[Sca-cooks] OOP-Buttercream Frosting

[Huette von Ahrens]

If there is one thing that I absolutely hate is the taste of a crisco frosting.  Blech!!!!
And to have the audacity to call it "buttercream" is like a bait and switch scheme, IMHO.

Here is a good, real buttercream recipe:

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM
 
4 large egg whites at room temperature for 30 minutes
Rounded 1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup water
1 1/3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 sticks (2 cups) unsalted butter, cut into tablespoon pieces and softened
2 teaspoons vanilla

Special equipment: a candy thermometer 
 
Combine whites and salt in a very large bowl. Stir together water and 1 1/3 cups 
sugar in a 3- to 4-quart heavy saucepan until sugar is dissolved, then bring to 
a boil over moderate heat, without stirring, brushing any sugar crystals down side 
of pan with a pastry brush dipped in water.

When syrup reaches a boil, start beating egg whites with an electric mixer at 
medium-high speed until frothy, then gradually add remaining 2 tablespoons 
sugar and beat at medium speed until whites just hold soft peaks. (Do not beat 
again until sugar syrup is ready.) 

Meanwhile, put thermometer into sugar syrup and continue boiling until syrup 
registers 238 to 242°F. Immediately remove from heat and, with mixer at high 
speed, slowly pour hot syrup in a thin stream down side of bowl into whites, 
beating constantly. Beat, scraping down side of bowl with a rubber spatula, 
until meringue is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes in a standing mixer or 
15 with a handheld. (It is important that meringue is properly cooled before 
proceeding.) 

With mixer at medium speed, gradually add butter 1 piece at a time, beating 
well after each addition until incorporated. (Buttercream will look soupy after 
some butter is added if meringue is still warm. If so, briefly chill bottom of 
bowl in a large bowl filled with ice water for a few seconds before continuing 
to beat in remaining butter.) Continue beating until buttercream is smooth. 
(Mixture may look curdled before all of butter is added but will come back 
together by the time beating is finished.) Add vanilla and beat 1 minute more. 

• Buttercream can be made 1 week ahead and chilled, covered, or frozen 1 month. 
Bring to room temperature (this may take up to 3 hours; do not use a microwave) 
and beat with an electric mixer before using.

• The egg whites in this recipe are not cooked. If salmonella is a problem in 
your area, you can use reconstituted powdered egg whites such as Just Whites.

Huette

--- Martha Oser <osermart at msu.edu> wrote:

> Greetings once again! 
> 
> A question for those with experience...  I'm working on a wedding cake for a 
> dear friend and we were discussing frosting options, so I gave the 
> traditional, meringue-based buttercream a couple of tries. 
> 
> Alton Brown's recipe, wich has dark corn syrup and whole eggs in it, came 
> out kind of caramel-colored and very, very soft.  It melted even in a 
> 60-degree or so kitchen.  Not a good thing for an outdoor wedding in July!  
> I think perhaps I didn't cook the corn syrup/sugar mixture long enough 
> before adding it to the eggs. 
> 
> Next, I tried a more traditional recipe with plain sugar syrup and just 
> beaten egg whites.  This one turned out much better - very firm when 
> refrigerated, but softens nicely for frosting purposes.  However, even with 
> the addition of orange juice concentrate and orange zest (this sample cake 
> was an orange-chocolate combination, just for fun), it is rather like eating 
> a slightly orange-flavored stick of butter.  Neither the bride nor I were 
> thrilled with it, and even when soft and whipped, it didn't look like the 
> pictures in the book I was working from. 
> 
> Anyone have any great buttercream recipes?  Any tips on technique or method 
> that might help me out?  At this point, the bride is voting for the more 
> standard butter and/or crisco with powdered sugar, vanilla and milk 
> frosting.  I don't have a problem with that, but I'm curious about this 
> buttercream thing... 
> 
> Thanks! 
> 
>  -Helena 
> 
> 
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