I♥cuppycakes!

Practically Perfect Party [Cup]Cake in every way

Most of my friends know that if they invite me to any party that requires food, I’ll be in charge of dessert. They know me so well that they don’t even bother asking me what I’ll be bringing b/c 99.9% of the time it’s gonna be cupcakes. But I thought I’d do something a little different this time…

What’s better than a cupcake?

A GIANT CUPCAKE!

My Hubs bought me the Wilton Giant Cupcake pan a couple months ago from Tarjay but I haven’t had a chance to use it. So I decided that since my baking group, Tuesdays with Dorie, was scheduled to make Dorie Greenspan’s Perfect Party Cake, it would be the “perfect” recipe to christen my pan.

Since the pan didn’t come with instructions (at least mine didn’t *shrugs*) I kinda just winged it. Probably not a good idea if you are baking this for an important event like a friend’s bbq but I’m a daredevil like that so I jumped in head first. Literally! I got cake batter on my face and hair. Advice? Make sure you remember to flip the correct switch on your KA mixer. Left is mix. Right is lock. Not the other way around. Bright side? The cake batter was yummy. Hey! Don’t judge me. How else was I suppose to clean it up? HA!

Perfect Party [Cup]Cake
Recipe adapted from Baking: From My Home To Yours, Dorie Greenspan

INGREDIENTS

For cake
2-1/4 cups cake flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/4 cups whole milk or buttermilk (I used buttermilk per Dorie’s suggestion)
4 large egg whites
1-1/2 cups sugar
2 tsp grated lemon zest (It was about 1 large lemon for me)
1 stick (8 tablespoons or 4 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/2 tsp pure lemon extract

For meringue buttercream
1 cup sugar
4 large egg whites
3 sticks (12 ounces) unsalted butter, at room temperature
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice (It was about 2 small lemons for me)
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

seedless raspberry preserves, to taste (I used strawberry preserves)
sweetened shredded coconut, to taste

gel food coloring, amt as desired (I used about 4-5 drops of Ateco fuschia)
white dragees, garnish

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Generously spray PAM in giant cupcake pan. Put the pan on a baking sheet.

To make cake—
Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Combine buttermilk and egg whites in a bowl and set aside. (I think using a large Pyrex measuring cup is much easier to pour later.)

Whisk together the sugar and lemon zest in a mixer bowl and rub them together with your fingers until the sugar is moist and fragrant.

Working with a flat beat or a hand mixer, add butter and beat at medium speed for a full 3 minutes, until the butter and sugar are very light. Beat in the extract, then add one third of the flour mixture. Gradually add flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with milk+egg white mixture in 2 additions, ending with the flour mixture. Give the batter a good 2- minute beating to ensure that it is thoroughly mixed and well aerated.

Fill the “bottom” part about 2/3 full and bake for 15 minutes, then filled the “top” about 2/3 full and bake both batters for another 30 minutes. (I read various reviews that recommended doing it this way to prevent over baking the “top” part.)

To make buttercream—
Put the sugar and egg whites in a mixer bowl or another large heatproof bowl, fit the bowl over a plan of simmering water and whisk constantly, keeping the mixture over the heat, until it feels hot to the touch, about 3 minutes.

Remove the bowl from the heat. Working with the whisk attachment or with a hand mixer, beat the meringue on medium speed until it is cool, about 5 minutes.

Switch to the paddle attachment if you have one (I just used my whisk and it worked great!), and add the butter a stick at a time, beating until smooth. Once all the butter is in, beat in the buttercream on medium-high speed until it is thick and very smooth, 6-10 minutes. During this time the buttercream may curdle or separate. Don’t worry! Just keep beating and beating until it becomes smooth and silky. Gradually beat in the lemon juice, waiting until each addition is absorbed before adding more, and then the vanilla extract.

To assemble cupcake—
Use serrated knife and cut off tops of “bottom” and “top” of cupcake so they are level. Cut the “bottom” into 4 pieces.

Using a Wilton 12A round tip, pipe a barrier and fill with strawberry preserves. Then top with a layer of buttercream. Repeat for other 3 layers. Using an offset spatula create a crumb coat.

Let crumb coat set and then apply a second layer. Immediately after the second layer pressed coconut all over the sides. Then gently put the “top” on the “bottom”. Use gel coloring to tint the rest of the buttercream pink. Using an offset spatula apply a thin coat of buttercream to the “top”. Using a Wilton 1M piping tip, pipe rosettes following the natural curve of the “top”.

(For a little bling I added white dragees at random and topped with a strawberry.)

ENJOY!

Husband rating: A+
He’s a red velvet man but I’d say that the Perfect Party Cake is a close second. He loves the meringue buttercream (but not as much as cream cheese frosting).

Wifey rating: A+
It’s not “perfect” for nothing. Love this cake. So moist and yummy esp with the preserves. I’m a big SMBC lover too! I wish I could have taken a picture of the layers but I have a feeling my friends wouldn’t appreciate a chunk of cake missing. HA HA

Other rating: A+
I made this cake for a bbq. Friends raved about the cupcake cuteness factor and loved the flavors of the cake. Definitely a hit. I wish I could have gotten a picture of my godson’s face when he saw the “Giant Cupcake”. Priceless.