Buttercream: The Birth of an Obsession (and a Baby)

I've been obsessed with buttercream lately. It started with the cupcakes we bought here to celebrate the birth of our new baby. We bought a couple dozen to share with visitors, nurses, etc. at the hospital during our stay. There were a mix of chocolate and vanilla cupcakes that were glazed with chocolate and topped with the absolute BEST buttercream frosting I've ever had.

I had a c-section and they gave me some medication to help with some nausea I was dealing with. I hadn't eaten since 6pm the night before and even with the nausea and dizziness, the scent of those cupcakes was overwhelmingly tempting. After a few hours one of the nurses suggested I try eating something. My eyes went straight to the cupcakes. "I was thinking more along the lines of some crackers," was her response. "Don't even think about having one of those cupcakes!" She warned as she left the room. (Easy for her to say, she'd already had one!) Sweet, caring, knowing woman that she is, my mom stood up and brought me a cupcake.

I've never had a confection so absolutely satisfying. I did my best not to shove it down my throat. I savored it. Perfect.

It was even nice in reverse. Yup. I went there, in my first post even! The nurse came in and saw the evidence of my crime. She shook her head and took my basin of chocolate colored nastiness. She tsked and clucked and refilled my water for me. As she was getting ready to leave the room she said, in that tone (you know the tone, that superior nursey tone), "bet you wish you'd listened to me!" Nope. "It was totally worth it."

And it was. So, since then I've been trying to recapture that buttercream wonderfullness. My first attempt was a Swiss Meringue. It was nice. Buttery and silky beyond belief. But not was I was looking for. So the search continues. In the meantime, this is the lovely recipe I used.