Swiss Meringue Buttercream For Mother Hen Cake Recipes

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an ovenproof 10-inch-diameter 5-quart bowl. Dust with flour, and tap out excess.
• Sift cocoa, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together into the bowl of an electric mixer. Add eggs, 2 cups warm water, buttermilk, oil, and vanilla. Beat mixture on low speed until smooth, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer batter to prepared bowl. Bake until a tester comes out clean, about 1 hour and 45 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack; let cool in bowl 45 minutes. Unmold onto rack. Let cool completely.
• Place cake, broad side up, on a cutting board. Using a long serrated knife, cut a crescent-shaped piece off both sides to create a football-shaped body; reserve scraps. Cut 1 of the scraps crosswise at an angle to create a tail that follows the upward slope of the bowl; set aside. Cut the other scrap crosswise at an angle to create a neck that is longer than the tail, and that curves up, following the upward slope of the bowl.
• Attach tail and neck with white buttercream. Cut a small round piece from the remaining cake scraps to create the back of the head. Trim 1 side to be flat; attach flat side to back of neck. Refrigerate assembled cake until buttercream is firm, at least 20 minutes. Spread a thin layer of buttercream over cake. Refrigerate until firm, at least 20 minutes.
• Transfer remaining white buttercream in batches to a pastry bag fitted with a small ridged tip. Pipe feathers, beginning at base of cake and working up, overlapping: Hold tip flat against side of cake (ridges facing out). Pipe enough for 1 feather (1/2 to 1 inch long), then abruptly release pressure on the bag to let buttercream come almost to a point. Cover body, including head. Using the #46 tip and the red-orange buttercream, pipe feathers in center of tail and on sides of body for wings.
• Switch to an open-prong tip. Pipe 2 drooping U shapes side by side under where the beak should be, creating a teardrop-shaped wattle. Pipe overlapping shell curls on top of the head for the scalloped comb: Start at front of head and pipe forward a short line, then pipe up and back over it; start next line in middle of the one before. Transfer yellow-orange buttercream to a pastry bag fitted with just a coupler; pipe a beak. Using kitchen tweezers, place 2 licorice pieces above beak for eyes.
• Refrigerate cake until buttercream is firm, at least 30 minutes or up to 2 days.

Steps:

• Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in the heatproof bowl of a standing mixer set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly by hand until mixture is warm to the touch and sugar has dissolved (the mixture should feel completely smooth when rubbed between your fingertips).
• Attach the bowl to the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Starting on low and gradually increasing to medium-high speed, whisk until stiff (but not dry) peaks form. Continue mixing until the mixture is fluffy and glossy, and completely cool (test by touching the bottom of the bowl), about 10 minutes.
• With mixer on medium-low speed, add the butter a few tablespoons at a time, mixing well after each addition. Once all butter has been added, whisk in vanilla. Switch to the paddle attachment, and continue beating on low speed until all air bubbles are eliminated, about 2 minutes. Scrape down sides of bowl with a flexible spatula, and continue beating until the frosting is completely smooth. Keep buttercream at room temperature if using the same day. If not, transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate up to 3 days or freeze up to 1 month. Before using, bring to room temperature and beat with paddle attachment on low speed until smooth again, about 5 minutes.
• To tint buttercream, reserve some for toning down the color, if necessary. Add gel-paste food color, a drop at a time (or use the toothpick or skewer to add food color a dab at a time) to the remaining buttercream. You can use a single shade of food color or experiment by mixing two or more. Blend after each addition with the mixer (use a paddle attachment) or a flexible spatula, until desired shade is achieved. Avoid adding too much food color too soon, as the hue will intensify with continued stirring; if necessary, you can tone down the shade by mixing in some reserved untinted buttercream.

Steps:

• Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Transfer to another bowl.
• Whisk together sugar and egg whites in a heatproof mixing bowl set over a pan of simmering water. Whisk gently until sugar is dissolved, about 3 minutes.
• Transfer sugar mixture to the clean bowl of an electric mixer. Beat on medium speed until fluffy and cooled, about 10 minutes. Raise speed to high; beat until stiff peaks form. Reduce speed to medium- low; add butter, 2 to 3 tablespoons at a time. Mix in vanilla. Reduce speed to low; beat 3 minutes more.
• Tint 2 cups buttercream burnt-red-orange using red, orange, and brown food coloring. Tint 1/2 cup buttercream yellow-orange using yellow and orange. Leave remaining buttercream white.

Steps:

• In a small pot, bring 1 inch water to a boil over high heat.
• Place the egg whites and sugar in a medium metal bowl (or the metal bowl of a stand mixer) and place it on top of the pot, making sure that the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk continuously (especially on the sides of the bowl) to prevent the egg whites from cooking, until the mixture reaches 160 degrees F and the sugar is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes.
• Remove the bowl from the heat, transfer it to a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and whisk on high speed until soft peak forms, about 5 minutes.
• Switch to the paddle attachment on low speed and add the butter, one piece at a time. The buttercream might separate but keep the paddle going-the mixture will soon homogenize. Increase the speed to medium and paddle until silky smooth, about 5 minutes. Mix in the vanilla and beat for another 3 minutes.