Basket – a cup of tea and cake

ELDERFLOWER PANNA COTTA A new super simple summer

Snix bars pre-chocolate. The dream. 🧈 Buttery

I’m 99.8% sure that if my dad had to choose betw

Swiss meringue buttercream secrets👇🏼 If {li $Swiss meringue buttercream secrets👇🏼 If {like me} you occasionally find traditional buttercream too sweet, there’s an alternative! Meringue buttercream is made with egg whites and sugar, with butter added to it at the end and avoids you emptying an entire box of icing sugar just to ice a cake 🥴 If you’ve never tried it yourself and want to give it a go, here are my top tips so you can make the best cake icing of your life: 🍋 Get rid of any grease residue First things first: wipe all tools that will touch the meringue with a little lemon juice or white vinegar – this includes your bowl, hand whisk and electric beater/whisks. Grease or fat will prevent your meringue from whipping up properly. 🥚 Buy cartoned egg whites This ensures you get absolutely no yolk {fat} in your meringue mixture – which can prevent it from reaching stiff peaks. I love @clarence_court and @twochicksproducts! 💦 Don’t let your bowl touch the water When you set your bowl with the egg whites and sugar over a saucepan filled with simmering water, make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. 🌡 What if I don’t have a sugar thermometer? To test that your meringue mixture is ready and it’s time to take it off the heat, you can lightly dip your finger into the mixture and rub it between your thumb and forefinger {be careful, as it may be hot!}. You shouldn’t feel any sugar granules. If you do, it needs to be heated a little longer. If using a thermometer, the temperature should read 160°F (71°C). ☁️ What if my meringue isn’t reaching stiff peaks? Stop whisking and pop your bowl in the fridge for 10 minutes. Remove the bowl and continue beating until stiff peaks form. 🧈 Make sure the bowl is cool before adding the butter Make sure your butter is still cool, and the bowl containing your meringue has also cooled completely – otherwise your butter will melt! Add 1 tablespoon / 1 large cube of butter at a time and wait for each addition to full mix in before adding more. #acupofteaandcake #iceicebaby$

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