St. Patrick's Day Cupcakes!

I love anything Irish and I've been wanting to improve my cupcake icing skills, so I decided to bake some cupcakes with a St. Patrick's Day theme. Of course I had to try some new recipes while I was at it. Joe hasn't tasted them yet, but overall, I think they're a keeper.

For the cake, I adapted Dories's Perfect Party Cake found on Annie's Eats.

INGREDIENTS:

2 1/4 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/5 cups buttermilk
4 large egg whites
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 stick (1/4 pound) butter at room temperature
1 tsp vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with cupcake liners.

In medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt.

In medium bowl, whisk egg whites and milk.

In another bowl, beat butter and sugar on medium speed for about 3 minutes (until light and fluffy). Beat in the vanilla. Add in flour mixture, alternating with egg mixture, in about 3 divisions. Beat at least another two minutes and ensure everything is well mixed.

Transfer batter to cupcake liners.

Bake 30-35 minutes. Cool on cooling racks. Ice when cooled.

Now onto the icing...

It's always nice trying new icing recipes, so I tried Martha Stewart's Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream icing. I enjoyed the lightness of it, but it wasn't sweet enough, but definitely rich enough. I ended up only using 3 sticks of butter and adding 1 cup of confectioner's sugar. To me, it's perfect now. Recipe adapted from the one I found on Annie's Eats.

INGREDIENTS:

5 large egg whites
1 cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
Pinch of salt
3/4 lb. (3 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 tsp. vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS:

To make the frosting, combine the egg whites, sugar and salt in a heatproof bowl set over a pot of simmering water. Heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture reaches 160° F and the sugar has dissolved.

Transfer the mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until stiff peaks form and the mixture has cooled to room temperature, about 8 minutes.

Reduce the speed to medium and add the butter, 2 tablespoons at a time, adding more once each addition has been incorporated. If the frosting looks soupy or curdled, continue to beat on medium-high speed until thick and smooth again, about 3-5 minutes more (don’t worry, it will come together!) Mix in 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar. When well incorporated, mix in second 1/2 cup. Stir in the vanilla extract and mix.

Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day, or transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.