I had a custom cupcake order a couple weeks ago and made these babies with the leftover batter. It was a beautiful spring-like day (I know it's still a couple more days until the technical 1st day of spring, but if you live in Cali, spring has sprung early). These cupcakes make me smile. They are so bright and colorful and remind me of all the bright potted flowers I'm seeing all over town. I displayed them on my new cupcake tree that my buddy Monica gave me for Christmas. Fun!
So about these recipes... Emily, a friend of mine who's a cake baker, and I have been searching for a good "white cake" recipe. Just a staple alternative to our favorite chocolate recipes. This attempt came from my Martha Book. I'm sad to report that it was a disappointment. It is the 4th recipe I've tried from this book and every other one has been amazing. This one? Not so much. The cake is super dense but not moist at all. It's just heavy and flavorless. I got around 40 cupcakes out of the recipe which kinda sucks when you don't like it. I tried different things after not being happy with the first tray. I tried baking for less time, rotating the pans, turning down the oven temp, nothing seemed to make any difference.
Wedding ContenderGrade? F!
But, alas, Martha has redeemed herself with her recipe for Swiss Meringue Buttercream. This frosting is way less sweet than the usual buttercream that I've worked with. This is because it replaces buckets of powdered sugar with buckets of butter. I found that, when served at room temp, the frosting tastes almost too much like butter which is kinda gross. If you chill the cupcakes a little while, they'll taste better. A mild sweet frosting. The best part about this frosting, though? How easy it is to work with! It's a dream. It spreads beautifully and it holds its shape so well. You can see that from my cupcakes. The peaks stay stiff. To get this effect with my normal buttercream, I would have to add so much powdered sugar. Martha has some different flavor options for the Swiss Buttercream and I'd like to try them all! Definitely use this the next time you have to ice a cake, it just spreads so smooth.
Yellow Buttermilk Cupcakes
from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
3 cups cake flour (non self-rising)
1 1/2 cups AP flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
2 1/4 tsps baking powder
1 1/2 tsps salt
1 cup + 2 Tbsps (2 1/4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
2 1/4 cups sugar
5 large whole eggs + 3 egg yolks, room temp
2 cups buttermilk, room temp
2 tsps vanilla
Preheat oven to 350. Line muffin tins with paper liners.
Sift together both flours, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
With mixer on med-high speed, cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to medium. Add whole eggs, one at a time, beating until each is incorporated, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Add yolks, and beat until thoroughly combined. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two additions of buttermilk, and beating until combined after each. Beat in vanilla.
Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling each 3/4 full. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer tins to wire racks to cool 10 minutes before removing from tin to cool completely on wire rack.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes
5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 Tbsps sugar
pinch salt
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into Tbsps, room temp
1 1/2 tsps vanilla
Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set over a pan of simmering water and whisk until sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot. [The mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips]
Move the bowl from the pan to the mixer and, using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until the whites have cooled to room temperature and formed stiff peaks (about 10 minutes.) You can tell it's cool by touching the bottom of the bowl and making sure it's no longer warm.
Add the butter one piece at a time, beating until just incorporated between additions. It may start to curdle, but keep on mixing because it'll eventually come together smoothly. Add vanilla and beat until just combined.
Beat with the paddle attachment on the lowest speed to eliminate air pockets and smooth the buttercream. If you're not using it soon, you can refrigerate buttercream (tightly wrapped) for up to 3 days. When ready to use, bring to room temperature and then beat on low speed with the paddle attachment until smooth.
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