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Buttermilk Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

By Marian Cooper CairnsPublished: Feb 12, 2015

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food, yellow, dish, buttercream, meringue, cuisine, cream cheese, ingredient, dairy, icing,

Brian Woodcock

Yields:

2 dz.

Prep Time:

40 mins

Total Time:

1 hr

We topped these sweet cupcakes with pansies, but you can use any blooms from our list of best edible flowers for cakes.

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Ingredients

For Cupcakes:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled
1 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. fine salt
14 Tbsp. (1 3/4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 3/4 cups sugar
4 large eggs
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup buttermilk
Edible flowers, for garnish

For Swiss Meringue Buttercream

1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract
Yellow food coloring (optional)

Directions

1. Step 1Make Cupcakes: Preheat oven to 350°F. Line 2 standard 12-cup muffin pans.
2. Step 2Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl. Beat butter on medium speed with an electric mixer until creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar, until light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to low and beat in eggs, 1 at a time, just until blended after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Beat in flour mixture alternately with buttermilk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, just until blended after each addition.
3. Step 3Transfer batter to lined cups. Bake, rotating pans once, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean, 24 to 26 minutes. Cool in pans on a wire rack, 15 minutes; transfer to the rack to cool completely.
4. Step 4Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Combine sugar and egg whites in a metal bowl. Place bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water) and cook, whisking constantly, until sugar is dissolved and mixture registers 160°F on an instant-read thermometer, 4 to 6 minutes.
5. Step 5Whisk on medium speed with an electric mixer until flufy and cooled, 9 to 11 minutes. Reduce mixer speed to medium-low; add butter, one tablespoon at a time, whisking well after each addition. Whisk in vanilla and, if desired, food coloring.
6. Step 6Frost cupcakes with buttercream and garnish with edible flowers.

Note: Meringue can be made up to 2 days ahead. Store in an airtight container in the fridge. Bring to room temperature before using.

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