows are super fluffy, and end up being very white in colour as bergamot juice does not have a really strong colour and all homemade marshmallows turn quite opaque as they are whipping anyway. You could add some yellow or green food colouring as the marshmallow is whipping, but I personally prefer to avoid using artificial colours as much as possible in my baking.

I took a few of these, along with some of the passionfruit marshmallows that are in my eBook, to work and I was quite surprised that my colleagues tried the bergamot ones and liked them. Bergamot is quite an unknown citrus, but that didn’t stop everyone trying them! I was super happy about this as not only is bergamot such a delicious flavour if you are willing to give it a go, but each marshmallow recipe makes quite a few marshmallows and with two batches at home I really needed to give some away!

Also, if anyone knows were to easily buy beef gelatin in Sydney (or online), please let me know! These marshmallows are not suitable for anyone who keeps kosher or halal and I would love to make sure they are in future!

For more seasonal cakes, confectionary and cookies check out my new eBook Cosy Winter Bakes! 

View fullsize

View fullsize

Bergamot Marshmallows (Gluten + Dairy + Egg Free)

Ingredients: 

275g fresh bergamot juice

50g gelatine powder

115ml water

820g white/granulated sugar 

320g glucose 

50g potato flour/starch

50g icing sugar (pure or confectioners)

cooking spray

Method: 

Spray a slice tin or lamington tray (at least 30x20cm) with the cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, briefly mix together the bergamot juice and the gelatine powder. Leave for now, ensuring the whisk attachment is fitted and everything is ready to go once your sugar syrup is ready.

In a medium/large saucepan place the water, then the sugar, then the glucose. Place over high heat and cook until the syrup reaches 120 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.

With the mixer on low, gradually pour the sugar syrup into the bergamot mix. Whisk on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture turns a more opaque colour. The mixture will also start to thicken. Then increase mixer to high speed for about 8 minutes, until the marshmallow has tripled in volume and has thickened. 

Pour marshmallow into the prepared tray, tapping it down on the bench to remove any air bubbles and to ensure it is sitting in the tray evenly. 

Leave to set overnight before cutting (room temperature is best, preferably covered with a food net or cover).

Once the marshmallow is ready to cut, in a small bowl whisk together the potato flour and the icing sugar (sift if necessary). 

Dust some of this mixture onto your clean work surface. Remove the slab of marshmallow from the tin, use a spatula to pull the sides away from the tin and tip it onto the dusted work surface. 

Dust more of the icing sugar mix over the top of the marshmallow slab, and around the sides. Using a large sharp knife, cut into cubes, by cutting the slab into rows, then cutting rows in the other direction. Dust your knife regularly with the icing sugar mix, and continue to dust the marshmallows as they are cut.

Ensure every part of the cut marshmallows are covered in the potato flour and icing sugar mix. Toss them around on the bench to remove any excess.

Store in an airtight container. The marshmallows will keep for about 3 weeks. 

Reference: Heilala Vanilla Sweetness Vanilla Bean Mallow

Homegrown Bergamots

Pink Rocky Road with Homemade Blackberry Marshmallows + Homemade Raspberry Jubes for Easter

This recipe has been a long time coming for me. 

I have always been obsessed with marshmallows, so making them myself was always going to happen. I used to melt bowls of them in the microwave as a kid and eat them (sometimes with rice bubbles added too!). 

After enjoying the white chocolate rocky road by Sweetness The Patisserie (now owned by Adora Handmade Chocolates), for years and gifting many a milk or dark chocolate rocky road, I really wanted to make a good rocky road at home. Years ago I bought marshmallows and patê de fruits from Sweetness and assembled it myself. But after having made my own marshmallows for quite a while, I really wanted to do the whole thing myself. 

I have been keeping an eye out for a good patê de fruits or jube recipe for a while now. And I finally found one, that actually looked achievable in Bourke Street Bakery’s book ‘All Things Sweet’. I immediately put the book on my wish list, and luckily was gifted it for Christmas last year. 

Now I had the marshmallows and the jubes covered, I had to tackle the chocolate! I don’t eat chocolate, unless its white chocolate, so I don’t have a lot of experience with tempering etc. The main thing I can say about it now I’ve done it is, buy good quality chocolate with a high cocoa butter content, and get yourself a chocolate thermometer. I made the mistake of thinking I could use my candy thermometer, only to realise it doesn’t read temperatures under 40 degrees Celsius, which is not helpful for tempering chocolate! 

I bought this thermometer from Peter’s of Kensington, which is great as it’s a thermometer and spatula in one. If you want to know more about tempering chocolate I would recommend the above Bourke Street Bakery book and Katherine Sabbath’s pop up book ‘Greatest Hits’. 

This recipe does look a bit daunting I know, but I found making the marshmallows and the jubes on one day quite achievable. They both need to set overnight at least, so the next day all you need to do is temper the chocolate and assemble the rocky road. I add a very small amount of pink colouring and rose flavouring which is suitable for use with chocolate, however this is completely optional. You could of course use any type of chocolate you like (I think ruby chocolate would be great here!). 

Along with the chocolate thermometer, a candy (sugar) thermometer is also necessary to make the marshmallows and jubes. 

I hope you have a go at this recipe (or one of the elements of it!), I think homemade rocky road would make great gifts to give this Easter - and if you can’t fathom all that effort I would recommend checking out the Easter ranges at Adora Handmade Chocolates (who also make a stellar rocky road!) and Bakedown Cakery for any Easter gifts you may need.

Blackberry Marshmallows

Homemade Blackberry Marshmallows

Ingredients: 

275g pureed fresh blackberries (the seeds can be strained if you wish, however the total weight still needs to be 275g)

50g gelatine powder

115ml water

820g white/granulated sugar 

320g glucose 

50g potato flour/starch

50g icing sugar (pure or confectioners)

cooking spray

Method: 

Spray a slice tin or lamington tray (at least 30x20cm) with the cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, briefly mix together the blackberry puree and the gelatine powder. Leave for now, ensuring the whisk attachment is fitted and everything is ready to go once your sugar syrup is ready. 

In a medium/large saucepan place the water, then the sugar, then the glucose. Place over high heat and cook until the syrup reaches 120 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer.

With the mixer on low, gradually pour the sugar syrup into the blackberry mix. Whisk on medium speed for about 3 minutes, until the mixture turns a more opaque colour. The mixture will also start to thicken. Then increase mixer to high speed for about 8 minutes, until the marshmallow has tripled in volume and has thickened. 

Pour marshmallow into the prepared tray, tapping it down on the bench to remove any air bubbles and to ensure it is sitting in the tray evenly. 

Leave to set overnight before cutting (room temperature is best, preferably covered with a food net or cover).

Once the marshmallow is ready to cut, in a small bowl whisk together the potato flour and the icing sugar (sift if necessary). 

Dust some of this mixture onto your clean work surface. Remove the slab of marshmallow from the tin, use a spatula to pull the sides away from the tin and tip it onto the dusted work surface. 

Dust more of the icing sugar mix over the top of the marshmallow slab, and around the sides. Using a large sharp knife, cut into cubes, by cutting the slab into rows, then cutting rows in the other direction. Dust your knife regularly with the icing sugar mix, and continue to dust the marshmallows as they are cut. The size you cut the marshmallows is completely up to you, I like cutting them into larger cubes (as pictured). 

Ensure every part of the cut marshmallows are covered in the potato flour and icing sugar mix. Toss them around on the bench to remove any excess.

Store in an airtight container. The marshmallows will keep for about 3 weeks. 

Raspberry Jubes

Homemade Raspberry Jubes 

Ingredients: 

550g caster sugar, plus extra

15g pectin (citrus pectin)

15g citric acid

300g pureed raspberries, seeds removed (from about 400g fresh/frozen raspberries)

75g raspberry or mixed berry jam (sieved if lumpy)

juice of 1 lemon

1 tsp vanilla bean paste

75g glucose

80ml water

Method: 

Line the base of a large baking tray with baking paper (approx. 30x20cm) 

In a small bowl combine 50g of the sugar, with the pectin and citric acid. 

In a medium saucepan, place the pureed raspberries, jam, lemon juice and vanilla bean paste. Place on medium to high heat and bring to the boil. Add the pectin mixture and stir to combine. Allow the mixture to come back to the boil, the remove from the heat and set aside (keep near your stove as you will need it again soon). This fruit mixture should have thickened up by now, and will continue to do so as it cools. 

Place the remaining sugar (500g), along with the glucose and water, in a large saucepan and bring to the boil. Allow the mixture to continue boiling until it reaches 121 degrees Celsius on a candy thermometer. 

Once this point is reached, add the raspberry mixture and whisk to combine. Leave on the heat until it reaches 108 degrees Celsius. Once this point is reached, pour into the prepared tray, ensuring the mixture sits evenly in the tray. 

Leave to set overnight, at room temperature (preferably with a food net or cover sitting over it). 

When ready to cut, dust your clean work surface with some of the extra caster sugar, and tip the jube slab out of the tin. Cut into desired shapes, it’s really up to you. Sprinkle with more caster sugar until they are all well coated. 

Store in an airtight container. Will keep for about 2 weeks. 

Rocky Road Ingredients

Pink Rocky Road

Pink Rocky Road

Ingredients: 

700g good quality white chocolate

pink colouring (suitable for use with chocolate)

rose flavouring (suitable for use with chocolate)

80g raw or blanched pistachios

265g homemade raspberry jubes

500g homemade blackberry marshmallows 

dried edible rose petals, for decoration

Method: 

Line a square baking tin (approx. 22cm) with baking paper - I like to use small bulldog clips to hold the paper in place. 

Preheat oven to 160 degrees Celsius. Roast the pistachios on a lined baking tray for 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool.

Have all the rocky road elements ready to go next to your prepared tin. 

Place a small pot with a little water on the stove and allow to simmer. Using another pot or bowl that will comfortably sit over the top of the water pot, measure out 450g of the white chocolate. 

Place this pot over the simmering water (ensuring the water does not touch the base of the pot above) and melt the chocolate. Ensure the chocolate is constantly stirred. Once the chocolate reaches 45 degrees Celsius on chocolate thermometer, remove from the heat and continue stirring while gradually adding the remaining 250g of white chocolate. Add a little at a time and allow to melt before adding more. 

Continue to check the temperature of the chocolate, once it has fallen to 34 degrees Celsius, the remaining chocolate should have all been added. Continue stirring to allow the chocolate to cool further to 32 degrees Celsius. Add a little pink colouring at this point, and a few drops of the rose flavouring. Start small with both and add more if you think it’s necessary. 

Once the chocolate has reached 32 degrees Celsius, it is ready to use. 

Pour about a third of the chocolate into the base of the prepared tin and allow it cover the base completely. Scatter in half the marshmallows and half the jubes. Scatter in a third of the pistachios. Cover with another third of the chocolate, then place the remaining marshmallows and jubes in, and another third of the pistachios. Cover with the remaining chocolate, and scatter over the remaining pistachios. Decorate with some dried edible rose petals. 

Place in the fridge for about 30 minutes to set (especially if you are working in warm or humid conditions). 

Once set use a large sharp knife to cut the rocky road into desired sizes. 

I prefer to keep the rocky road in the fridge. Keeps for about 2-3 weeks. 

Makes 8 generous blocks of rocky road. 

References: ‘Bourke Street Bakery All Things Sweet’ by Paul Allam and David McGuinness (Murdoch Books, 2017), pp.104-105 + 119; ‘Greatest Hits - The Pop Edition’ by Katherine Sabbath (Katherine Sabbath, 2017) Recipe Card #40; Heilala Vanilla SWEETNESS Vanilla Bean Marshmallow. 

For more recipes showcasing the best of rose, check out my ebook Baking with Rose by clicking the link below!

Homemade Marshmallows (Gluten + Dairy Free)

I have always loved marshmallows. I would eat them by the bowlful as a kid, much to my Mum’s dismay. I’d often melt them in the microwave, add Rice Bubbles, and eat them like a massive LCM (or rice crispy treat), but with much more marshmallow! 

Then while I was at uni, a friend introduced me to Sweetness the Patisserie in Sydney, who make their own marshmallows, known as Sweet Mallows. They are made with natural flavours, and come in an amazing variety of flavour combinations. These homemade, (much) more natural versions of the marshmallows you buy in the lolly isle at the supermarket, make you never ever want to eat the supermarket variety again.

I then stumbled across the below recipe in the recipe book from the Parisian confectioners,  À La Mère de Famille (check out this post for more on the Parisian confectioners). Its not an overly complicated recipe, you just need to be organised, work quickly and have a sugar thermometer. So once I bought a sugar thermometer, there was nothing stopping me finally making marshmallows for myself! 

The flavour combinations are really quite endless, and I think they make cute gifts (cue impending holiday season!). The flavour of the marshmallows develops a lot after a day or so, so I would recommend making them a day or two in advance before giving them as gifts. They also require tossing in the icing sugar and potato flour mix more than once over the first couple of days, particularly in humid conditions. They will otherwise absorb the first lot of icing sugar and potato flour quite quickly and become wet and sticky. And let’s face it, its always handy when you are making gifts, or just cooking generally, to have things that can be prepared in advance! 

Homemade Marshmallows

Ingredients for Raspberry Marshmallows: 

15g gelatine sheets

100g raspberry pulp

20g water

50g mild honey

240g sugar

100g egg whites

1 tsp freeze dried raspberry powder, sifted, optional

75g icing sugar

75g potato flour/starch 

Ingredients for Passionfruit Marshmallows:

15g gelatine sheets 

70g strained passionfruit pulp

40g water

50g mild honey

240g sugar

100g egg whites

1 tsp freeze dried passionfruit powder, optional

75g icing sugar

75g potato flour/starch 

Method: 

Place the gelatine in bowl of cold water, and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Then drain and set aside. 

Place the egg whites in a bowl, and have everything ready to whip them once the sugar syrup starts to heat up (see following step).

In a large saucepan heat, the raspberry pulp or passionfruit pulp, water, honey and sugar until it reaches 114 degrees Celsius on a sugar thermometer. The sugar syrup will start rapidly boiling and increase in size, so make sure you use a large enough saucepan. This shouldn’t take too long, so once the mixture starts to increase in temperature, start whipping the egg whites on a low/medium speed.

Once the sugar mixture has reached 114 degrees Celsius, and the egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks, gently fold the sugar mixture and gelatine in to the egg whites. 

Increase the speed of the mixer (medium to high speed), and allow the marshmallow to thicken and cool. This will take a few minutes. Add the freeze dried raspberry powder or passionfruit powder, if using, and continue to whip the marshmallow until it has cooled to at least 40 degrees Celsius. Whilst the marshmallow is thickening and cooling, lay a sheet of baking paper on a clean dry surface and generously dust with combination of the icing sugar and potato flour. 

Once the marshmallow has thickened and cooled, pour it onto the prepared surface and spread into a rectangular shape, about 1.5-2cm in thickness. Dust with more icing sugar and potato flour, and leave to set. 

I found it didn’t take very long for the marshmallow to set, but leave it about 30 mins to be sure - it will be set when it bounces back when pressed and the outside area dusted with the icing sugar and potato flour is no longer sticky. You may need to dust the marshmallow more than once depending on the humidity. 

Once the marshmallow has set, cut into cubes, and toss cut marshmallows in a bowl filled with icing sugar and potato flour. Cut cubes of marshmallow may need dusting a couple more times as the first lot tends to be absorbed after a few hours (particularly in humid conditions). Keep a bowl or container of the icing sugar and potato flour handy so the marshmallows can be re-dusted if needed. 

Reference: ‘À La Mère de Famille: Artisanal Recipes’ by Julien Merceron (2013, Hardie Grant Books), pp.108-112.