Saturday
Nov072009
When good cakes go BAD
Saturday, November 7, 2009 at 9:45AM 
Whatever your skill level things do occasionally go wrong...
I'm a glass half full type of person, but the glass was overflowing and no amount of "optimism" was going to save the Toffee Apple Tower cupcakes.
This was a "bad everything day", but do you like the way I kept on trying to put the tower together with toffee that was to thick, to dark & to tall. I just kept on going with a "maybe it will look okay" type thing going on in my head. Looks ominous doesn't it? NOT the pretty delicate look I was aiming for.
I could have used this cake as a weapon, stake a vampire perhaps?
Reader Comments (5)
Are you kidding???? It looks perfect to me - I can't tell you how often I have layed awake in bed trying to visualise this very cupcake and will myself into giving it a go. You've done it for me, albiet I can't taste it :0( , but WOW is all I can say and I am again very jealous of the person who got to eat it!!! What buttercream do you use by the way?
Lol, you make me laugh :-) I'm presuming you have the book... so I used the matching maple frosting in the Women's Weekly cupcake book for this cake.
My favourite buttercream is Martha Stewart's Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I like that's it's easy to work with to produce great piping, but it also takes flavours/colours/add in's extremely well, allowing it to be adapted to what you are baking and I do love 'Martha'!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
Makes about 9 cups, enough for about 28 cupcakes
2 1/2 cups sugar
10 large egg whites
4 cups (8 sticks or 2 pounds or 900g) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Directions
Place sugar and egg whites in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of gently simmering water, and whisk until sugar has dissolved and egg whites are hot to the touch, about 3 minutes. Test by rubbing the mixture between your fingers; it should feel completely smooth.
Transfer bowl to mixer stand. Using the whisk attachment, beat on high speed until mixture has cooled completely and formed stiff and glossy peaks, about 10 minutes.
Add the butter, one piece at a time, and beat until incorporated after each addition. Don't worry if the buttercream appears curdled after all the butter has been added; it will become smooth again with continued beating. Add vanilla, and beat just until combined.
Switch to the paddle attachment, and beat on the lowest speed to eliminate any air pockets, about 5 minutes. If using buttercream within several hours, cover bowl with plastic wrap, and set aside at room temperature in a cool environment. Or transfer to an airtight container, and store in the refrigerator, up to 3 days. Before using, bring buttercream to room temperature, and beat on the lowest speed with the paddle attachment until smooth, about 5 minutes.
© by Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia, Inc. All rights reserved.
Thanks for the recipe!!!
omg. this is phenomenal, how tall is it?
I agree! It's AWESOME!! I can see these at an Asian or African themed event. How gorgeous they would be as well, at Christmas with white twinkle lights in the background. You're amazing!