French Vanilla Cupcakes with Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Pretty soon Valentine’s Day will be upon us.  I know that there are some who think it’s so over rated, but I can’t help but feel excited about what kind of card or flowers my sweet Valentine has picked out for me.

I am ‘that’ mom who puts heart-shaped things in the kids lunches, even though they are well into junior grades and almost into highschool.

So I wanted to have a few posts dedicated to some Valentines treats because I have so many cute things rolling around in my brain.  This is the first post, my French Vanilla Cupcakes with Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream. 

 

I am always on a quest for a good vanilla cupcake.   You know which kind really tastes the best?  The cake mix kind.  They have such wonderful vanilla flavour and are so light and fluffy.  I have yet to find this in a scratch version.   Not that there is anything wrong with a box version!  To me, well, for some reason it just feels like cheating.

Do not despair…I am not one to give up….on cake.

I really love the way these turned out.  Wouldn’t you love to have one of these waiting for you on Valentine’s Day?

Perhaps waiting on your desk, or in your lunch?  Sitting outside your door?

Just a little surprise that says “you’re sweet!”

The toppers are just some cherries made out of fondant and coated with cake glitter.  I did happen to have real cherries in the fridge that I stole the stems off of.

I’m not going to include the Vanilla Cake recipe because it needs some work!  Use your favourite Vanilla Cupcake recipe and top with the Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe below).

Maraschino Swiss Meringue Buttercream

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• 1/2 cup pureed maraschino cherries (I also included a few tsp of the syrup)

*just an update…if you find the cherry icing doesn’t have a strong enough cherry flavour, add a few drops of cherry oil which can be found at most baking supply stores.

1. Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2. In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined. Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees). The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well. Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment. Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3. Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment. Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled. Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time. Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick. It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify. Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and cherry puree (to taste) and beat until combined.   Use immediately.

Chocolate Cupcakes with Cherry on Top

Notice I didn’t say with a cherry on top?

Nope not a cherry on top but a delicious Sweet and Tart Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  On top of a rich Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream.  Then, a Lindt Chocolate Truffle, you guessed it, on top.  Are you still with me?

I gave these cupcakes to my neighbours.  They deserve a cherry on top kind of dessert.  Yesterday was their birthday.  That’s right, their birthday.  Both of them.  And they have been married more than 25 years.  To each other.  And they are just good, kind, fun people.  So they deserve a little somethin’ with a cherry on top!

They were out last night celebrating, so I left them a little treat at their door this morning.

Since cherries are pretty impossible to find, I just made a simple cherry jam out of frozen cherries.  Then I added it to my usual Swiss Meringue loveliness along with some cherry oil for extra flavour.

Just make these rich chocolate cupcakes without the added espresso powder.  Then layer with the Cherry Swiss Meringue Buttercream and the Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream (recipe below).

Before I go, I am also sending a virtual cupcake over to Rosie at Sweetapolita for offering an AMAZING Chocolately Giveaway last week ( Holiday Truffles & Bonbons class at the highly respected Bonnie Gordon College of Confectionary Arts in Toronto + 1 kg box of Cacao Barry Origins Dark Chocolate Couverture Mexique 66% + 1 kg box of St. Domingue 70% + a copy of Barry Callebaut’s Simply Chocolate Magazine, featuring recipes from Canada’s top pastry chefs & chocolatiers.)!  I was so tickled to hear that I won!  My daughter said I was jumping and hollering so much she thought I won the lottery.  Well for me, attending a class at the Bonnie Gordon School of Confectionary Arts is just like winning the lottery!  Thanks Rosie!

Cherry Jam

• 1 cup frozen sweet and tart cherries
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp vanilla

1.   Combine ingredients in a small saucepan on medium heat, stirring frequently until mixture is thickened.  Use a fork to mash cherries while stirring.  Allow cherry mixture to cool completely before adding to your icing.

Chocolate

• 1 1/2 cups of quality Belgian semi sweet chocolate chopped

1.  Melt chocolate over a double boiler.  Mix until smooth and no lumps remain.  Allow to cool before adding to icing.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

* I made one batch for chocolate and one batch for cherry

• 5 egg whites
• 1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
• 2 cups of unsalted butter at room temperature
• 1 tsp pure vanilla
• pinch of salt
• chocolate or cherry jam to taste to taste

1.  Fill a saucepan (large enough to fit your mixing bowl just a few inches) with two inches of water.  Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to med-low so water continues to simmer.

2.  In your stand mixer bowl, hand whisk the egg whites and the sugar just until combined.  Place over simmering pot and whisk for approx 4 mins until the egg whites are hot (about 150 degrees).  The sugar should be dissolved by this time as well.  Place bowl on stand mixer and attach the whisk attachment.  Whisk on medium speed until whites have increased in volume, are thick and glossy and the outside of the bowl is just slightly warm to the touch (this can take up to 10 minutes!).

3.  Remove whisk attachment and replace with paddle attachment.  Beat on low-speed until mixture is completely cooled.  Increase speed to medium and add butter pieces one at a time.  Scrape the bowl and continue to beat until buttercream is glossy, smooth and thick.  It may separate at first, but continue beating and it will emulsify.  Add vanilla flavouring, a pinch of salt and chocolate/cherry jam (include a few drops of cherry oil if you have some) (to taste) and beat until combined.  Use immediately.