An Edible Mosaic™

Everyday Fare With Extraordinary Flair

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Home » All Through the Year Cheer

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

June 13, 2010 by Faith 53 Comments

Independence Day (July 4th) is almost upon us, and along with it comes a host of outdoor picnics and parties.  My family celebrates this day with a casual feast – fresh, local fruits and veggies, potato and pasta salads, and grilled meats.  And always strawberry shortcake for dessert.  I’m not a huge fan of strawberry shortcake in general (shocking, I know :) ), mostly because I don’t like how soggy the shortcake gets once the strawberries are scooped on top.  These cute little cupcakes completely eliminate the soggy shortcake problem.  And better yet, they can be made in advance.

I’ve noticed that buttercream is a particularly opinionated topic for many people.  A lot of times to make a quick buttercream (also called a “Simple Buttercream” or “American Buttercream”), I beat together butter and powdered sugar with a little milk and add vanilla or some other extract for flavor.  This Simple Buttercream is fairly thick and holds up very nicely.  It’s tasty enough (although usually very sweet) for a quick frosting; however, many people say that a true buttercream must contain eggs. 

For these cupcakes I wanted something special, so I decided to make a Swiss buttercream.  There are several different types of buttercream (such as Italian, French, and Swiss) that differ in the way they are prepared.  To make Swiss buttercream, egg whites and sugar are heated over a double boiler to dissolve the sugar and pasteurize the egg.  Then the egg white/sugar mixture is whipped until thick and glossy and butter is whipped in to stabilize the cream.  The end result is a smooth, light, and creamy frosting that is not overly sweet.*

Brandy and I announced our Fourth of July event on All Through the Year Cheer!  To participate all you have to do is make a recipe that represents this holiday to you; remember, there is a fantastic prize for the winner.  See here for info on how to enter (you don’t need to have a blog to be able to enter!). 

To Make Ahead:  Buttercream:  You can make the buttercream up to 5 days ahead and store it in the fridge in an airtight container.  To use it, bring frosting to room temperature, then stir it until smooth.  Pipe it onto the cupcakes as normal.  Cupcakes:  You can make them up to 3 days ahead and store them at room temperature in an airtight container.  Frost the cupcakes the same day you’re going to be serving them.

Strawberry Shortcake Cupcakes

(Yield:  20 cupcakes)

Strawberry Jelly Filling (Makes a little over 1 c):

2 c (about 10 oz) sliced strawberries

1/4 c water

3 TB sugar

2 tsp cornstarch mixed with 1 TB cold water

Yellow Cupcakes:

1 1/2 c white sugar

3/4 c canola oil

3 eggs

3/4 c milk

2 tsp vanilla bean paste or pure vanilla extract

2 c all-purpose flour

2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

Swiss Buttercream (Makes about 3 c):

3 large egg whites

1 c sugar

Pinch salt

3 sticks unsalted butter, at room temperature, cut into pieces

1 tsp pure vanilla or almond extract

Additional:

Strawberries (optional, for garnish)

Edible pearl dust (optional, for garnish)

Cupcake liners

Cupcake baking pan

For the filling:  In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the berries, water, and sugar (uncovered) for about 10 minutes or until the berries are softened, stirring occasionally.  Add the cornstarch slurry and cook another minute, stirring constantly (the mixture will thicken).  Cool to room temperature, then chill in the fridge while you make the cupcakes (the jelly filling will thicken more as it cools). 

For the cupcakes:  Preheat the oven to 350F; line the cupcake baking pan with cupcake liners.  Beat together the sugar and oil, then cream in the eggs until light and fluffy, and then stir in the milk and vanilla.  In a separate bowl mix together the flour, baking powder, and salt.  Gradually beat the dry ingredients into the wet; stir until just combined, making sure not to over-mix.  Fill each cupcake liner about half full of batter.  Add a scant tablespoon of jelly filling to each, then add more batter to cover the jelly.  Bake for 20-22 minutes, or until light golden around the edges and a toothpick inserted into a cupcake comes out clean.  Cool for 5-10 minutes in the cupcake baking pan and then remove to a wire rack to finish cooling.  Cool completely before icing.

For the buttercream:  In a double boiler, whisk together the egg whites and sugar.  Heat until the sugar is dissolved and the mixture is warm (about 140F), whisking frequently (about 3-5 minutes).  Transfer the egg white/sugar mixture to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment.  Add the salt and beat on high speed until the mixture is thick and glossy (about 5-7 minutes).  Gradually add the butter piece by piece while beating, then beat in the extract; stop beating when the buttercream is thick and smooth.

Once the cupcakes are cooled, pipe the buttercream on top.  If desired, decorate the tops with a strawberry and a sprinkle of pearl dust.

*For more information on buttercream, see Wikipedia. 

Thick & Glossy Meringue

Finished Buttercream

Valentine’s Day Menu: Blush Pasta & Individual Beef Roulades

February 5, 2010 by Faith 16 Comments

Here’s the next part of our Valentine’s Day meal, the blush pasta and individual beef roulades.  (For the full recipe, see my post here.)  To finish off our Valentine’s menu, soon I’ll posting my recipe for dark chocolate mousse!  :)...

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Eggnog

December 15, 2009 by Faith 31 Comments

To me, nothing is more festive than eggnog.  Snow falling, carols playing, and a glass of chilled eggnog is all it takes to put me in a festive holiday mood.  I know you can buy eggnog at the store without all the work of making it yourself…but I promise that the store-bought stuff can’t hold a candle to the flavor of homemade eggnog!  If you want to share, I’d love you hear some of your favorite holiday foods or drinks! If you like the flavor of eggnog, but find it too rich to drink on its own, here are a few other uses for it: […]...

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Salted Pretzel Toffee

December 13, 2009 by Faith 30 Comments

If you’re going to do something wrong, make sure to do it right…you know what I mean…like if you’re going to “take a break” on your diet, do it with triple chocolate cheesecake instead of a Hershey’s bar.  Or if you’re going to skip work for the day, go to the beach or shopping instead of cleaning the house.  Or if you’re going to buy (another!) pair of shoes, why not make them Manolos instead of Payless?  (You’d be surprised at the deals you can find on eBay! ;) )  If you’re going to indulge during the holidays, why not indulge in salted pretzel toffee? […]...

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All Through the Year Cheer Prize Announcement & Recipe for Salmon Sliders on Bagels

December 8, 2009 by Faith 21 Comments

If you want to participate in this month’s All Through the Year Cheer event, remember that your recipe can be for anything that says Christmas to you!  You can submit as many recipes as you want, and there will be a prize for the winner…     (Photo from Cooking Light)  The prize is a one year subscription to Cooking Light magazine!   Onto the sliders!  Who doesn’t love a good bagel?  Yeasty, slightly sweet, slightly salty…crisp and golden on the outside, chewy and dense – but not too dense – on the inside.  If you’ve ever had lox (which is cured salmon) with cream […]...

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Baked Apples 2 Ways

November 3, 2009 by Faith 20 Comments

As you may know, apples are closely related to roses (I only found this out recently, and I thought it was so interesting!).  This might seem strange, but bake an apple and it won’t seem so odd.  Baked apples have a distinctive sweet, floral aroma just like roses.  You’re probably thinking that this scent would make a lovely perfume, right?  This is exactly why I love the DKNY Be Delicious fragrance collection!  As edible (or food-based, I should say) scents go, this is the only one I like to wear…but vanilla is my favorite candle scent!  It makes the house smell like fresh baked cookies. […]...

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All Through the Year Cheer Announcements & Recipe For Roasted Eggplant & Garbanzo Bean Stew Over Polenta

November 1, 2009 by Faith 19 Comments

Brandy and I are pleased to announce that we made a blog site specifically for All Through the Year Cheer!  Head on over to All Through the Year Cheer later today because Brandy’s announcing our Thanksgiving event!   You’ve probably noticed the new All Through the Year Cheer button on my right sidebar, which is linked directly to the new blog.  If you want, you can grab our new button…just go to All Through the Year Cheer, click on the tab at the top called “Grab Our Button,” and it will tell you exactly what to do.   Now for the eggplant stew!  Eggplant happens […]...

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All Through the Year Cheer Halloween Recipe Submissions & Recipe For Spiced Pumpkin & Dark Chocolate Truffles

October 28, 2009 by Faith 35 Comments

Brandy and I are very excited…it’s time to submit your Halloween recipes for All Through the Year Cheer!  Your recipe can be for anything that says Halloween to you.  You can either enter the link to your recipe in the MckLinky list below, or email your recipe to me at [email protected] (deadline to enter is 9PM EST on Oct. 29).  On October 30, I’ll post a round-up and announce the winner, who will receive a prize (the prize was announced here).  Brandy and I can’t wait to see what all of you came up with for Halloween!   And speaking of Halloween, I couldn’t let […]...

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All Through the Year Cheer Announcements & Recipe For Homemade Apple Butter

October 15, 2009 by Faith 15 Comments

We have a couple of exciting All Through the Year Cheer announcements!   Over to the right, you might have noticed a banner for this event (we will change the look of the banner seasonally).  Feel free to grab it and add it to your blog if you want!    On Oct. 28 I’ll be posting a MckLinky list asking for your Halloween recipe submissions (the Mcklinky list will close on Oct. 29 due to spammers).  With the MckLinky list, all you’ll have to do is enter your blog link to your holiday recipe.  Of course, if you don’t have a blog or don’t want to […]...

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Pumpkin Yogurt Pound Cake 2 Ways

October 1, 2009 by Faith 19 Comments

  The first holiday Brandy and I are celebrating for our All Through the Year Cheer Event is Halloween!  To Brandy and I, Halloween says apples and pumpkins, so this month we’ll feature several recipes with those ingredients.  (For some reason, Halloween always puts me in the mood to watch the first Harry Potter movie…I think because of the scene where they show the dining hall of Hogwarts all decked out with pumpkins!)  The first recipe I’m featuring is a Pumpkin Yogurt Pound Cake.  This recipe is actually a 2-for-1, since I used the same batter to make two completely different cakes.  The first cake […]...

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Hello and welcome to An Edible Mosaic! This is my recipe collection of international favorites and updated American classics with an emphasis on seasonal dishes. Here you’ll find a focus on real foods that sustain body and mind, bring people together, and make a house a home.

 

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meet faith

I’m Faith Gorsky, the writer, cook, and photographer behind An Edible Mosaic. My goal is to inspire you to get in the kitchen and try something new! Feel free to email me with questions or comments.

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affiliate disclosure

An Edible Mosaic is monetized in part though affiliate links, and as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. This means that if you click on an affiliate link and/or purchase an item after clicking on an affiliate link, I may receive a percentage of the sales price. I only recommend products that I love and use. To learn more, please read my Privacy Policy.

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