These oreo cupcakes have been floating around the blogosphere for awhile. Ever since I first saw them I have been dying to make them and I finally got the chance. Don’t these look like a treat? Well let me tell you, they certainly are. It all starts with an oreo cookie bottom, layered with chocolate cake that is filled with a marshmallow filling, and topped with a cookie crumb vanilla frosting. These are heavenly. Simply divine. [Read more...]
A take on the traditional pie, these individual cupcakes are absolutely adorable! There’s lemon in the buttermilk cake in addition to the curd, all topped with fluffy marshmallowy meringue. [Read more...]
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Frosting {print recipe}
Vanilla Bean Cupcakes
2 3/4 cups cake flour
1 2/3 cups sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
3/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup {12 tablespoons} unsalted butter, room temperature
4 large egg whites
1 whole egg
1 cup whole milk or full-fat vanilla yogurt
1 vanilla bean, split with seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
Mix all of the dry ingredients on slow speed for 2 minutes, to blend and aerate. Add the soft butter and mix until crumbly and even. Add the egg whites, then the whole egg, beating after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl periodically. On slow speed, add the milk or yogurt about 1/3 cup at a time and finally the scraped vanilla bean seeds or paste. Beat 1 to 2 minutes after each addition, until fluffy, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl. Pour the batter into cupcake lines. {*See below for other instructions if baking a cake.} Bake at 350 degrees for 18 to 20 minutes. Yields 24 cupcakes.
Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting
4 large egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 cup butter {2 sticks}*
1 vanilla bean, split with seeds scraped or 1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
*The butter needs to be at room temperature. Make sure you use real butter, not light and not a butter substitute. For best results, beat the butter in a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for a few minutes before starting. Set aside.
In a heatproof bowl, whisk together the egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water, but make sure the water is not touching the bowl. {In other words, make a double boiler.} Heat mixture, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture is warm to the touch {about 160 degrees}.
Place mixture in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat the egg whites on high speed until they read stiff peaks and mixture is cool to the tough, about 10 minutes. Make sure there is no heat left. If you are unsure, wait until it is fully cooled. Do not rush this process.
Switch and fit the mixer with the paddle attachment. On medium-low speed, add the butter a tablespoon at a time. Beat well in between each addition. Again, do not rush. You may need to beat the mixture for several minutes longer after all the butter has been added. Add in the scraped vanilla bean seeds or paste. If the mixture is separated and sort of looks like cottage cheese, you need to continue beating until the mixture is smooth. This may take several minutes.
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*To bake a cake, instead of cupcakes, pour the batter into a greased and floured or parchment-lined pan:
Two 8-inch or 9-inch pans – Bake at 350 for 35 to 30 minutes
One 9-inch by 13-inch pan – Bake at 350 for 23 to 26 minutes.
Recipe is adapted from King Arthur Flour.
