If you have been to a well-stocked dessert place, cafe, or bakery, chances are you’ve already seen or tried a meringue. Meringue has many forms and roles in pastry. Meringue is a kind of frosting like no other and is widely used in pastries, specifically cupcakes. In this article, we will talk about how to make meringue frosting for cupcakes that will leave you speechless with every bite.
Meringue has a smooth and sweet texture that works well with any cupcake recipe. You might think it comes from marshmallows because of its white and glossy nature. But actually, it’s a sweet foam created primarily from egg whites.
In this article, we will talk about two famous meringue recipes that can cater to any cupcake. We will discuss how to whip up Italian Meringue, and Swiss Meringue. I’m almost certain these two types of Meringue will leave your mouth watering just reading about it, so let’s get started.
Italian Meringue
Many bakers express that Italian Meringue is the most stable type of Meringue because caramelized sugar cooks the egg whites without the need of putting it in the oven. The mixing of egg-whites and sugar in a pan under medium heat gives out a soft and glossy texture, almost resembling melted marshmallows. It is the most common meringue frosting in cupcakes, pastries, and desserts.
The rule of thumb when knowing how to make meringue frosting for cupcakes with the Italian meringue recipe is always: double the amount of sugar to egg white. If you want to make a larger batch for the Italian Meringue, than all you have to do is scale-up accordingly with the eggs and sugar.
Ingredients:
- Two eggs
- 25 ml of water
- 100 grams of sugar
Note: This is one serving, scale up accordingly if you want to make a bigger batch.
Steps and directions:
- Break both eggs into a bowl and separate the yolk from the egg whites. Two eggs will provide you more or less 50 grams of egg whites.
- Mix the sugar and water into a small saucepan over medium heat. Having a thermometer inside the pan is very useful, especially when you’re doing this for the first time.
- Now going back to the egg whites, whisk them slowly in a stand mixer or with a hand-held electric whisk until you start to see a little bit of foam.
- When the water and sugar mix reaches a temperature of 121 degrees Celsius, turn the fire off and slowly pour in the egg whites. Don’t stop the whisking as you pour the egg whites into the mix.
- Turn the hand whisk to full at this point and whisk away until the mixture cools down to room temperature. Watch for a glossy finish, and you ready to add the frost to your cupcakes.
- And that is how to make meringue frosting using Italian Meringue. Now you’re ready to put them on your freshly baked cupcakes. You can even add sprinkles and chocolates. I find it best to add a zesty twist like lemon or orange zest, my perfect afternoon treat.
Swiss Meringue
I also love swiss Meringue because it has a very versatile texture, and you can use it in a lot of ways. It can be frost to cupcakes, and you can bake then for a crispy treat, you can even whip them with soft butter for a silky buttercream frost. Knowing how to make meringue frosting for cupcakes using the Swiss Meringue is almost like playing cupid; it tastes a lot like love.
Swiss Meringue also really holds its form. It is perfect for when you want a frosting that whips out like a cloud and wants to touch the sky. Swiss meringue pipes very well. Here is what you need to prepare.
Ingredients:
- Two eggs
- 100 grams of sugar
NOTE: Know the double boiler method.
Steps and directions:
- Crack both eggs open into a bowl, separating the yolk from the egg white. Two eggs are equivalent to around 50 grams of egg white.
- Whisk together the sugar with the egg white. You can use any coarse of sugar, but white sugar works best for this recipe.
- After you’ve thoroughly mixed the sugar and the egg whites, you can now heat the mixture over a double boiler. You can add a thermometer into your bowl so that you can gauge the temperature.
- Sit your bowl over the double boiler and continue whisking it slowly by hand. It should take about 5-7 minutes of constant whisking before we get to the right temperature.
- When the mixture heats up to around 160 degrees Fahrenheit, you can turn the flame off. Using a hand-mixer, go to maximum speed and whip it out until you begin to create foam.
- Don’t stop mixing until you see a glossy texture. You will notice that this Meringue is a lot thicker.
That is how to make meringue frosting for cupcakes using the Swiss meringue recipe. You can now dress this over your freshly baked cupcakes. The Swiss Meringue holds its form better because there’s no water added to it. The Swiss Meringue is ideal in creating frost that stands up and holds its shape. It’s a lot stickier than the previous recipe but takes more time to prepare. I would recommend using a piping bag when adding frost to your cupcakes with the Swiss Meringue. The piping bag helps in giving out perfect swirls and some decorative designs to your frosting.
Conclusion
Now that we have gone through my take on how to make meringue frosting for cupcakes with the Italian and Swiss recipes, you can confidently make some for your future baking projects. You can apply this not only to cupcakes but also to muffins, cakes, and your favorite pies. Just remember to be cautious and avoid burning yourself in the kitchen. Know more about frostings.