Birthday Cupcakes - White Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue ButterCream.

White Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream, a photo by freshjasmine on Flickr.

I was super excited about experimenting my newly aquired skill for my husband's birthday and here is the result. These are the white cupcakes from Martha Stewarts recipe. I used Swiss meringue butter cream for the frosting.

Here goes the recipe.

White Cupcakes

White cupcakes are made with egg whites only instead of whole eggs and are very light and delicate. 

The below ingredients make 24.

• 3 1/4 cups sifted cake flour ( not self rising)
• 1 1/2 tablespoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 table spoon pure vanilla extract
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
• 1/2 cup plus 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (1 3/4 sticks) at room temperature
• 1 3/4 cups sugar
• 5 large egg whites , room temperature
• Swiss meringue butter cream ( recipe follows)
• gel paste food colors

1. Preheat the oven to 350 F . Line standard muffin tins with paper liners.
2. Sift together cake flour, baking powder and salt. Stir vanilla into milk
3. With electric mixer on medium high speed , cream butter until smooth. Gradually add sugar until pale and fluffy. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in 3 batches, alternating with 2 additions of milk, beating until just combined after each.
4. In another bowl, with electric mixture on medium speed, whisk the egg whites until stiff peaks form. Fold one third of the egg whites into batter to lighten. Gently  fol in remaining whites in two batches.
5. Divide batter evenly among lined cups, filling 3 quarters of the cup. Firmly tap the tins once on countertop to release any air bubbles. Bake, rotating tins halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in centre comes out clean, 18-20 mins.
6. Transfer tins to wire rack to cool 10 mins, turn out cupcakes into rack to cool completely. Cupcakes can be stored overnight at room temperature, or frozen upto 2 months in airtight containers. 

Swiss Meringue Buttercream


The below ingredients make 5 cups

• 5 large egg whites
• 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
• Pinch of salt
• 1 pound( 4 sticks ) unsalted butter cut into tablespoons at room temperature.
• 1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to touch and sugar has dissolved ( mixture shud completely feel smooth when rubbed between fingertips)
2. Whisk on an electric mixture on medium high speed until stiff peaks form . Continue mixing until mixture is fluffy and glossy and completely cool. about 10 mins.
3. In medium low speed, add butter few tablespoons at a time. mixing well. Add vanilla, Continue beating until frosting is completely smooth. 

Keep the butter cream at room temp if using on the same day, store in airtight container and refrigerate upto 3 days or freeze upto 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat low speed until smooth.

I tinted the buttercream with pink gel paste and piped a few designs with the Wilton 1M pastry tips.