Vanilla Bean Cupcakes with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Preheat oven to 170°C (fan forced). Line a 12 hole cupcake tin with cases and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time and beat lightly. Add sifted flour and milk in two batches, mixing on low until just combined.

Spoon into prepared cases to ¾ full and bake for 15-20 minutes until golden. Allow to cool in tin for 5 minutes before placing onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Whisk together egg whites and caster sugar in a glass or metal bowl. Set aside.

Fill a saucepan with at least 4cm of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce temperature to a gentle simmer. Place bowl over simmering water and stir constantly until sugar has dissolved, and mixture no longer feels gritty when rubs between your fingers.

Transfer egg whites to stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and whip at high speed for 10 minutes until meringue is glossy, stiff, and cool.

With mixer still running, add butter, 1 - 2 tablespoons at a time. Don’t worry if your egg whites deflate, or look as though they are split. Keep whisking until smooth and fluffy. Add 3 tsp of Vanilla Bean Paste and Yellow Food Colour and mix until combined.

Transfer buttercream to a piping bag fitted with an open star tip (we used a Wilton 1M piping tip). Pipe buttercream in a swirl, starting in the middle and piping towards the outer edge of the cupcake to create a rosette.