One of my friends in graduate school successfully defended her master's thesis this afternoon. What better way to celebrate than with a beach themed vanilla cupcake? We may be far away from the real thing, but an ocean of icing is difficult to pass up. This version features a blue tinted vanilla swim meringue buttercream with edible sand, chocolate shells, and even a few friendly cnidarians floating near the shoreline!
I used twizzlers pull and peel licorice for the tentacles and store-bought butter spritz cookies for the jellyfish bodies. Graham cracker crumbs made some great edible sand!
Cupcake Recipe from Martha Stewart:
The Martha Stewart Show, May 2006
Yield Makes about 30 cupcakes
Ingredients
- 1 3/4 cups cake flour, not self-rising
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes
- 4 large eggs
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (I usually add close to a tablespoon of vanilla or the seeds of an entire vanilla bean to enhance the vanilla flavor as well as a tablespoon of honey.)
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Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper
liners; set aside. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the
paddle attachment, combine flours, sugar, baking powder, and salt; mix
on low speed until combined. Add butter, mixing until just coated with
flour.
-
In a large glass measuring cup, whisk together eggs, milk,
and vanilla. With mixer on medium speed, add wet ingredients in 3 parts,
scraping down sides of bowl before each addition; beat until
ingredients are incorporated but do not overbeat.
-
Divide batter evenly among liners, filling about 2/3 full.
Bake, rotating pan halfway through, until a cake tester inserted in the
center comes out clean, 17 to 20 minutes.
-
Transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Repeat process
with remaining batter. Once cupcakes have cooled, use a small offset
spatula to frost tops of each cupcake. Decorate with sprinkles, if
desired. Serve at room temperature.
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups sugar
- 10 large egg whites
- 4 cups (8 sticks or 2 pounds) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract (again, add more to taste)
Directions
-
Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an
electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk
until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3
minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should
feel completely smooth. All of the sugar needs to dissolve.
-
Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment,
beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff
and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
-
Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until
incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears
curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth
again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
-
Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed
to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream
within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at
room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight
container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using,
bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with
the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.
Next, frost your cooled cupcakes with a piping bag and large star tip! I used a zig zag motion to form waves and then added the sad, shells and jellyfish!
Best wishes from my cupcake kitchen!
Tori
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