Vanilla Cupcakes With Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream

I happened to come across this recipe for Strawberry Swiss Meringue Buttercream on Pinterest from the blog "Tracey's Culinary Adventures". I had never made a Swiss Meringue Buttercream so I decided I wanted to give it a shot. It really was very simple and the end result is so light and creamy. I loved that the strawberry colors the frosting so there is no added food coloring. I decided to use the amazing buttercream on my favorite vanilla cupcake recipe. I loved these cupcakes so much that I have made them again for my baby girl's 1st birthday party.  This buttercream recipe is a keeper and I will be trying out many more Swiss Meringues in the future. 


Ingredients

1 1/2 cups fresh strawberries (8 oz.), rinsed, hulled and coarsely chopped

4 large egg whites1 1/4 cups sugar1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons, at room temperature

Directions

To make the frosting: Puree the strawberries in your food processor until completely smooth.  Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl of your stand mixer (or any heatproof bowl)  and set it over a pan of simmering water.  Heat, whisking constantly, until the sugar has dissolved - you can test with your fingertips, if the mixture feels grainy, it's not ready yet.
Attach the bowl to your stand mixer (or transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer if you used a separate bowl) fitted with the whisk attachment.  Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 10 minutes. (The bowl will be cool to the touch.) 
Reduce the mixer to medium-low speed and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time.  Let each addition incorporate before adding the next.  (The frosting may look soupy or curdled once you add the butter - just keep beating and it will come together.)  Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula, then add the strawberry puree to the bowl.  Beat until combined - the mixture will probably look curdled again when you add the strawberries, keep beating!)



Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes (I used a large star tip), and garnish with extra strawberries, if desired.  


Recipe originally from Martha Stewart's Cupcakes

Birdie Birthday Cake- 2nd Cricut Cake

This was my second cake that I made with the help of my Cricut Cake. This cake was for a friend's little girl's first birthday and it was a total hit. All the decorations on this cake were cut out using the Cricut Cake. I learned that you have to be very patient when using the Cricut Cake and it is very time consuming but the end results are pretty amazing. There are so many shapes and designs included on each design cartridge that you can buy for the Cricut Cake that the design possibilities are endless.