Cupcakes Make Stuff Better: meringue italian cupcakes buttercream

Saturday, January 27, 2007

Chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream (on chocolate cupcakes)

Well, I finally got brave enough to try a meringue buttercream frosting - I've never attempted this style of recipe. It's stiffly beaten egg whites, with boiling sugar syrup slowly added, then sweet butter beaten in a chunk at a time. I added melted bittersweet chocolate, plus some dark cocoa to balance out the texture/flavour.

Holy Cow.

This is some good stuff. I didn't have it at the right temp, so my swirls broke up a little. However, the taste & texture are superb; silky and melting.

Made especially for my friends Emma (10) and Chloe (7). They're having a sleepover party tonight. I sure hope they like these!

Why Cupcakes?

It started with baking a cake for fun, in September 2006.

I rediscovered the magic. Those memories of childhood (soft yellow layer cakes with creamy, fudgy frosting) all came flooding back. Everything about it made me happy; the sweet aroma filling the kitchen, the satisfying sight of a fresh cake cooling on a rack in the sunshine. Beating a favourite frosting to glossy perfection, then smoothing it on. Wonderfully cozy.

Cupcakes added that extra dimension to the nostalgia. The lovely, covetous joy of one's own personal treat. No sharing, no frosting-envy, no forks, no plates. Always fresh from it's ideally-designed container.

I clearly remember coming in after school to the scent of spice cupcakes. They were always topped with gorgeous vanilla frosting. Happiness found, retrieving the last trace of soft cake from the inside of those thin pink liners.

And golden cupcakes with that contrast of dark chocolate frosting!

Or the magic of marble cupcakes; shiny foil liners for special occasions. Sweet and enticing messages written on paper and lovingly baked inside! Sprinkles in irresistable colours, icing words of love!

Thus began my quest to re-create that cupcake euphoria. To find the best recipes, intensify the flavours of those fondly-remembered frostings. To come up with those old-style cupcakes that make us smile, get all warm and fuzzy, and want to eat more cake.