Every baker needs a few recipes to keep in their go-to stash. A cookie recipe, a frosting recipe and a chocolate cake recipe. Here I’m sharing the recipe The Princess Baker uses to make decadent, rich chocolate cake and cupcakes.
This chocolate cake recipe is so easy, you only need one bowl to make it. The ingredients are simple and you will always have them on hand in your pantry. How easy is it to make? It’s as easy as dump the ingredients in a bowl and mix. Your little kids can make this in a flash! Seriously! You mix the dry ingredients and whisk together. Dump the wet ingredients on top and let your mixer do the work.
Can You Freeze This Chocolate Cake and Cupcakes?
Absolutely! Not only can you, but I do! I recommend freezing individual, unfrosted layers as opposed to a frosted cake. Simply wrap the layers in cling wrap, then foil and place in the freezer with the date baked on it. For even better protection you can double wrap the cake and place it in an airtight container to make sure it doesn’t take on any other flavors. You can freeze this recipe for up to three months and thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Ingredients
(Yields 2 8″ rounds, 2″ inches high or 24 cupcakes)
2 cups white sugar
1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
3 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
1 cup milk
½ cup vegetable oil
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup boiling water
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour two eight inch round pans or line cupcake tins. (Time will vary depending on the size of your cake pans being used)
2. In a large mixing bowl, add all the dry ingredients, the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt.
3. Use a whisk and mix until dry ingredients are well combined.
4. Add all the wet ingredients. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, mix on medium speed for about 2 minutes.
5. Stir in the boiling water using a spatula. For a fudgier cake, use less water. Pour evenly into the prepared pans or cupcake liners.
With back to school around the corner, it’s time to recognize some heroes amongst us… teachers! These awesome individuals are so severely under appreciated for all the things they do to shape and mold the minds of children of all ages. So I’m putting my Princess spin on the idea of ‘an apple for the teacher’. Why not present this year’s teacher with an apple cinnamon cream puff that looks like an apple!
How do you make a cream puff look like an apple? There’s a couple different tricks up my sleeve. Beyond flavoring both the pate a choux dough and the filling with flavors of apple, cinnamon, and nutmeg, I add coloring and decorative details to give it an apple appeal. Get it? A peel? I’m hilarious.
First, there’s the craquelin. Choux au craquelin may sound super French and elegant, but it’s simply a fancy way of saying adding some extra flavor and texture. Craquelin very closely resembles a sugar cookie dough recipe, consisting of sugar, butter, flour, and a pinch of salt. It’s rolled out, cut, and placed gently on top of piped choux dough. When baked together, it produces puffed pastry with a crackly-looking appearance plus a crunchy texture.
Apple Choux Decorations
Decorating pate a choux dough isn’t something that most people think of. Cream puffs in and of themselves are already bite sized and cute, and when placed around a cone to make a croquembouche, they’re already decorative. But I love adding color to choux dough as well as extra decorations for an even more eye popping visual appearance. Adding chocolate decorations to these apple flavored cream puffs is the cherry on top, er the apple? Insert apple joke here.
Ingredients
For the craquelin
50 g (3½ tbsp) Butter
50 g (6½ tbsp) All purpose flour
50 g (4 tbsp) Sugar
Red gel food coloring
Pinch of Salt
For the pate a choux dough (the cream puffs)
70 g (5 tbsp) Water
50 g (3½ tbsp) Butter
60 g (8 tbsp) All purpose flour
2 Medium Eggs
Pinch of Salt
Red gel food coloring
For the filling
400 g (14 oz) Heavy cream
1 tsp Vanilla extract
1 apple finely chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 200 °C (400 °F)
For the craquelin
In a bowl, mix soft butter with the sugar, flour, cinnamon and a pinch of salt. Add red gel food coloring.
Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper
Form a ball of pastry, and put it between two sheets of parchment paper. Roll out to for a sheet about ¼ of inch thick.
Refrigerate at least for one hour or freeze for 30 minutes
For the cream puffs.
In a medium saucepan, combine the water, butter and a pinch of salt.
Bring to the boil, and add the flour all at once, stirring until the mixture forms a ball and pulls away from the pot. Add gel food coloring.
Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
Add the eggs one at a time, beating in well after each.
Pipe the chop pastry mixture on to the cookie sheet.
Cut the craquelin pastry into round pieces, same size cream puffs and set on top of each choux bun.
Bake for 20 – 25 minutes until brown and very crispy.
For the filling
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl. Make sure the apple pieces are small enough to fit through the pastry tip.
To assemble
Pipe the filling into the cream puffs making a hole in the bottom of each one.
Baking time will vary based on the size of the pastry mounds and how many you make. Start checking them after 15 minutes of baking.
Confession: I don’t always have heavy cream on hand. It’s not something I consistently need in my baking, so I really only need it when I’m making ganache. And let’s face it, it’s sometimes a pain in the a** to have to run to the grocery store to pick up ONE ingredient that you don’t have. Yes, I’ve tried freezing it in the past, but it hasn’t worked out well for me. So I thought, there has to be another way…. And there is!
EVeryone knows how to make ganache. Heat heavy cream and pour it over chocolate then stir. Simple. So why does this recipe need messing with? Because it does. And it can be made in another way with ingredients you ALWAYS have available.
Heavy cream provides two things for the ganache. First, it provides liquid to coat the chocolate so it can be heated and dissolved into. Second, it provides more fat, as the secret ingredient in most desserts is fat. So how do you replace these two components:
Milk and Butter.
Yep, these two things that are always available in your fridge are what make this recipe work. The milk provides the liquid. And when I say milk, I mean WHOLE milk, not low fat, not 2%, not skim. Will it work with almond or oat milk? I don’t know I haven’t personally tried it yet. But it does with whole milk. Then butter. I prefer unsalted butter but I have tried it with salted and it worked perfectly fine with that as well.
This is brilliant. I’m not entirely sure if there are health benefits to changing the recipe, like less calories or slightly less fat, but if you have ever read the side of a heavy cream bottle, I’m sure there are less calories.
What’s great about this recipe is its very versatile. You can use it to make chocolate drips on instagram worthy cakes, whip up frosting to top cupcakes or fill macarons and even freeze it to ball truffles. All the things you can do with traditional ganache. (Although I like the regular truffles better than this, but they are still doable.)
You can easily double or triple this recipe as needed, just make sure your measurements are correct. And if you need better instruction, head to my you YouTube channel The Princess Baker for a video tutorial.
If you are a frosting fan, this is the recipe you’ve been waiting for. This Swiss meringue buttercream frosting recipe is sweet and creamy and actually tastes like vanilla ice cream! Plus it only takes 10 minutes to make and you only need one bowl! Be still my heart, I think I’m in love! It is a dream on top of cupcakes and underneath fondant, it doesn’t crust, it’s basically perfect.
I’ve always hated making Swiss meringue buttercream because of the double broiler. I was never sure I would not overheat the eggs or not get the sugar completely dissolved. Forget the trial and error, I just didn’t want to deal with it. With this mock SMBC is so easy, it feels like cheating. I never need to worry again. It’s all about the secret ingredient… pasteurized egg whites.
I can hear you saying “egg whites that aren’t cooked in my frosting? Are you crazy? Is that even edible?” The answers are yes, egg whites in the frosting, yes, I might be a little crazy, and surprisingly, yes, totally edible! Thanks to pasteurized egg whites, you can skip the egg white separating, the heating and whipping to meringue! The rich taste and silky texture is nearly identical to traditional SMBC. Call it faux, call it mock, call it fake, call it lazy. I call it magic. And you need to TRY IT!!!
Many types of buttercream, like Swiss, Italian, and French have eggs in them. The eggs are heated over a double broiler (or for those fancy people, a Bain Marie) to 71C (160F) with the sugar dissolved in. The egg is often whipped into a light and fluffy meringue and then softened butter is whipped in. In traditional SMBC, fresh egg whites and granulated sugar are cooked together to dissolve the sugar and cook the eggs. Not anymore! With this recipe, we skip this step entirely by using pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar and STILL end up with silky smooth, super creamy, dreamy frosting. Note: undercooked egg whites are not recommended for pregnant women just to be on the safe side.
I promise you yes. There’s only four ingredients, you only need one bowl, and it only takes 10 minutes to make. Don’t believe me that it’s easy? You can even make this with a hand mixer! Yes. Buttercream frosting. With a hand mixer.
LET’S CREDIT THE GENIUS
This princess is all about giving credit where it’s due. In this case, it goes to the Swiss meringue buttercream queen, Lauren Kitchens. This brilliant cake decorator was the first one who came up with this brilliant idea and I want to make sure she gets a shout out. Click here to head to her website.
What Are Pasteurized Eggs
Pasteurizing is the process of gentle heating to kill food born illnesses and make a product safe to drink or eat. Many other items are pasteurized, including orange juice, milk, and wine. Pasteurized egg whites are safe for anyone to eat. I find my pasteurized egg whites in a carton in the egg section of my grocery store. The word “pasteurized” will appear on the box, usually in VERY small print. If you don’t use the whole box to make frosting, you can use the leftovers to make an egg white omelet.
PRINCESS TIPS, TRICKS AND FAQ
Butter Substitutes
Using good quality, real butter is best, but you can substitute it with margarine, vegan butter, or vegetable shortening. No guarantees it tastes exactly the same, but you can use whatever is your preference! My SMBC is Splitting
The buttercream splits because it’s too cold. Take out 1/3 cup of the buttercream and melt it in the microwave until it’s just melted and then whip it back in. That little bit of warm butter helps it all come together again.
My SMBC is Too Soft
Buttercream is soft or firm depending on how warm it is. If it’s too soft, it could be your butter was too soft when you added it in or the mixer warmed it up. Put the buttercream in the fridge for 20 minutes then whip it again and it should firm back up. If it continues to be lumpy after several minutes of whipping, but about a half cup of the frosting into the microwave for about fifteen seconds to warm it up a bit. Then return the warmed frosting back to the mixer and whip it some more. If your frosting is too loose, you can add a little bit more powdered sugar if you like a sweeter frosting. Or put the mixer bowl in the refrigerator for about a half an hour, then beat it a little bit more before using it. My SMBC is Gritty
Some people have said their buttercream has a grainy consistency, but I have never experienced this before. If you have this issue, try sifting your powdered sugar before adding in the pasteurized egg whites and mixing the egg whites with the powdered sugar on medium for 5 minutes to dissolve the powdered sugar.
How Long Will SMBC Keep?
Easy buttercream will last for 2 days at room temperature, 2 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. If your buttercream is cold, make sure to whip it up again before using it. Bring your buttercream to room temperature and begin whipping it. Then remove 1/3 cup of the buttercream and microwave it until it’s just barely melted, then pour it back in while whipping to make it smooth again. How to Color SMBC
Add a few drops of gel food coloring to this buttercream to color it. It holds color well and gets darker overnight. Just be sure to not add too much food coloring or you’ll be able to taste it. How to Make Chocolate SMBC
To make chocolate buttercream, chop 12 oz unsweetened chocolate, and place it in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after every 30 seconds to prevent overheating. Once the chocolate is melted, let it cool until it is completely room temperature. Add the melted and cooled chocolate to finished SMBC frosting. Mix on low speed until the chocolate is completely incorporated.
INGREDIENTS
4.5 f ounces of liquid pasteurized egg whites (1/2 cup)
18 ounces of powdered sugar (4.5 cups)
About half a teaspoon of salt
18 ounces of unsalted butter (2.25 cups) make sure it’s at room temperature!
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract
RECIPE:
1. Combine the pasteurized egg whites, powdered sugar, and salt in the bowl of a large stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Mix everything together on low speed, until the sugar has dissolved and no dry patches remain. You do NOT need to whip to a meringue. Turn off the mixer, scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula, then turn the mixer to medium speed. Beat on medium for 2 minutes.
2. Add in your salt and vanilla extract. You can also substitute any other extract or emulsion flavoring that you like. Using clear vanilla extract will result in a whiter finished buttercream.
3. After 2 minutes, turn the mixer to medium-low and start adding the softened room temperature butter, 1-2 tablespoons at a time. DO NOT be tempted to add the butter all at once. It will just make a soupy mess. Once all of the butter is incorporated, add the vanilla extract and mix it in. Stop the mixer and scrape down the bottom and sides once more.
4. Turn the speed to medium and beat the buttercream for 10 minutes. At the end, you’ll have a frosting with a wonderfully light and creamy texture.
I’m whisking you away today to Paris, with French macarons. These delicate cookies look gorgeous on a party plate and make your guests feel ultra special. Maybe it’s because they are so bougie, they definitely have a more elevated feel than cookies or cupcakes, and maybe it’s because they aren’t as common in the USA as they are in Europe, but a platter of macarons makes you feel special.
It also might be because they are the most temperamental, finicky, and frustrating pastry to make. But fear not! This princess has the tips, tricks and instructions to make you a master at macarons! This easy to follow French macaron recipe makes a batch of the most delicate, and delicious cookies that are bite sized treats you might eat in one sitting. Did I mention they are gluten free?
Macarons can also be customized in a variety of ways to give you endless options to use them as a dessert or a snack. Pick a color of the rainbow and use gel food coloring to make them any hue you want. Flavor them, both by adding extracts in the batter, but also in the sandwiched frosting. Don’t want frosting? Try ganache or jelly. One bite, and you’ll hear La Vie En Rose start to play.
French macarons are delicate sandwich cookies with a crisp exterior. Each individual cookie is known as a macaron shell. The shells are made without any chemical leaveners and get all of their lift from properly beaten egg whites.
What Is A “Perfect” Macaron?
Many people only care that their macaron is delicious, as that should be the standard for all desserts, right? But there are defining qualities beyond taste that make a quintessential macaron.
Consists of a shell with a crunchy exterior; however, it should be chewy, light, and airy!
Has a shell with “spongy” layers and plenty of air pockets. However, the shell should not be hollow.
Has a smooth and perfectly round top.
The shell should have ‘feet,’ which are the little ruffled, frilly edges on the base of it’s shell.
So why are macarons so difficult to make?
If there’s one thing to know before baking French macarons at home, it’s this: these cookies require precision, patience, and practice. Macarons are often described as “finicky” and require a baker’s undivided attention. Even with proper technique, well-honed “macaronage” skills and the best ingredients money can buy, you aren’t guaranteed a perfect macaron. I use to follow recipes perfectly and things still went horribly wrong leaving a princess throwing a pity party. Because there is a certain element out of our control which without considerable experience one may not know how to adjust for: Humidity.
French macaroons are incredibly sensitive to moisture above everything. This is why some recipes call for “ageing egg whites” as when egg whites get old they loose some moisture. In areas with high humidity almost year-round it is recommended to have the air-conditioning on while making them.
Ultimately I practiced and persevered and now I have the secrets to perfect macarons. I no longer have to go to Paris for my pursuits. Ok, enough alliteration!
Fun Macaron Facts!
The First macaron originated in Italy and not France
According to legend, Catherine de Medici brought the recipe with her from Italy when she married Henry II of France in 1533. Surprisingly, the 16th-century Italian cookbooks mention almond biscuits closely resembling macarons, but under different names. The first macarons were just cookies, crunchy on the outside and soft on the inside. In 1792, the macarons started to gain fame as two Carmelite nuns sold macaron cookies. It was not until the 1830s that bakers served the two-by-two by adding jams, liqueurs, and spices.
Macarons have a something in common with pasta
The root word of macaron comes from the word macaroni. Yes like pasta macaroni. They both translate into “fine dough”.
Macarons are gluten-free
The ingredients used in a traditional macaron are naturally gluten-free: almond flour, powdered sugar, egg whites, granulated sugar. Many fillings including frosting, ganache and jam are also gluten free.
Tips For Making Perfect Macarons
As I said before, these little guys require patience and precision. There may be a lot of rules or guidelines to follow for making great macarons. However, it’s easier to be aware of these tips to make a great macaron without the heartache of learning by trial and error (and this Princess has learned from her mistake)! Here are my master tips to creating macarons:
Accurately Weigh & Measure Your Ingredients
If you have ever heard the phrase “baking is a science” they were talking about macarons. Measuring and weighing your ingredients is essential when making macarons. You can’t get away with a dash of this and a pinch of that or measurements that are just a little off. Even a couple grams off can ruin a bath.
Sift The Ingredients
Before preparing the meringue, ensure the almond flour and powdered sugar is free of lumps. This can be achieved by sifting the dry mix. Not only do I sift this mixture, I sift it twice, just to make sure. Because the batter is folded together and not traditionally mixed, making sure your dry ingredients are well-blended is essential.
Make Sure Your Egg Whites are Properly Mixed
The egg whites should be at room temperature before being whipped into a meringue. No egg yolk must be present in the egg whites as it may ruin any chance of the mixture reaching stiff peaks. Make sure that your mixer is beating your egg whites between medium-low and medium-high speeds. Any faster, and you could
have oddly textured macarons due to overwhipping.
Check the Consistency of the Batter
When mixing the batter for your macaron shells, you want to do so slowly and meticulously. Above all, check the consistency from time to time to know when to stop. I stop when the batter flows from the spatula in ribbons and I can draw a figure ‘8’ without it breaking.
Use a Macaron Mat or Template
While no one is going to turn away macarons that aren’t exactly perfectly shaped together, having either a macaron mat or a printed template can help ensure proper sizing of each shell. These mats are indented to help ensure that your batter piping is precise and that your macarons come out looking like they should.
Bang Out the Air Bubbles
Don’t be afraid to bang that baking tray! Air bubbles can cause hollows as well as bumpy shells. Bang away on your counter to pop those air bubbles out.
Let The Macarons Rest Before Baking
Macarons need their beauty sleep. After piping, let your macarons sit for 30 minutes before placing them in the oven. This allows them to grow a “skin” where their surface will become smooth and dry to the touch. You should be able to touch them without leaving a mark. It helps achieve that perfect look.
Practice Makes Perfect
No matter what, don’t give up after your first batch. It took me four before I found I had the hang of everything. Particularly with the macronage, trial and error was involved. But once I saw what I was doing right and wrong, I never made those mistakes again. These babies are well worth it!
What is Macaronage?
Macaronage is the process of working macaron batter into a shiny and flowy consistency that easily pipes into smooth macaron shells. You may have heard this term before and rightfully so– it’s a crucial step in this macaron recipe. During this stage, you want to be sure not to overmix or undermix the batter. Undermixed and thick batter can produce lumpy or hollow macarons. Overmixed and thin batter can produce cracked macarons or macarons without feet.
Balanced macaron batter after achieving that perfect macaronage is best understood through visuals. Use my video above as a guide. The best advice I give is how to fold the batter from the under side. It’s best to go very slow so you don’t accidentally overmix.
Troubleshooting French Macarons
Hollow Macarons: It’s always so frustrating to bite into a macaron only to have it filled with… nothing. If your macarons are hollow, the batter was likely undermixed or overmixed. Pay attention to the proper macaronage. Additionally, make sure you pop and air bubbles in the piped macaron batter as directed in the recipe. And finally, play around with your oven settings. The oven could be too hot or the macarons could be under-baked.
Macarons Have No Feet: Avoid over-beating the egg whites and over-mixing the macaron batter. Make sure you let your piped macaron batter dry/sit out before baking.
Cracked on Top: There are many reasons for cracked shells, and it’s hard to know which was the culprit. They may have been over-baked, the batter may have been overmixed, air bubbles in the piped batter may not have been popped, and/or the egg whites may have been over-beaten.
Runny Batter: Your macaron batter will be runny if you overmixed it, deflating more air than intended. Macarons baked with runny batter will over-spread, aren’t likely to develop feet, nor will they have the intended chewy texture. This is why the macaronage step is crucial. Fold the batter together slowly and perform the figure 8 test a few times until you have the correct consistency.
My recipe uses the French method. All you will need are five ingredients
EGG WHITES: The bulk of French macaron batter is meringue made from properly beaten egg whites. Don’t use pasteurized egg whites. It’s imperative that NO egg yolks make it into the recipe.
Age The Egg Whites: It’s helpful to “age” the egg whites in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours prior to starting this recipe. Why? Egg whites that have been separated and set aside in advance have a chance to relax, which improves their elasticity during the whipping process. Elasticity is certainly beneficial when you’re trying to whip egg whites into a lofty volume. Some bakers skip this step, saying that it’s a waste of time but I’ll tell you this: most of my failed macaron batches did not include aged egg whites.
CREAM OF TARTAR: The acidity in cream of tartar helps the egg whites hold onto air and helps prevent the egg whites from collapsing. If you live in a humid area, you may want to add more cream of tartar.
GRANULATED SUGAR: In small additions, granulated sugar is beaten into the egg whites. If you can find superfine sugar, use that.
ALMOND FLOUR: Almond flour is the ONLY flour that works in this French macaron recipe. Almond flour is much finer than regular flour and made from blanched, skinless almonds.
POWDERED SUGAR: Powdered or confectioners’ sugar adds bulk and sweetness to macaron batter.
INGREDIENTS:
100 g egg whites room temperature 3 large eggs
140 g almond flour 1 1/2 cups
90 g granulated sugar just under 1/2 cup
130 g powdered sugar 1 cup
1 tsp vanilla 5mL
1/4 tsp cream of tartar 800mg
INSTRUCTIONS
Measure out almond flour and powdered sugar
Sift almond flour and powdered sugar together. Do this twice.
Separate egg whites. (Aging egg whites works best). Make sure whites are at room temperature.
Make meringue by whipping egg whites and incorporating granulated sugar.
Add cream of tartar to stabilize meringue.
Add dry ingredients to meringue 1/3 at a time.
Gently fold the dry ingredients into the meringue. This is called macronage.
Stop when batter falls like ribbons.
Transfer batter to a piping bag.
Pipe out on a non slip mat in equal mounds.
Tap tray to release air bubbles.
Let macarons rest for 30 minutes before baking
Set oven to 300 degrees.
Bake for 15 minutes. Rotate tray midway if neeeded.
Enjoy macarons.
Meringue cookies are light as air, beautifully sweet, and so easy to make! I love to flavor mine with a drop of good vanilla but almond, orange, strawberry are great choices too. And don’t forget about peppermint during the holidays! These cookies are so versatile.
They might not look like much, and they may not seem very exciting, but they are everything you want a delicate, marshmallow-like treat to be. Did I mention gluten free, fat free and light in calories? Yeah, they’re that too! Enjoy eating them by themselves, or use them as decorations on cakes or toppers on cupcakes.
These delicious treats typically have a sweet flavor and have a crisp outer surface, with either a light chewy or crisp textured interior. Add a few drops of gel food coloring and get ready for vibrant, decorative effects. The shape of meringue cookies are generally achieved by using piping tips in a piping bag, and once formed to the desired shape, they are baked in an oven on a low temperature.
Now, don’t be intimidated at the thought of making meringue cookies because of whipping the egg whites or the long bake time in the oven. They are actually so simple to make. Even a beginner can master these sweet little guys. I have lots of tips, tricks, and pictures to guide you every step of the way, to make sure you produce perfect meringue cookies.
PRINCESS TIPS AND TRICKS FOR MERINGUE COOKIES
• Crack each egg in a separate bowl when separating the whites. Even a tiny bit of yolk can ruin your meringues, so crack each egg in a small bowl before adding it to the bowl that you will be mixing the meringue batter in.
• Make sure that the bowl and beater that you are using to beat your meringue is completely grease and moisture free. Any moisture can ruin your meringues.
• Drizzle the sugar in VERY slowly while the mixer runs. You can add in a teaspoon at a time or just go for a slow cascade of sugar. Just give it a chance to dissolve before adding more. It makes a huge difference in the quality of your meringue.
• Don’t stop whipping until you get stiff peaks. The batter will take several minutes, at least, of beating to achieve stiff peaks, but keep going. It will increase in volume and be very thick and glossy — that’s what you’re looking for! See the video tutorial for a visual.
• You can test that the sugar is completely absorbed by taking a small bit of the batter and rubbing it between your fingers — if it’s not, it’ll feel gritty.
• Pipe your meringue as soon as it’s done. Meringue will lose consistency if it sits around for a while.
• Center rack is best for baking.
• Leave your meringue cookies on the cookie sheet in the oven for at least an hour and don’t keep opening the oven, they need a nice warm dry place to hang out after baking.
• Climate may affect your cookies. I live in South Florida where it’s incredibly humid all year round. So add extra cream of tartar and bake a little longer if humidity affects you.
• Don’t have cream of tartar? You can sub in 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice.
• If you’ve found that your meringues have gotten soft after you finished baking them, you can actually pop them back in the oven at 225F for another 10-20 minutes (watch them, if they begin to turn golden brown around the edges turn off the heat immediately) and then let them cool in the oven for another hour.
HOW LONG DO MERINGUE COOKIES LAST?
Your Meringue cookies will last up to two weeks at room temperature as long as they’re kept dry. Storing in a sealed container is best.
HOW DO YOU KNOW WHEN THEY ARE DONE?
You’ll be able to lift your meringue cookies off the paper easily. They will feel very light and will be completely dry. Remember to bake them at a very low temperature for a LONG time. This drys them out without browning the cookies.
WHY ARE MY MERINGUE COOKIES CHEWY?
Your meringues will be crisp once the oven has dried out all the moisture in the egg whites. If it was humid when you made them they will wick up more moisture and soften. Leave your meringues in the oven after they’re done baking for at least an hour to finish drying them out and if they become chewy after being left out you can bake them for about 10 minutes at 200F.
INGREDIENTS:
egg white 120g (about four large eggs)
sugar 132g
vanilla extract 5g
cream of tartar 5g (optional)
INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Set oven to 200F.
2. Separate the egg whites one at a time into a small bowl then transfer each white to the bowl of your stand mixer. You really don’t want to get any broken yolks in your bowl so separating them individually contains the damage if anything happens.
3. Add the cream of tartar to the mixing bowl when the egg whites become frothy or foamy. Mix on low and gradually increase the speed to high.
4. Once the egg whites have frothed up you can begin SLOWLY sprinkling in the sugar. When in doubt go slower instead of faster. This step makes a big difference in your final meringues so remember to take your time and add the sugar in gradually.
5. After the sugar has been added whip in your flavoring. If you want your meringues to be whiter than white you can add a clear extract.
6. Add only a small amount of coloring. A little goes a long way in coloring meringue.
7. Your meringue is done once it has a thick marshmallowy texture and can hold stiff peaks.
8. Hold the parchment paper down on the baking sheet by adding a small drop of meringue batter to the corners.
9. Use a pastry bag to pipe your meringues with space between each for airflow. Hold the piping bag straight up at 90 degrees. Squeeze the piping bag while it’s about 1/2 an inch from the paper, lift as you squeeze then stop squeezing but continue to lift the finish the meringue.
1. Bake at 200F on the center rack for about an hour then turn the oven off and keep the door closed for an additional 1-2 hours. . Leave the oven door closed and allow cookies to cool completely in the oven before removing.
If you were like me, you grew up wanting the corner piece of the birthday cake cause it was covered in the most frosting. I love frosting! To me it’s the best part of most desserts. Classic American buttercream is a sweet frosting and is what most people think of when they hear the word ‘frosting.’ It is sweet, creamy, stable in warm temperatures and develops a slight crust on the outside. It main characteristics are how light, fluffy, and sweet it is.
Bonus! It also is seriously the easiest recipe to make. It’s pretty much foolproof, even for beginners. 10 minutes. One bowl. Boom!
American buttercream is great for cakes (try my classic vanilla cake!), cupcakes, using it to make cake pop dough, piping flowers, and even in between macaron shells. This classic frosting can be flavored an unlimited number of ways. If you’re ever in a pinch, you can whip up a batch of this easy buttercream frosting in mere minutes.
To color American buttercream, I prefer to use gel food colors like Americolor and Chef Master because they are very bright and help you achieve vivid color with not a lot of food coloring.
The easiest way to flavor frosting is to add some extract or emulsions and call it a day. Vanilla, mint, lemon, maple, almond extract, if you like it, you can add to American buttercream to flavor it!
The amount of extract will change depending on what type of extract. For instance you can add much more vanilla extract without overpowering powering a frosting than you can mint. Start with a little. You can always add more but you can not take it away.
Create Instnat Buttercream Flavor Options
* Vanilla American Buttercream: Add in 2 tsp vanilla extract
* Chocolate American Buttercream: Add 1 cup of sifted unsweetened cocoa powder
* “Wedding Cake” American Buttercream: Add 1 tsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp almond extract
* Lemon American Buttercream: Add 3 TBSP lemon zest and ¼ cup lemon juice. Remove the milk and increase the confectioner’s sugar to 9 cups.
* Strawberry, Raspberry, or Blackberry American Buttercream: Fold in 1 cup of seedless preserves
Tips for the Princess’ American Buttercream Frosting Does the butter have to be room temperature?
Make sure to let your butter come to room temperature. You don’t want to microwave your butter because it will melt and not mix properly with the other ingredients. Just cut up your butter in little pads or cubes and let it come to room temp on its own. Do I have to sift the powdered’s sugar?
You don’t have to, but it really helps get the buttercream nice and fluffy if you do. Can I add more or less powdered sugar?
Totally! You can tailor the recipe to suit your needs and taste. Add more to make it thicker and add less for easy cake frosting. You do not need to change the amounts of the other ingredients. But note, if you do cut the sugar, the frosting will have less volume, be more buttery, and less stable for piping and sitting out. Can I use salted butter?
Sure! Some people find using salted butter to be too salty. With unsalted, you control the amount of salt you add. Sometimes I even use half salted and half unsalted butter and omitting the additional salt! Do I need to mix it for that long?
Mixing it for a long amount of time is what will help get it super light and airy.
How can I make my buttercream smooth?
After you are done making the buttercream, mix the buttercream on low speed with a paddle attachment for 5 to 10 minutes. You can also remove air bubbles by mixing the buttercream by hand with a spatula until it is silky smooth. Should I use a whisk or paddle attachment on my mixer?
That depends! Some bakers feel that using a paddle attachment creates a smoother buttercream. Some recommend using a whisk attachment to make the buttercream lighter. I say try both ways and see what works best for you. Your favorite might surprise you! Do I have to use a stand mixer?
You can absolutely use an electric hand mixer. I like to be able to multi-task while it’s mixing. Can I make American buttercream in advance or stored?
Of course! Buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 weeks or in the freezer for 3 months. Thaw if by bringing it back to room temperature and then rewhip. It will be good as new! My tip is to tightly wrap the buttercream in plastic wrap and then covered in an airtight container or freezer bag so the butter does not take on flavors from your fridge or freezer. Can American buttercream and frosted cakes sit out?
Yes, the frosting can sit out at room temperature. Same with frosted cakes and cupcakes, the frosted desserts can sit out rather than being refrigerated. Putting cake and cupcakes in the fridge can actually dry them out a bit, so keeping the frosted dessert at room temperature for up to a couple days is fine. (Technically, according to cake experts, frosted uncut cakes can stay out up to 4-5 days cut cakes 2-3) and they are stable due the amount of sugar in them. Just be mindful of any other ingredients in the desserts that might need to be refrigerated, such as filling a cake with pastry cream that would need to be stored in a fridge. And remember to make sure it’s being stored at a cool temperature so it doesn’t melt or get greasy in the heat.
INGREDIENTS:
1 lb (4 sticks) of unsalted butter (room temperature)
2 lbs of powdered sugar
3 tbsp of milk (you might not need all of it)
1 tbsp of extract (pick your favorite flavor
Salt as needed
INSTRUCTIONS
* Place butter in a stand-mixer with a paddle attachment and cream beat until smooth. Scrape bottom of bowl often.
* Sift the powdered sugar and salt
* Add the powdered sugar a little at a time on low until incorporated.
* Add vanilla extract and milk and mix on low until blended and smooth. Do not turn up the mixer or you will get air bubbles.
* Let it mix on low for 10 minutes so it’s perfectly smooth.
Today I’m sharing my favorite royal icing recipe with a kiss of citrus. Made with meringue powder and without egg whites, it’s perfect for decorating sugar cookies, making gingerbread houses, and making three-dimensional cake decorations. This creates decorated sugar cookies with a gorgeous matte finish and perfect texture. This royal icing recipe is essentially foolproof, can be made in advance, and includes a how-to video!
Now royal Icing isn’t exactly known for it’s flavor. Personally I think it’s because with only three real ingredients, most people forget to add any flavor to it! Many don’t even know that you can jazz up royal icing to taste amazing. By adding a dash of vanilla extract and bit of citrus juice, you can transform royal icing from dull to delicious.
And for you cookie decorators: This recipe can be easily thickened or thinned out to suit any type of cookie decorations you have planned. So you can use it to outline, flood and make details for your cookies. I’ve included tons of princess tips to help you make the perfect royal icing.
Meringue Powder in Royal Icing
There are many ways to make royal icing and my favorite method is with meringue powder. Meringue powder is a mix of cornstarch and dried egg whites combines with a stabilizer and takes the place of raw egg whites, which is found in traditional royal icing recipes. Both create a very sturdy and stable icing that hardens quickly on top of cookies. Meringue powder, while containing eggs, eliminates the need for raw fresh eggs, but still provides the EXACT same consistency. Now you may hear raw eggs and wonder if royal icing is safe to eat. Yes it is! By using meringue powder there is no worry about salmonella here!
Can I make citrus royal icing in advance? How do I store it?
My royal icing recipe can be made up to a week in advance. Place the icing in an airtight container and, before placing the lid on your container, place a piece of plastic wrap directly in contact with the surface of the icing. Because this recipe is made with meringue powder and not eggs it may be stored at room temperature for up to two weeks. Because of the citrus juice, the icing may need to be stirred again before using after sitting for a few days.
Can I Freeze Royal Icing?
Yes, royal icing can be frozen. Many royal icing recipes, including this one, yield a lot of icing. Any leftover royal icing can be frozen for up to 6 months. Place leftover royal icing into zipped-top freezer bags. If you have more than 1 color, each color should have its own bag. Before sealing, squeeze as much air out of the bag as possible. Freeze on a flat shelf surface in your freezer. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and bring to room temperature before using again. I always keep all of my leftover icing and often combine colors to make black icing.
Can I Freeze sugar cookies already topped with royal icing?
Yes you can! Sugar cookies decorated with royal icing freeze well up to 3 months. Wait for the icing to set completely before layering between sheets of parchment paper in a freezer-friendly container. To thaw, thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
How do I color this royal icing recipe?
Gel food colorings are recommended for their ability to get rich colors without affecting the texture of the icing. If you are doing highly decorative white designs, you may want to try white gel food coloring to ensure an opaque and bright white design. Natural food colorings are typically powder or water-based. They are fine to use, just be aware you made have to add extra water or sugar to your icing to adjust the consistency. Royal icing dries darker so be sure to color your frostings just slightly lighter than you want them to end up.
How do I change this royal icing consistency?
After mixing this recipe, the icing should be fairly thick. When making colors, place a small amount in a bowl and add your gel color. You will never be able to get the exact same shade so thin some out for your piping consistency, transfer to a piping bag, and then continue thinning for your flood consistency. The trick is to get 20, 15, and 10 second consistencies. By this, I mean run a knife through the icing and count the seconds for it to come back together. That’s how you judge your consistency.
How long does it take for royal icing to dry?
The dry time honestly depends on how thick your layer of icing is. You should allow your cookies to sit for at least several hours for them to dry completely, but to be safe I like to let mine sit overnight. And no, the cookies don’t get stale sitting out overnight! You can try to speed up the process by turning on a fan over the cookies.
Royal Icing Ingredients
Here’s what you need:
* Powdered Sugar. Often referred to as “confectioners sugar” or “icing sugar”, this will be the base of your icing (and the reason it’s nice and sweet!).
* Meringue Powder. This ingredient is non-negotiable, it’s critical for the firm finish of your royal icing.
* Cream of Tartar. This helps to stabilize the meringue and keep the sugar from crystallizing.
* Lemon. Amp up the flavor of your royal icing by adding a kiss of citrus to it. You can also add orange juice, grapefruit juice or pineapple juice to give it a hint of something fruity and sweet.
* Water. This is necessary to thin the icing to the proper consistency.
* Vanilla Extract. If you want your royal icing to remain pure white in color, use a clear vanilla extract. You can make the icing a different flavor by substituting or adding different extracts as well, just ensure that they do not contain oil, which can break down the meringue (just check the label).
Royal Icing Directions
1. First sift your powdered sugar.
2. Combine your sifted powdered sugar with meringue powder and cream of tartar. Then whisk together until combined.
3. Add in lemon juice and vanilla extract. Then add water.
4. With all of your dry ingredients in the bowl, place on the stand mixer. Then beat until you achieve stiff peaks. You can add more water to thin out to a smoother consistency or add gel food coloring to tint the entire batch.
5. This stiff icing will be your outlining icing. If you need to color your frosting into multiple colors, divide your frosting into bowls now and color as desired.
6. Once you have colored your icings, divide into two bowls. One will be your outlining icing, the second will be your flooding icing. Add water to this icing one teaspoon at a time until you achieve a consistency where the icing that drizzles off of your spoon holds its shape briefly (several seconds) before melting back into the rest of the icing in the bowl.
Now you know how to make my delicious citrus kiss royal icing frosting. Here’s a video on how to make my classic vanilla sugar cookies!
Confession: This princess started making cake with box mix. I know, I know. We all turn our noses down on box mix, and usually our forks too. The reason was I hadn’t found a recipe that could compete with it, meaning it was easy, with few ingredients I always had on hand, came our correctly with little effort, and of course, tasted amazing.
Then I found this recipe.
After testing multiple recipes I found on in the internet, my Pinterest feed, even ones from friends, this classic vanilla cake recipe became the winner and I’m so excited to share it with you.
It’s hard to go wrong with a classic vanilla cake recipe because it’s good for every celebration. Whether a birthday party, wedding, graduation, baby shower, vanilla cake works in every situation. To me the best vanilla cake has a buttery taste, a perfectly even crumb that holds on its own and melts in your mouth with each bite.
This vanilla cake recipe is full of flavor and has a tender, moist crumb. This recipe gives you a cake that’s light, fluffy and is so easy to make you will finally forget that box mix.
The Right Ingredients
Like all recipes, you are going to want to use the right ingredients for this mouth watering cake. I’ve tested this cake with both cake flour and all-purpose flour. While both work great, I prefer to use a 50/50 combination of both. If you are worried that you will overmix your cake, use more cake flour as it’s more forgiving because it contains less protein.
I use both butter and oil in this recipe, however instead of creaming the butter and sugar, I cream the butter with the dry ingredients. The oil keeps it from drying out.
Why Kosher Salt?
When in doubt, use kosher salt! Kosher salt is generally considered purer in flavor than table salt because it doesn’t contain iodine or other metallic additives. Because kosher salt has an uneven texture, it makes it easier to visually see and measure how much salt has been added to a dish.
Store and Freeze This Cake
If you want to bake the cake in advance, bake and cool it as directed. Then, turn the cooled cake out and wrap it well in a double layer of plastic wrap, and freeze for up to two weeks. Defrost the frosting on the counter at room temperature and beat vigorously with a mixer to fluff it up again.
Also Makes Cupcakes!
Do I use this recipe for cupcakes? Absolutely! When you have a recipe this good you use it for cupcakes too. You should be able to make 24-36 with this recipe depending upon the size of your muffin tins. Start checking to see if they are ready after 15 minutes of baking. When a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean they’re done baking.
What Size Bake Pans
Sure, you can make this in a 9×13-inch pan or two 9-inch rounds. But the recipe works great for a cupcakes or even a Bundt cake. For cupcakes, bake for 15 to 18 minutes. For a Bundt cake, bake for 45 to 55 minutes. You should be able to get 24 cupcakes from this recipe.
Helpful Princess Tips
1. Make sure your baking soda and powder are fresh. Over time they lose their leaving it power. Baking soda helps give the cake a little rise, neutralize the acids, and make the cake tender.
2. Spoon the flour into the cup and level it off with the back of a knife—don’t pack it in. Alternatively, measure the flour using a kitchen scale for the most accurate measurement.
3. To make your cake even more moist, sub the milk with buttermilk.
4. Be sure to use a light touch and not overmix the batter. It could cause your cake to come out dense of gluey.
5. You can substitute Kosher salt for regular salt.
Homemade Vanilla Cake
PREP TIME 15 mins
COOK TIME 30 mins
TOTAL TIME 45 mins
SERVINGS 12 servings
Ingredients
2 1/4 cups (288g) cake flour, or all-purpose
1 1/2 cups (300g) sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 cup (57g) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup whole milk
1/4 cup oil, such as canola vegetable
3 large eggs
1 1/2 tablespoons (4 1/2 teaspoons) vanilla extract
Directions: Preheat the oven and prepare the pan:
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Butter or spray a your pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. If you plan to turn the cake out instead of serving it from the pan, lining it with parchment will ensure the cake releases from the pan easily.
Combine the dry ingredients:
In a large mixing bowl. whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and kosher salt.
Cream the butter with the dry ingredients:
Mix the softened butter into the dry mixture with a hand mixer on low speed until the butter is completely combined and the mixture has a sandy texture.
Combine the wet ingredients:
In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the milk, oil, eggs, and vanilla until the ingredients are thoroughly combined and homogeneous.
Add the wet into the dry ingredients:
Pour the wet ingredients into the flour and butter mixture and beat with the hand mixer until just a few streaks of flour remain. Finish mixing the batter with a silicone spatula.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
Bake and cool:
Bake the cake for 25 to 30 minutes until the top of the cake springs back to the touch and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Remove from the oven and cool completely on a rack before turning out and/or frosting and decorating.
What Size Cake Pan to Use?
This cake is baked in a 9×13-inch rectangular cake pan, which is a great size for potlucks and parties. It can also be baked as two 9-inch rounds for a layered cake. The round layers can potentially bake more quickly. So be sure to check them after about 22 minutes in the oven.
![The Princess Baker gives you a recipe to make your own marshmallows and shape them into mermaids using a silicone mold for your under the sea baby shower or birthday party”
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[su_spacer size=](https://www.theprincessbaker.com/images/how-to-make-mermaid-marshmallows-with-silicone-mold/how-to-make-mermaid-marshmallows-with-silicone-mold-the-princess-baker-any-size-and-shape.jpg "How to Make Mermaid Shaped Marshmallows Using a Silicone Mold")
