Cupcakes

So, I decided that for Elena's birthday I am going to make her an individual "smash" cake and then make cupcakes for the guests. I have done a bit of arts and crafts over the last week or so, but more to come on that.

For now, let's focus on the sweet flavor of cupcakes and homemade icing. I wanted to do a test run on both the cupcakes and the frosting since I have noticed my oven runs a bit hot and since I have never made my own frosting before.

It was a bit like America's Test Kitchen on the cupcakes, I settled for using box mixes, since I was spending my time on the frosting and found that they worked on best if I cooked them at 325 degrees (instead of 350) and for a minute less than the box demanded. I think since I have a convection oven, cooking at the lowest temps keeps them moist and gets that perfect domed rise to the top of the cupcake.

Once I perfected the cupcake, I turned to the frosting and followed a recipe for Vanilla buttercream from America's test kitchen:


Ingredients
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Pinch salt
2 1/2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
2 1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Directions
Stir the cream, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 30 to 60 seconds. Reduce the speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners’ sugar, and beat until smooth, 2 to 5 minutes. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, 4 to 8 minutes.

The result was light fluffy white frosting that took to food coloring very well. In honor of vacation which is next week, I went for some peaceful pastels. Armed with my piping bag and a number of attachments I went to work.

The end result: