INGREDIENTS:
For cupcakes:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup unsalted butter melted
1 cup sugar
3 eggs
1 vanilla bean scraped
3/4 cup buttermilk
For red wine berries:
1 cup Henry Estate Pinot Noir
7 ounces granulated sugar
1 1/2 cups mixed berries fresh or frozen
Buttercream:
2 cups sugar (375g), divided
2/3 cup water (150g)
5 large egg whites (150g)
pinch salt, optional
pinch cream of tartar, optional
2 cups butter, cubed (4 sticks or 1 pound), cool but not cold
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS:
Baking the cupcakes:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line 2 standard cupcake pans with 18 liners, spraying them lightly with cooking spray; set aside.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, combine melted butter and sugar. Mix together on medium speed for 2 minutes until thickened. Add eggs one at a time, mixing until blended between each one. Add vanilla and blend well.
- Add the buttermilk and flour mixture in alternate additions, beginning and ending with flour. Mix until just combined – don’t overmix.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking at the 18-minute mark for doneness. They should be a nice golden color and leave nothing on a clean inserted toothpick.
- Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.
Making the berry sauce:
- Combine ingredients in a medium saucepan set over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 15 minutes until slightly reduced.
- Strain the berries using a fine mesh sieve, reserving both the liquid and berries. Place the berries in a separate bowl and add back 2-3 Tablespoons of the liquid, stirring to combine. Cool to room temperature.
Preparing the buttercream:
- You want to make sure that you have everything measured out and ready to go. This recipe is simple but it does require seamless execution. You also want to make sure that your mixing bowl is clean and free of any residual fat, or your meringue will not whip up and there will be sadness abound.
- Mix half of the sugar with the water in a medium saucepan over medium heat, stir just until the sugar dissolves. When the pan heats up, brush around the sides of the pot with a clean pastry brush dipped in water to dissolve any sugar crystals adhered to the sides of the pot. You can also use a paper towel that you roll up (I did because I forgot my brush at school.)
- When your sugar starts to bubble begin whipping your egg whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. You can add a pinch of salt and/or cream of tartar for stability if you wish. I only used salt in the photos you see. When your eggs begin to look frothy, slowly begin adding the second half of the sugar, whipping constantly on medium-high.
- Continue whipping your egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Ideally your meringue should reach stiff peaks at the same time that your sugar syrup reaches 235˚F. If your egg whites are whipping too fast, reduce the mixer speed to medium. You can also adjust the heat on the sugar syrup to make it cook faster or slower.
- To test your syrup you can either use a candy thermometer or you can do it the old-fashioned way, which is what I did here. Take a tiny bit of the syrup on a spoon and dip it into ice water, reach in and grab the sugar. If it dissolves, it isn’t close to ready; if it forms a little malleable ball, it’s ready!!
- Turn your mixer up to high and SLOWLY pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl. Be very careful not to hit the whisk. Ideally you should pour it in one solid stream down the edge because it will solidify where it hits the bowl, so if you pour it in three different places, you will be losing sugar. Sadness.
- Keep whipping the Italian meringue on high until it forms stiff, but what is more important than the stiffness of the meringue is the temperature of the meringue. Before you begin adding the butter, the bottom of the bowl should feel barely warm.
- When the bowl feels just slightly warm, switch to the paddle attachment and begin adding your butter a piece at a time. I take my butter out of the fridge when I begin measuring my ingredients. Before adding each piece squeeze the butter.
- Continue to beat the butter in on medium-high until the buttercream is smooth and there are no remaining pieces of butter. At this stage I switch back to the whisk, add my flavorings and beat it until it is light and fluffy.
The final assembly:
- When ready to decorate, use a cupcake corer or small knife to hollow out the middle of each cupcake. Fill each cupcake with 1-2 Tablespoons berry filling.
- Stripe a piping bag with thin stripes of remaining berry filling, then spoon in Italian Meringue Buttercream. Top each cupcake with icing.
- Garnish with fresh berries rolled in sugar, and drizzle some Red Wine Berry Sauce (the reserved liquid) on top. Enjoy!