love, cupcakes and buttercream

the hubby and i went to many a wedding this weekend. we're so happy for our friends who've tied the knot! both weddings were elegant and the respective brides were breathtaking. can't wait for the next wedding, which is in august. here are a few pictures that i took from curtis and kristin's on friday. (no pics of said bride as my battery was terribly low, very sad, i know). i did their cupcakes and top tier of a cake for them and they were very grateful. it was such a pleasure giving them such a gift but i will be honest and say that it was definitely a lot of work. if my ever-talented mother hadn't swooped in and helped, i would not have been able to do it all. a special shout out to her for all her amazingness-i love her so much! (oh, and she bought me pizza that day too! so sweet)

so i made 150 cupcakes composed of a 1/4 chocolate base with the remainder 3/4 vanilla. the cupcakes were topped with swiss meringue buttercream, taken from Martha Stewart Cupcakes (75 with blue icing and 75 with white). i really enjoyed this icing because it tasted different from the buttercream i usually use-i like to switch stuff up every now and then. i would highly suggest using swiss meringue if you'd like a taste that is more buttery than regular frosting but significantly less sweet. this frosting takes more time to prepare than my other buttercream recipes (i averaged 15 minutes for white swiss meringue and 20 for blue) but is rewarding to do. you wouldn't believe how many people LOVED this icing. i was really encouraged with the results. now, if only i could get all my cupcakes into a more uniform size and a less golden colour (ah, the embarrassment) 

as you can see in the pictures, there are little roses topping each cupcake. i made 160 (80 in each colour-mistakes happen!) and placed them in the freezer. they didn't freeze of course but just retained their shape long enough so that, when the cupcakes were ready to be topped with their roses, the lifter that i used didn't damage the roses. another positive about this icing is that it retains its shape despite the heat. we piped the icing onto 150 cupcakes on a hot day in an apartment with an oven running for 7 hours straight and the icing was extremely resilient-didn't even begin to droop. very happy with the results. 

here's the recipe for you to enjoy too:

swiss meringue buttercream

5 large egg whites, 1 cup plus 2 Tbsp sugar, pinch of salt, 1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter cut into Tablespoons and at room temperature, 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1. combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between fingertips)

2. attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy and completely cool. about 10 minutes

3. with mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. yield: 5 cups

and..., you're done! keep at room temperature if using the same day otherwise buttercream can be refrigerated for 3 days or frozen for 1 month. before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth

this is aaron and i at curtis and kristin's wedding. he always manages to look so smart in his blazer. weddings remind me of how happy i am that he is my groom and i am his bride. 

xo

 

Comments

[Clockwork Lemon]

amazing!!!

150 of them? That's a lotta work

The roses look like you piped them on with the rest of the icing.. very impressive looking.

congrats!

[Clockwork Lemon]

also I love the cupcake papers that you used. My pet peeve is ugly cupcake papers at formal events

[{something sweet}]

thanks stephanie. yeah, my goal was for the roses to not be obvious at first but to blend in with the rest of the piping. i'm glad that it worked out :)
and the papers-yes, i know! i hate ugly cupcake papers at formal events too. i just bought the reynolds silver foils, 32 packs at the store but to use anything less was out of the question. also, the bride's colours were sky blue, white and silver so the foil cupcake wrappers were an easy decision.