Jossie Perlmutter shares her southern-inspired recipe for buttermilk cupcakes. The almond Swiss meringue buttercream that tops these babies is a smooth — but not too sweet — decadence.
Buttermilk Cake Cupcakes
INGREDIANTS:
¾ cups (1½ sticks) butter
1 1/3 cups sugar
3 large eggs
2 1/3 cups cake flour
1 ½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Almond Swiss Meringue Buttercream
METHOD:
Cream together butter and sugar with an electric mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy, about five minutes.
Beat in eggs one at a time to butter and sugar mixture, scraping bowl after each.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking power, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients alternately with 1/3 of the buttermilk to the butter mixture. Beat at low speed after each addition until combined. Repeat, until buttermilk and flour mixture combine with butter mixture.
Stir in vanilla extract.
Fill cupcake liners 2/3 of the way full, and bake for 15 minutes at 350 degrees. Cupcakes are finished when a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Yields 24 cupcakes.
Almond Swiss Meringue Buttercream
INGREDIANTS:
½ cup egg whites
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon almond extract
1 pound butter, softened, cut into cubes
METHOD:
Lightly whisk egg whites and sugar together over simmering water in a double boiler until egg-white mixture is hot to touch or a candy thermometer reads 140°F (60°C). (You can make a double boiler by setting a metal bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Dont let boiling water touch the bottom of the metal bowl).
Pour hot whites into the bowl of a stand mixer and mix with a wire whip until double in volume on medium high speed. Whip whites until stiff peaks form, and the bowl will be cooled to room temperature.
Switch to the paddle on the mixer.
Slowly add the almond extract and the butter 2 tablespoons at a time to the egg white mixture. The mixture may appear curdled at first, but keep mixing and the mixture will come together.
Mix in the almond extract (or any extract of your choice). Yields 4 cups.
