Little Apron Strings

From The Martha Stewart Show Today

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 2 cups sugar
• 5 extra-large eggs
• 3 cups self-rising cake flour
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 tablespoons Mexican vanilla
• Sweet Revenge ''Pure'' Buttercream
• Turbinado or demerara sugar, for sprinkling

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Cut out twenty-four 5 1/2-by-5 1/2-inch squares of parchment paper. Fit each square of parchment into a standard muffin cup so the edges stick out from the muffin cup; set aside.
2. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until softened. With the mixer on medium, add eggs and sugar; beat until well combined. With mixer on low speed, add flour in three parts, alternating with buttermilk and beginning and ending with flour. Stir in vanilla.
3. Fill prepared muffin cups three-quarters full with batter. Transfer muffin tins to oven and bake until a cake tester inserted into the center of a cupcake comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack and let cupcakes cool completely in muffin cups.
4. When cupcakes are cool, frost the top of each cupcake with a thin layer of buttercream. Fill a disposable pastry bag fitted with a St. Honore No. 20 decorating tip with remaining buttercream. Pipe three waves on the top of each cupcake, each slightly smaller than the next. Sprinkle with turbinado sugar and serve.

Vanilla Cream

From The Martha Stewart Show Today

The Vanilla Cream for the Boston Cream Cupcakes

Ingredients

Makes 1 1/2 cups

• 2 large egg yolks
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tablespoons plus 1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
• Pinch of salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Whisk yolks until smooth. Mix sugar, cornstarch, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add milk in a slow, steady stream. Cook, stirring, until mixture begins to bubble and thicken, about 5 minutes.
2. Pour 1/3 of milk mixture into yolks, whisking constantly. Return mixture to saucepan, and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until thick, 2 to 4 minutes. Stir in vanilla.
3. Pass vanilla cream through a fine sieve into a bowl. Press plastic wrap directly on surface. Refrigerate until cold, at least 1 hour, or up to 2 days.

Vanilla French Buttercream

From the Martha Stewart Show Today

Makes about 1 quart

• 7 extra-large egg whites
• 2 1/2 cups sugar
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and chilled
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
• 2 vanilla beans, halved lengthwise

Directions

1. In a large heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, whisk together egg whites and sugar until sugar is melted and mixture reaches 140 degrees on a candy thermometer, 7 to 10 minutes.
2. Transfer mixture to the bowl of an electric mixture fitted with the whisk attachment; beat on high until stiff peaks form, 12 to 15 minutes. Add cream of tartar and beat for one minute more.
3. Reduce speed to medium and add butter, a few pieces at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add vanilla extract and scrape vanilla bean seeds into mixture; beat until well combined, about 2 minutes. Transfer to refrigerator; chill for 15 minutes before using.