chocolate swirl marshmallow | recipe

I've wanted to make marshmallow for a long time, but I've always been quite put off by all the equipment that would be necessary. I'm not a precision baker, I've always been known to mess myself around by adding bits in and taking bits away and so using a recipe that needs certain temperatures and at its heart is so bloody hot it's practically molten didn't seem like a recipe for marshmallow success but literally a recipe for disaster.

But do you know how good marshmallow is when it's been home made? So much better. At least 1000% better. And so when I happened upon a recipe which didn't involve thermometers and checking temperatures and was actually super easy to make I had to share it. The best thing is, once you have the basics down, it's easy to mix and match sauces and create different toppings to, which means you can make it for a variety of occasions and holidays. Give it a go and see how easy it is.

Ingredients:

• 300g of caster sugar
• 210ml cold water 
• 11g gelatine
• 20g icing sugar
• 10g cornflour

• 90g plain chocolate, grated
• 25g butter
• 3 tbsp milk

Method:

• Start by making the chocolate sauce
• Put the grated chocolate, butter and milk into a bowl
• Melt in the microwave, ten seconds at a time - stirring each time it's out of the microwave until it's fully melted
• Cool in the fridge
• Mix the cornflour and icing sugar together
• Take a 9x9 inch tin, and cover the bottom and sides with half of the cornflour & icing sugar mix
• Put the sugar into a saucepan, add 140ml of cold water 
• Stir through
• Bring the mixture to the boil, then reduce to a medium heat
• Keep the mixture simmering for 8 minutes, stirring through occasionally
• In a mixing bowl, add 70ml cold water to the gelatine
• Leave for five minutes to activate (until it has gone clear)
• Whisk the gelatine mix together for thirty seconds, or until it has gone bubbly
• Once the sugar syrup has been simmering for 8 minutes, add it to the gelatine mix slowly
• Whisk on a high speed for five minutes, until the mixture looks noticeably thicker
• Then fold in the chocolate sauce, until it creates a marbled effect
• Pour the mixture into the tin and pour the rest of the cornflour/icing sugar mix on top
• Leave to set in the fridge for at least two hours (I left mine overnight)
• Once set, ease the marshmallow out of the tin and cut into squares