Do you guys have a "Bucket List Baking?" You know, a list of all the things you want to attack either in your mind or in writing? I had intended to share mine here, hoping to have it in a public place and hold me responsible may also inspire some readers to cook with me. Hopefully I will be able to get this done soon!
anyway- Swiss Meringue Buttercream was on the list as long as I got this blog. Everyone raves as being much lighter and dreamy than regular buttercream, and I knew it was something I had to try. He never seemed necessarily difficult , but just complex enough that I tend to be lazy and just do regular buttercream. (It involves heating eggwhites and sugar, whisking them into a meringue, and then adding the butter and powdered sugar.) Like the regular stuff- but often I end up making sweet sugar-y to be sufficiently rigid to maintain the form which can be overwhelming at times. This light-trick so that air, soft as a cloud and not too sweet at all. In fact, the entire recipe uses only one cup of sugar, and gives enough for 24 cupcakes or a cake layer. I'm sold.
Again, as with the classic Yellow Layer Cake with Fudge Filling I did it a few weeks ago, I took a free online Craftsty class that describes the entire process step by step. Watch a video on how to make the icing published less laborious manner than it is always in my head and really helped me know that I did everything right along the way. (For example, there is a stage to make this icing, where all the mixture resembles cottage cheese and I would have toppled if they do not show the class how it is perfectly normal!)
I wanted to pair the frosting with my favorite perfume on the planet, so I made the ultimate salted caramel Cupcakes: light and fluffy Brown Sugar Cake, salted caramel filling, fluffiest salted caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream and of course a little more caramel on top with a sprinkle of sea salt. In short die. Or the cake or frosting are super soft which gives room for the caramel inside shine.
The class is again available FREE to my readers by craftsy. I highly recommend you take this and give icing a try. Once you look and do it yourself, you will have the confidence to do it again and realize that it is a fairly resilient recipe. (I was sure my too beat egg whites and even out perfectly.) I mix Salted Caramel Sauce right into the base glaze to give it some flavor, but the possibilities are endless. Click here to register for free and get the recipe of this Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Note: The recipe below makes 12 cupcakes and a half batch of frosting recipe was perfect. I mix 2 tablespoons of salted caramel sauce in the finished glaze.
- 1½ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- a large pinch of salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ brown sugar cup
- ¼ cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ cup plus 2 tablespoons buttermilk
- ½ cup Salted Caramel sauce
- ½ Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe (recipe found here)
- Preheat oven to 350F. pans small line with cake liners, set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy consistency. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, stir in vanilla.
- Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape bowl no not mix the dough.
- Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about three-quarters full. Bake until tops bounce when touched, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a gate; let cool for 5 minutes, then remove from pan. Let the cupcakes cool completely.
- Use a paring knife to the heart of a little bit, but on each cupcake and fill with a teaspoon of caramel.
- Swirl 2 tablespoons caramel into the icing and pipe or spread on cupcakes. Drizzle with remaining caramel sauce and sprinkle with sea salt.
This article was sponsored by Crafsy but my thoughts and opinions on the icing and all are still 100% my own! :)