Red White And Blue Stripe Cake With Swiss Meringue Buttercream Food

MOSCATO CUPCAKES WITH DUFF'S SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Line two muffin tins with 15 cupcake liners.
• Add the vanilla seeds to the milk and set aside.
• Pass the flour and baking powder through a fine-mesh sieve into a medium bowl. Whisk in the salt and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. One at a time, add the eggs, beating until combined. Gently add the flour mixture in two batches, alternating with the milk mixture. Remove the bowl from the mixer and fold in the moscato.
• Divide the batter among the cupcake liners, filling each by two-thirds. Bake, rotating halfway through, until golden brown and a toothpick comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.
• Pipe the buttercream onto the cupcakes in a rose pattern, dust with white luster, and finish with an edible pearl.
• Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of stand mixer. Set the bowl over a pot of gently simmering water and heat, stirring with a wooden spoon, until the sugar has dissolved and is warm to the touch (about 160 degrees F). When you touch the mixture, it should feel completely smooth and not at all gritty.
• Immediately transfer the bowl to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. On high speed, whip until glossy and stiff, about 15 minutes.
• Switch to the paddle attachment and lower the speed to medium. Add the butter, piece by piece, incorporating each before adding more. Lower the speed further and mix until silky and smooth.

LEMON CAKE WITH LEMON MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease 2 (9-inch) round cake pans. Line bottoms with buttered parchment paper and dust with flour.
• In the bowl of an electric mixer cream the butter and sugar for 3 to 5 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs 1 at a time, scraping down the bowl as needed. Add the lemon juice and zest and mix well.
• In another large bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Alternately beat in the dry ingredients and the milk to the batter in 3 parts, with dry ingredients at the beginning and the end. Mix until just combined.
• Pour the batter equally into the 2 pans. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until the tops are browned and a toothpick comes out clean. Cool on a baking rack for 30 minutes, then turn the cakes out onto a rack to cool completely.
• Buttercream: Bring a few inches of water to a boil in a saucepan that can hold an electric mixer bowl above the water. Whisk the sugar, the yolks, lemon juice, cream of tartar, and salt in the bowl by hand. Set the bowl above the boiling water and continue whisking until the mixture is hot to the touch and the sugar dissolves, about 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the bowl to a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and beat the yolks at medium-high speed until light in texture and cool, about 10 minutes. Beat in the butter, a little at a time, until the icing is smooth and spreadable.
• To assemble: place 1 layer on a cake plate, browned side down, and spread with approximately 1/4 of the frosting. Top with the second layer, browned side up, and frost the top and sides. Decorate with raspberries.
• Click here to view Food Network Kitchen's healthier version of this recipe.

WHITE ALMOND TIRAMISU CAKE WITH SWISS MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• For the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and flour three 6-inch round cake pans.
• Whisk together the sour cream, buttermilk, vanilla extract, almond extract and eggs in a small bowl until well blended; set aside.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), add the cake flour, granulated sugar, baking powder and salt. Mix on low speed to combine, 30 seconds.
• With the mixer on medium speed, slowly add the butter a few pieces at a time. Beat until the dry ingredients are crumbly and moistened by the butter, about 1 minute. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Gradually add half of the egg mixture to the flour-butter mixture and beat on medium speed until the batter is thick and fluffy, 1 1/2 minutes. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add the remaining egg mixture in 2 additions, scraping the bowl and beating for 20 seconds after each addition.
• Pour the batter into the prepared pans and sharply tap the pans once on the counter to remove air bubbles. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 20 minutes. Cool the cakes in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Remove the cakes from the pans and let cool completely on the rack.
• For the tiramisu syrup: Bring the sugar, water and espresso powder to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from the heat and stir in the coffee liqueur.
• For the Tiramisu Filling: In a bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), add the mascarpone, confectioners' sugar, coffee liqueur and vanilla extract. Mix on medium speed until well blended.
• In a separate bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment (or a large mixing bowl if using a hand mixer), add the whipping cream and whisk until stiff peaks form. (Do not over-whisk.) Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the mascarpone mixture into the whipped cream.
• For the vanilla bean Swiss meringue icing: Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixture set over a saucepan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar melts and the mixture becomes very thin and warm. Remove the bowl from the heat and add the vanilla seeds. Whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form, about 5 minutes. Continue beating on low speed until cool.
• Beat in the butter, a few pieces at a time, on medium speed. (The mixture may curdle before coming together.)
• To assemble the cake: Using a serrated knife, level off the tops of the cake layers. Place one layer on a serving plate or board and brush some tiramisu syrup on the top. Put 1 cup of the Swiss meringue icing in a piping bag fitted with a large round tip and pipe a thin dam around the edge of the cake. Spoon a 1/2-inch layer of the tiramisu filling onto the cake and gently spread it out to the dam. Repeat with the second layer of cake. Place the final layer on top and ice the cake with the remaining Swiss meringue icing.

EASY MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• One of the best-tasting buttercreams is also the easiest to prepare. See the end of the recipe for flavoring possibilities.
• Place egg whites, sugar and salt in medium-sized heatproof mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water and whisk gently and constantly until egg whites are hot (about 140 degrees) and sugar is dissolved, about 3 to 4 minutes. Remove from heat and whip by machine until thick and cooled, about 5 minutes. Beat in butter and continue beating until buttercream is smooth and spreadable. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered, for up to 5 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature and beat smooth by machine. Beat in flavoring, a little at a time, and continue beating until buttercream is smooth, about 2 minutes longer (always flavor buttercream immediately before using it).
• Flavorings: Liqueur: 2 to 3 tablespoons liqueur, such as Grand Marnier or dark or light rum. Lemon: 2 to 3 tablespoons lemon juice. Coffee: 3 tablespoons instant coffee (espresso, if possible) dissolved in 2 tablespoons water, coffee or rum. Raspberry: 3/4 cup thick raspberry puree made by cooking down and straining a 10-ounce package of frozen raspberries. Chocolate: 6 ounces chocolate melted with 4 tablespoons water, coffee or milk and cooled.