Comments on: Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream

By: 30 Berry-licious Strawberry Cookies and Strawberry Cupcakes

30 Berry-licious Strawberry Cookies and Strawberry Cupcakes — Mon, 22 Apr 2013 09:46:01 +0000

[...] Strawberry Cupcakes w/ Strawberry Meringue Buttercream by My Sweet Life 22. Strawberry Kiwi Cupcakes w/ Creamy Frosting by Little Leopard [...]

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 16:27:28 +0000

Thanks again for the tips; they are very helpful and I will be keeping all of these in mind next time. I have just recently taken an interest in baking and so didn’t realize the importance of some of the steps and equipment. Based on your advice I will be purchasing a scale and fine mesh sieve. Since I used a strainer made of material, it may not have worked as well on the puree as the mesh ones did. I’m looking forward to trying some of your other recipes as they look amazing.

By: Grace Massa Langlois

Grace Massa Langlois — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 02:32:16 +0000

Vanessa I’m going to pass on a very important tip with respect to baking after purchasing a scale I noticed a huge difference in my baked goods. If you like to bake I would look at purchasing one, there are some that are fairly inexpensive, you don’t need anything fancy but if you can get one with a tare function it’s really convenient because you can weigh everything together in one bowl ie add flour to bowl hit the tare button and it basically zeros out the weight and you can add your next ingredient to the bowl. When measuring dry ingredients with cups the weight will always vary ie if you measure out 3 separate cups of flour using a measuring cup I can guarantee the weights will all be different, same with sugar etc. The scale is always accurate. Sifting is really important, it aerates the flour making baked goods lighter. I use a fine mesh sieve and a sheet of parchment paper, hold the sieve way up high over the paper and shake away (the higher you hold the sieve the more aeration) (you can also sift into a bowl) then using a large balloon whisk mix the ingredients together to make sure the baking powder is well disbursed (whisking also aerates the mixture). When using a hand mixer it will be necessary to beat for a longer period of time because it doesn’t have as much power as a stand mixer. Not beating to a stiff peak would be the cause of the meringue not holding its shape. The butter was probably not the issue, it’s better if it’s slightly cold rather than really warm and really soft. Again continuing to beat will make the mixture smooth. How long did you process the strawberry mixture? Was it difficult to push through the sieve? And was the puree slightly cold? For the cupcake batter, again when using a hand mixer you may need to cream the butter and sugar (creaming aerates the mixture giving you a lighter texture) for a longer period of time until the mixture is pale in colour. I would also recommend using a higher setting than what’s called for when using a stand mixer. Please let me know if I can clarify anything further for you. I hope some of these tips help.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 00:16:41 +0000

Hi Grace, no, thank you for the questions and for trying to help me figure out what went wrong! I only have basic baking supplies, so I use measuring cups and an electric hand mixer. The bowl I used was a relatively small stainless steel one. I tried to do the butter exactly per your instructions; I took it out of the fridge already cubed while I was beating the eggs and sugar, so it had about 12 minutes to warm up but may have not been completely room temp. I also wasn’t able to get the egg whites to form the stiff peaks but I stopped after 12 minutes because I didn’t want to over beat them. I didn’t sift the flour mixture first unfortunately. Didn’t add any extra puree to the cupcakes or the frosting. I was wondering if maybe I didn’t strain the puree well enough and the density of the cupcakes was due to the puree being too thick.

By: Grace Massa Langlois

Grace Massa Langlois — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 22:54:23 +0000

Hi Vanessa, the cupcakes should be light and moist not dense. And are you weighing ingredients or using measuring cups? (I weigh all my ingredients – more accurate.) Did you cream the butter and eggs in a stand mixer or electric hand mixer? What capacity is your mixer? I have a professional one and I find if the batter is on the smaller scale I can’t whip enough air through the creaming process (this batter is on the smaller capacity). How did you handle the butter, was it room temp? Did you sift the flour mixture? Meringue can be tricky, it shouldn’t lose its texture. Did you add extra puree? Buttercream will curdle but with beating it should become smooth. Sorry for all the questions but it will be easier to assess what went wrong.

By: Vanessa

Vanessa — Tue, 09 Apr 2013 17:04:40 +0000

Hi Grace! I found your wonderful recipe after my sister asked for a strawberry dessert for Easter. Unfortunately, the cupcakes turned out okay but my frosting didn’t (I’m relatively new at baking and the meringue was difficult). I tried again last night and achieved moderate success! At the least they are tasty and the frosting is spreadable. Just wondering–both times my cupcakes turned out quite moist and a little dense; is this normal? Also, with the meringue buttercream, I found it lost its texture very easily and would curdle (I had to beat after every addition of puree), is this due to my lack of finesse with meringue? Offhand is there something I might be doing wrong? Thank you for the recipe!

By: Strawberry Cupcakes with Strawberry Meringue Buttercream « The Best Cupcake Recipes

Fri, 15 Mar 2013 12:59:52 +0000

[...] Recipe available from La Mia Vita Dolce. [...]

By: Grace Massa Langlois

Grace Massa Langlois — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 19:10:45 +0000

So good to hear Cheryl! Thanks for coming back to share – I always get a spring in my step when someone’s enjoyed one of my recipes. The strawberry curd sounds amazing – will definitely have to try next time.

By: Cheryl S.

Cheryl S. — Fri, 08 Mar 2013 15:51:25 +0000

Hi Grace,
So I made the “Pink Beauties” and set them out on the dessert table after church service. Seconds later,they were gone! People said they were the most beautiful cupcakes they had ever seen and were just about swooning over how delicious they were.
I used your recipe for the moist vanilla cupcakes then filled them with a strawberry curd.
UNBELIEVABLE!
Thank you so much for the treasure trove of consistently delicious recipes you graciously share with us.

By: cupcakes warrington website

cupcakes warrington website — Sat, 02 Mar 2013 09:56:41 +0000

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