This Valentine's day, there was a whole lotta love in the kitchen.
Two kinds of mini chocolate cupcakes: Strawberry Cheesecake and Nutella Cheesecake
*Swoon*
The frosting is an Italian meringue cream cheese buttercream, flavored with strawberry preserves and Nutella. The chocolate cupcake recipe can be found here. To make cream cheese Italian meringue buttercream, you need the following:
- 150g egg whites (I use pasteurized eggs whites because its more convenient then separating eggs by hand)
- 200g sugar
- 50g sugar
- 1/2 cup water
- 1 tsp cream of tartar (optional - I use this because of the humidity in FL)
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar (this is more for my taste, you can reduce the amount if you want it less sweet, but it really isn't that sweet)
- 3-4sticks butter at room temperature (use high quality butter - like Land O' Lakes)
- 1/2 cup shortening at room temperature (optional - if you are baking in hot weather and need stability, omit and add other stick of butter instead)
- 6 oz plain cream cheese at room temperature, add 8 oz if you like strong cream cheese flavor
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
Candy thermometer
Medium sized pot/saucepan
Stand mixer is recommended, unless you want an arm and shoulder workout - go ahead with your hand mixer.
- Make sure all utensils and equipment that is going to touch your egg whites are whipped down with vinegar or lemon juice to remove any residual oils. This will help ensure your egg whites will turn into a meringue.
- Measure out your egg whites in mixing bowl and set aside.
- Measure out 200g sugar and 1/2 cup water in saucepan and place on medium heat. I like to wait until the sugar is fully submerged in the water and starts to dissolve before I start cooking it, about 5 minutes. Clip on your candy thermometer. Resist the urge to stir or swirl!
- You want the temperature of the sugar syrup to reach 245 F, so watch carefully. When the temp gets to about 225 F or 230 F, start whipping up your egg whites.
- Whip your egg whites on medium speed until it has passed the frothy stage and the volume has increased a bit.
- Add 50g of sugar slowly, and allow the sugar to get incorporated. Add your cream of tartar (optional)
- Increase to high speed and allow the meringue to form into stiff peaks.
- Your sugar syrup should be approaching 245 F at this time, so keep an eye, once it hits that temperature remove from heat.
- Once your meringue is ready, slowly pour the hot sugar syrup while your mixer is on medium speed. Be sure not to pour the syrup onto the side walls of the bowl, it should be going right into the meringue.
- Mix on high speed for about 5-10 minutes until meringue is glossy and has stiff peaks.
- Reduce speed to low, add powdered sugar slowly until well incorporated.
- Add in your butter and shortening, I just throw in the whole sticks - and increased to medium speed. At this stage your buttercream will look soupy, then curdled, and then magically fluff up.
- Once the buttercream is fluffy, add in your cream cheese and vanilla.
- Split the batch to make different flavors; Add a couple tbsp of strawberry puree or preservers to taste, in the other batch add your Nutella to taste.
- Frost your cupcakes and enjoy! This recipe yeilds enough to frost 48 mini cupcakes or 12-14 standard sized cupcakes
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| Hearts made with red candy melts and heart mold Gold sprinkles Edible mini sugar heart confetti Piped with large round tip, and large star tip (All purchased at Michaels) |
