Hedgehog Cupcakes
By: Anonymous
Published: Thursday, December 10, 2009 - 10:33pm

Ingredients




3 cups cake flour (not self-rising) sifted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
2 cups sugar
5 lrg eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk
Nut-brown liquid paste color
Jet-black liquid paste color
Pastel sprinkles
5 lrg egg whites
1 1/4 cups sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unsalted butter room temperature

Preparation

1 Adjust oven rack to center of oven. Heat to 325 degrees. Line muffin pans with baking cups; set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; set aside. 2 In the bowl of a heavy-duty electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, 3 to 5 minutes. With mixer running, add eggs and vanilla extract; beat until combined. 3 With mixer on low speed, add 1 cup reserved flour mixture; mix until combined. Add 1/2 cup buttermilk; combine. Alternate adding flour mixture and buttermilk, ending with flour, until all has been incorporated. 4 Divide batter evenly between baking cups. Bake, rotating pans halfway through baking, until light golden brown and a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean, 25 to 30 minutes. Transfer pans to a wire rack to cool. 5 Make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Combine the egg whites, sugar, and vanilla in the heat-proof bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until the sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes. 6 Transfer the bowl to the electric mixer. Using the whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. 7 In a separate bowl, beat butter until creamy and fluffy. At low speed, add the butter to the egg whites until smooth. Add the vanilla, and continue mixing until incorporated. (Makes 4 cups) 8 Place 2/3 cup Swiss meringue buttercream in a small bowl; use a couple drops of nut-brown liquid-paste color to color it light brown. Transfer to a small piping bag fitted with a coupler. Set aside. 9 Place 2 to 3 tablespoons Swiss meringue buttercream in a small bowl; use a few drops jet-black liquid-paste color to color it black. Transfer to a small pastry bag fitted with a #2 tip. Set aside. 10 Frost cupcakes with remaining Swiss meringue buttercream, spooning colored sprinkles over tops immediately after frosting each cupcake. 11 Pipe quarter-size "heads" onto edge of each cupcake with brown buttercream. Attach a #5 tip, and pipe "ears" on head. Pipe eyes and a nose on each head with black buttercream. 12 This recipe yields 12 extra-large or 24 standard-size cupcakes.