Monday, September 5, 2011

Sugar, egg whites and air bubbles...oh my

I should start by saying that although i am extremely disappointed in yesterdays baking adventure, it wasn't really a total bust.  I guess i just set my standards too high this week.  i had been thinking about baking all last week, felt like i was in some sort of funk and needed to use the other side of my brain to get out some creative energy.  I tried a new frosting recipe, courtesy of Martha's Cupcake book.  Swiss Meringue Butter cream.  Far more involved than my regular butter cream, but i didn't back down.  And i think i did it right, took about 30 minutes or so to make, versus my regular butter cream which is about 5.  Texture and consistency were good.  Problem is, i have never had it before and don't actually like the flavor, it's too rich for me.  And of course, even though i followed the last step to remove the air bubbles, there are still bubbles. GAH!  

I am practicing making flower cupcakes for a wedding i am doing in march.  I think i will try these flowers again with a different frosting recipe and different colors.  Not just a sea of pink.  I am actually pretty happy with the way the flowers turned out for my first time.  




I think with a stiffer frosting, these will be really cool, the Meringue Butter cream was too soft i think.  

I also made some mini cakes and thanks to a cake leveler they were level and my first coat of frosting went on ok.  My regular butter cream failed though.  It separated and kept melting and was just a mess.  The flower petals didn't form the way i wanted to, so i wound up just playing with different tips to see what would happen.  Not my best baking day, but i will try again soon.