So today I was going to make a Cardamon Cake with Espresso Buttercream frosting. Not even sure what cardamon tastes like, so a true experiment. But the frosting calls for FIVE sticks of butter. Thinking of that much butter all in one place is just giving me the eebie jeebies (what a great word. Did I spell it right?) So change of plan – going with a Raspberry Almond Cupcake. Stay tuned for a picture! (I’m still tempted by the sound of the Cardamon Cake – maybe I can find a different Espresso Buttercream frosting recipe).
Okay, so here’s the Swiss Meringue Buttercream rant (this is the type of frosting on the cupcakes). I’ve never tried to make it before because, well, it seemed difficult. It wasn’t so much difficult, as it was tricky – the trickiest part being ‘mix until the meringue and the butter emulsify into buttercream, which may be 10 minutes’. Well, after 10 minutes it had souped and curdled and changed textures a few times, but was it emulsified? Hard to tell. The good news is I did get the sugar completely melted (Swiss Buttercream starts with egg whites and sugar melted over the stove until all the sugar is melted (this is key), then whipped into peaks). Last week we made an attempt at a Lemon Meringue Cake where the Meringue (started out the same way – melting sugar with egg whites) became marshmallow because I didn’t cook it long enough on top of the stove (still tasty, but definitely not meringue). The end result is certainly creamy, and while I stlil need to brave French and Italian Buttercream, I am leaning towards being an American gal and liking the normal ‘light and airy with a slight crust to it’ buttercream that good old fashioned buttercream has. (This did pipe nicely, though, don’t you think? Especially since I still have one hand in a cast!) The verdict? It was much less sweet than the American Buttercream. It is one of the better ones for taking up jam; the jam flavor (and color) really showed through. It has a lighter pillowy texture to it. Not bad for a much less sweet but good subtle taste frosting. Love to hear comments if you have tried Swiss Meringue Buttercream (making or eating!)
Swiss Meringue Frosting