Spring Cupcakes
Source of Recipe
(c)2002 Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All Rights Reserved
List of Ingredients
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising), sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Swiss Meringue Buttercream, recipe follows
2 cups cream-colored sprinkles
About 2 pounds assorted jellied-citrus slices Recipe
Preheat oven to 325 degrees F with a rack in the center.
Line jumbo muffin pans with paper baking cups; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With mixer running, add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until combined.
With mixer on low speed, add 1 cup reserved flour mixture; mix until combined. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk; combine. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with flour, until all has been incorporated.
Divide batter evenly among baking cups. Bake until light golden brown and a cake tester inserted into middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Rotate pans halfway through baking. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool.
To decorate, frost each cupcake with about 3 tablespoons buttercream. Gently press each frosted cupcake into sprinkles, rolling around so that entire surface is coated. On a lightly sugared piece of parchment paper, roll out jellied-citrus slices to about 1/8-inch thick. Use 3/4 to 2-inch gum-paste petal cutters to cut petals from the jellied-citrus slices. Use a 3/4 or 1/4-inch pastry tip to cut out the centers of flowers. Use the green citrus slices and a small petal cutter to cut out leaves for the flowers. Place citrus dots in center of cupcakes, and arrange jellied petals around each center to form a flower. Arrange leaves as desired.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream:
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Combine egg whites, sugar, and vanilla in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes.
Transfer bowl to the electric mixer. Using whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes.
In a separate bowl, beat butter until creamy and fluffy.
At low speed, add butter to egg whites, mixing until smooth. Add vanilla, and continue mixing until incorporated. Use immediately.
Yield: 5 cups
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