Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes

I’m going to be honest, no matter how good Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes sound, the star of the dessert section of Caribbean Thanksgiving Menu was definitely the Pumpkin Butterscotch Pie with Cashew Crust. I knew it would be, so when it was time to pick the second dessert, I wanted a dessert that would be a very stark contrast to the pie, so it wouldn’t be drowned out and ignored by my guests. It was from that point of view that I tried out these Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes based closely on a food and wine recipe by Lisa Ritter. Again, honesty. I have to admit, even with all my planning, these Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes were stuck in the shadow of the pie. Even with all the cayenne and ancho chile powder in the chocolate buttercream. Even with the cinnamon cake. I have plans to make these again someday, when they’re the only thing around. Because Chili Chocolate Buttercream Cupcakes could never be bad. And they weren’t. They were really good. And the mini format was fun for guests. They appreciated the ability to try two desserts without a huge commitment. And the flavors of the Chili Chocolate Buttercream … Continue reading

French Buttercream

1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar ½ cup water ½  cup egg whites 3 sticks unsalted butter; softened ¼ teaspoon fine salt orange and yellow food coloring candy thermometer Tangerine syrup: ½ cup tangerine juice ½ cup Meyer lemon juice (or ¾ tangerine and ¼ lemon if you can’t find Meyers) This will make enough buttercream for an 8-inch layer cake. Don’t double it if you’re making the small cake. I still had some leftover from the lavender macarons, so I don’t have pictures of every stage. I will add them next time I make buttercream. Sorry! Boil tangerine and Meyer lemon juice until it’s reduced down to ¼ cup. Mix 1 ½ cups sugar with water in a small, heavy saucepan. Add in the tangerine syrup. Cook over high heat until syrup reaches 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Watch it closely when you’re getting to 200; it’s fast at the end. While syrup is cooking, beat egg whites until firming up. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry. With mixer on low, stream syrup into the egg whites. (Caution here! The syrup is really hot. Make sure you don’t … Continue reading