Strawberry Basket Cupcakes
- 24 Strawberry Cupcakes (page 146)
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream (page 304)
- 7 ounces marzipan
- Red and green gel-paste food colors
- Cornstarch, for work surface
- Using an offset spatula, spread a thin layer of buttercream over each cupcake.
- Transfer remaining buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with a coupler and a small basketweave tip (#47).
- Working from top to bottom, pipe a series of lines across top of cupcake, leaving about 1/4 inch between piped lines.
- Working from left to right, and starting at bottom of cupcake, pipe short horizontal lines over vertical ones, filling in all gaps to create a basketweave effect.
- Repeat with remaining cupcakes and buttercream.
- Refrigerate 30 minutes to allow frosting to set.
- Cupcakes can be refrigerated up to 2 days in airtight containers; bring to room temperature before topping with marzipan strawberries.
- Tint half of marzipan red with gel-paste food color (see page 299 for instructions).
- Make 24 pea-size balls, and 48 slightly larger balls.
- Roll balls on work surface dusted with cornstarch, elongating them to mimic a strawberry shape.
- Using a toothpick, poke indentations all over the strawberries.
- Tint remaining marzipan green.
- Pinch off some; roll into 24 thin vines, about 2 inches long.
- Roll out remaining green marzipan 1/8 inch thick on a work surface lightly dusted with cornstarch; cut out tiny leaves with a calyx cutter.
- Attach a leaf to the top of each strawberry, poking in the centers with a taper-cone modeling tool and draping the leaf points down the sides of the strawberries.
- Cut some leaves into halves or quarters, and attach to vines.
- To finish, drape the marzipan vines over buttercream basketweave patterns on cupcakes; attach strawberries and arrange leaves along the vines.
strawberry cupcakes, swiss meringue buttercream, marzipan, red, cornstarch
Taken from www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/strawberry-basket-cupcakes-389945 (may not work)