I have used swiss meringue buttercream for strawberry cupcakes, mini chocolate cupcakes, and a wedding cake with great success. I originally shared the recipes for strawberry and vanilla swiss meringue buttercream in my yellow cupcakes and favourite moist chocolate cake posts, respectively. But this frosting is so good and versatile that it truly deserves its own post. Think of it in this way: swiss meringue buttercream is to buttercream frosting as Egyptian cotton is to 200 thread count bed sheets. Swiss meringue buttercream is stiff enough for piping and cake decorating, but it feels and tastes light, satiny, smooth, elegant, and luxurious. I love it when people taste it for the first time and turn to me with wide, adoring eyes, to ask, “What is this?”. 
This is the stuff that the professionals use and you can easily make it yourself. It will take your baking to a whole new level. Although swiss meringue buttercream is slightly tedious and time consuming to make, it is definitely worth the effort. You can make a large batch and store it in the refrigerator or freezer.
Archive for the ‘Cupcakes’ Category
Favourite Moist Chocolate Cake or Cupcakes Recipe (using buttermilk)
In Cupcakes on September 8, 2011 at amNote: This post was originally titled Moist Chocolate Cupcakes with Simple Chocolate Frosting. I revised the recipe after trying a superior, but very similar, chocolate cake recipe. I discovered that I prefer the moistness of cake made with vegetable oil over cake made with melted butter. Also, I want to add that vanilla swiss meringue buttercream (recipe link below) pairs much more nicely with this chocolate cupcake than the simple chocolate frosting I originally used (recipe below). Swiss meringue buttercream can be piped whereas the simple chocolate frosting must be spread.
Strawberry Cupcake Recipes (and How to Fill a Cupcake)
In Cupcakes, How To on July 13, 2011 at am
In June 2011, I took Ed strawberry picking for his first time. The farm had arranged for someone to play the banjo in the fields while people picked fruit. It was a fun day until I realized how quickly our beautiful, fresh strawberries were becoming too ripe. Then there was a mad rush to use them all up. (See how I freeze strawberries here.) So I made two different types of strawberry cupcakes, a strawberry flavoured swiss meringue buttercream, and a frozen strawberry pie (recipe here). I had planned to make strawberry popsicles too, but ran out of steam. Freshly picked strawberries make a huge difference to the flavour of strawberry desserts. They also allow you to reduce the amount of sugar that you use. Please adjust the sugar content of the recipes below based on the tartness of your strawberries.
Yellow Cupcakes Recipe
In Cupcakes on July 12, 2011 at amWhen smitten kitchen claimed to have the best yellow cake recipe, I knew I had to try it. This is the perfect recipe to use for strawberry shortcake cupcakes (recipe here). It would also be great with a peanut butter icing and jam filling. When it comes to layer cakes, however, I prefer to use all purpose flour because I like cakes with a tighter crumb. See my favourite yellow layer cake recipe here.
Delicious Carrot Muffins Recipe (you’d never know they were whole wheat)
In Cupcakes on May 19, 2011 at amThese carrot muffins are soft, moist, and not too sweet. The best part about these muffins is that no one will be able to tell that they were made with whole wheat flour. I made these for a friend’s birthday and added a cream cheese frosting. It was the perfect addition of sweetness. Everyone loved them and several people asked for the recipe.
For these muffins/cupcakes, I prefer to casually spread a light cream cheese frosting over the top (I used the cream cheese frosting recipe posted here). However, if you prefer a heavier cream cheese frosting that will be stiff enough to pipe after chilling in the refrigerator, use the recipe posted here. I regret not taking a photo of the frosted carrot muffins/cupcakes.
Lemon Ricotta Muffins with Lemon Curd
In Cupcakes on July 17, 2010 at pmWhen I made mushroom ravioli (recipe here), I bought 2 containers of ricotta cheese but only used one. Not wanting to use it for the standard pasta dish, I searched the internet for new ideas and found lemon ricotta muffins. I tried two very highly rated recipes, tweaked my favourite of the two and made lemon curd to go with it. These muffins are light, lemony, and soft with just a hint of sweetness. They’re perfect for a summer picnic, bbq, or shower.
Cookies and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes
In Cupcakes on March 27, 2010 at pmI first discovered the concept of cheesecake cupcakes when I made and fell head over heels in love with Peaches and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes (recipe here). I love Hershey’s cookies and cream chocolate bars so when I saw these in Martha Stewart’s Cupcakes book, I knew I had to try them. I really like the crunchy cookie base. It’s the perfect contrast in texture to the smooth and creamy cheesecake on top.
Peaches and Cream Cheesecake Cupcakes
In Cupcakes on February 24, 2010 at pmThese are the best cupcakes I’ve ever made or eaten. The cheesecake has the perfect texture/density and the toppings have the perfect touch of sweetness. I don’t love cheesecake but I adore these cheesecake cupcakes. I made them for a bbq in the summer and people Loved them. I made them again recently for Ed’s mom’s birthday and they were a huge hit with them too. I ended up making these for my dad’s birthday shortly after that. It takes some time to make and needs to be refrigerated before serving, but it’s really really simple and definitely worth it.
Witch Cupcakes
In Cupcakes, Halloween on January 27, 2010 at amThese witch cupcakes were really easy and fun to make. They were delicious too.
Corn on the Cob Cupcakes
In Cupcakes on January 21, 2010 at amI saw these on the Martha Stewart website and decided to make them for a summer bbq with my ultimate frisbee team. I discovered that buying individual colours of Jelly Belly jelly beans can get Very expensive so I didn’t buy enough to decorate my cupcakes the way I would have wanted to, but I still think they were pretty cute. For these cupcakes, I tried a vanilla cupcake recipe that used cake flour (my first time working with cake flour) and discovered that I really don’t like the crumbly texture that you get with cake flour, or at least not in cupcakes. Everyone else seemed to really like them though.
Favourite Carrot Cake Recipe
In Cakes, Cupcakes on January 21, 2010 at amMy mother really likes carrot cake so I tried a few different recipes. Most of them were too dense or not moist enough or worse, too moist. I was beginning to lose my appeal for carrot cake until I tried the Silver Palate Cookbook carrot cake recipe. In my opinion, it’s a really good balance of sweet, dense, moist and depth of flavour. The frosting is good too. Time saving tip: Make a large batch of pureed carrots and freeze 1 1/3 cup portions for future batches of carrot cake or muffins.
