Swiss meringue buttercream

Method

1. Place a metal or glass bowl over a saucepan that contains 2.5cm/1in boiling water. Add the egg whites and sugar to the bowl and whisk to combine. Leave over a medium heat for around 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The mixture is done when it is no longer grainy to the touch – test by rubbing some of the mixture between your thumb and forefinger.

2. Transfer to a stand mixer, or use a hand-held electric whisk, to whisk the mixture starting on low and then whisking on high. Whisk until it forms stiff peaks. Add all of the butter at once. Whisk until combined evenly and you have a fluffy buttercream. It might start to look like scrambled eggs and split. Ignore this and keep whisking!

3. The buttercream is now ready to use, or you can add gel food colouring to create coloured buttercream. Beat the buttercream on a low speed right before piping to knock out any air bubbles and to ensure extra smooth icing.

4. To make the piped flowers decoration, load a piping bag fitted with the largest round nozzle (I used R22L) with the buttercream. Start piping from the edge of one of the cupcakes. Squeeze and lift slightly, then sweep towards the middle of the cake. Stop squeezing as you reach the centre and pull away. Repeat this five times around the cupcake to create a flower design. Pop a raspberry or anything you like in the centre of the cupcake to finish.