My fav Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Tweet

So it's been a while since I've been here. Hey I've been at this blogging thing for 7 years so I guess I was due a sabbatical. I hadn't planned to be gone so long from blogging but my cake business has been keeping me so busy that something had to give. After a long day of baking and decorating,the last things my tired fingers have felt like doing is typing!
Anyway enough excuses, I'm back to share a great recipe for Swiss meringue buttercream (aka SMB) I found recently. I've tired numerous SMB recipes and this one is by far the best tasting and easiest to work SMB that I've ever made. It's so light and airy it almost has the texture of a whipped cream frosting. This recipe is also great for those of us that live in high humidity areas because it's more stable than many SMB recipes I've tried in the past.

I also love how smooth I could get this icing without much effort!

This recipe comes from Gretchen Price at Woodland Bakery. She calls this recipe The Worlds Best Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and I think I agree! She has a step-by step video here to guide you through the process of making the SMB. Gretchen is very entertaining to watch and makes the whole process of making SMB a lot less intimidating. If you've never tried making SMB before I highly recommend watching the video and giving it a try. Click one of the links above for the complete recipe and video for the World's Best Swiss Meringue Buttercream!

Sugared Cranberries

Tweet

I made these lovely little gems for the first time as a topping for my pumpkin cranberry cupcakes. I liked them so much I also decorated my All-in-One Holiday Bundt Cake with them as well. At first I was really just looking for a festive decoration. After making these however,I found that not only are they a glittery and beautiful decoration for desserts but they're an excellent little snack as well. The cranberries are soaked overnight in simple syrup then rolled in superfine sugar. They are sweet and tart and pop in your mouth when you bite them. The cranberries hold quite well for several days in an airtight container. Put these gorgeous little gems into pretty containers and give them as gifts along with your other Christmas goodies.

Ingredients
2 cups granulated sugar
2 cups water
2 cups fresh cranberries
3/4 cup superfine sugar
Preparation

Combine granulated sugar and water in a small saucepan over low heat, stirring mixture until sugar dissolves. Bring to a simmer; remove from heat. (Do not boil or the cranberries may pop when added.) Stir in cranberries; pour mixture into a bowl. Cover and refrigerate 8 hours or overnight.

Drain cranberries, reserving steeping liquid, if desired. Place superfine sugar in a shallow dish. Add the cranberries, rolling to coat with sugar. Spread sugared cranberries in a single layer on a baking sheet; let stand at room temperature 1 hour or until dry. Store in an airtight container in a cool place for up to a week.
Use the reserved steeping liquid as a mixer in your holiday cocktails!