To prepare enough buttercream to frost a two layer 9-in. round cake (or a three layer 8-in. round cake), you'll need one pound (450 g) unsalted butter, four large eggs, 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon (3 g) table salt, and 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract.
Start by cracking all four eggs into the metal bowl of a stand mixer. Add the sugar and vanilla extract to the bowl.
Whisk until the eggs, sugar, and extract are evenly combined.
Find a pot that the mixing bowl can sit on without touching the bottom of the pan. Pour about 1/2-in. (about 1 cm) water into the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and place the mixing bowl over the water pot to form a double boiler. This will allow us to heat the eggs slowly, minimizing the chances that the egg proteins will tighten up (forming scrambled eggs). Whisk continuously over the steaming water until the eggs reach 160°F as measured by an instant read thermometer.Once the mixture reaches 160°F, take it off the heat and beat on medium-high with the flat beater attachment for five minutes. The egg mixture will turn light yellow and fluffy. The mixture should have cooled by this time. Touch the side of the mixing bowl to check the temperature. If the mixture is too warm, it will melt the butter while you add it and the buttercream might not come together.
Reduce the mixer's speed to low and begin cutting pieces of butter into the mixer, waiting for ten to fifteen seconds before adding the next piece. One pound of butter should be cut into about 16 to 20 pieces (about 2 Tbs. per piece). During this process, the mixture will become lumpy, but don't worry about it, continue to cut pieces of butter into the mix until all the butter has been incorporated.
After all the butter has mixed in, continue to run the mixer until the mixture turns smooth and silky.
The final buttercream should be easy to spread onto the cake and should taste distinctly of sweet butter without any lumps or grittiness.Latest Articles
| 4 large (200 g) eggs | whisk | whisk over double boiler until 160°F | beat on medium-high speed 5 min. | beat butter in on low speed | beat until smooth and silky |
| 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar | |||||
| 2 tsp. (10 mL) vanilla extract | |||||
| 1/2 tsp. (3 g) table salt | |||||
| 1 lb. (450 g) unsalted butter | cut into 16 to 20 pieces | ||||
I still don't know the reason why this happened - but it could be a combination of the high altitude (over 6000 ft. above sea level) and fairly warm temperature in the house (a bit above 75°F). I'd be interested in hearing if anyone else has trouble with this buttercream - especially since it always comes together perfectly when I'm at home. Even if the buttercream comes together funny (like it did for my in Tahoe), I guarantee the taste will be great.
If you're getting pieces that don't incorporate, it's probably too cold.
Buttercream is a lot like chocolate in that you're completely on its time--trying to rush it before it's ready doesn't really pays off. I've never had buttercream that didn't come back with the right amount of heat and mixing (assuming it was made right in the first place, no broken meringue), even with lots of excess water from fruits and purees, so stay with it!
HTH
and this has eggs so I'm guessing it'll taste worse.
Am I wrong?
*shrug*
and this has eggs so I'm guessing it'll taste worse.
Usually when people buy cakes with a buttercream frosting serve it at a party, all the plates left over have lumps of buttercream pushed to one side because no one wants to eat it. I am always surprised to find that no one leaves buttercream on the plate from one of my cakes and I routinely get compliments about the flavor and consistency of this buttercream. Give it a try, if it doesn't taste good to you, let us know and tell us what you dislike - I've got more buttercream recipes that yeild different flavors and textures. :)
spacial_k sounded so certain that I did a sanity check and looked up several buttercream recipes - this time from culinary school texts - and I stand by the statements I made in this article.
sugar and water (4:1) are brought to soft ball stage
whole eggs are whipped to ribbon stage
sugar mixture is drizzled into the eggs (down the side of the bowl while mixer is running) which cooks the eggs
mixture is kept moving while it cools (we've been using an ice-bath under the 20qt mixer to cool it more quickly)
chunked butter is added
Proceed as above.
Having hated cake frostings my whole life, I can honestly say that I enjoy this frosting. It's not too sweet, nor too buttery.
If you think buttercreams are never made with yolks only, you apparently didn't learn much about buttercreams in culinary school. Just do the teeniest, tiniest little bit of research, and you'll see that French buttercream is made with yolks. Also, as a general piece of advice, its a good idea to check your facts before you accuse someone of getting them wrong - otherwise you make yourself look foolish.
This buttercream recipe cooks the eggs - salmonella risk is greatly reduced.
As Michael says, the eggs in this recipe are pasteurized (bringing the eggs to 160F for 15 seconds reduced the number of microbes to like 0.0001 of that originally present). However, I don't see why you couldn't make an Italian meringue buttercream with powdered egg whites -- I've made just about everything with them, and never had a problem.
That's simply not true. Pate a bombe, which is whipped egg yolks and soft ball sugar, is a traditional base as well as the various meringues.
(I hate to do the whip out and compare thing, but in this case I feel I should back my statement up: I apprenticed growing up in the kitchen of a classic French/Danish restaurant, have a degree in pastry from the French Culinary Institute, and have worked as a pastry chef (chef, not cook).)
I think that's because whipped Crisco + caster sugar does not in any way equal buttercream, even though that what most supermarket and standard-issue bakeries use.[/quote]
-kayenne
It made a really light, delicate icing, but without the worry about salmonella. Has anyone heard of something similar? I've wanted to make it again but haven't found a similar recipe.
I am getting married this summer and have to pick out 4 cake samples (I get to choose the cake, fillings, and icings for each) to try out at my cake tasting appointment. The bakery offers (among 9 different icing choices) both "Classic Buttercream" and "Danish Buttercream." I've already decided to try the Rolled Fondant and the Marizapan (my top 2 choices), but I am now trying to decide if it is worthwhile trying both the buttercream options.
My familiy uses this kind of filling. However, I don't have the family recipe on hand. We use vanilla pudding powder.
2 cups milk
2 packages vanilla pudding powder (one package calling for 2 cups milk, so you get a thick custard)
- cook until thick, let cool completely
1 cup butter
5-6 oz sugar
- beat the butter and the sugar, then add the custard SLOWLY, until everything combines. The custard must be cold.
Note: I did not try this recipe myself. You can add cocoa or vanilla flavor (if not using vanilla pudding). You'll need to adjust the amounts if using preserves or nuts, I suppose. Corn starch can also be used (see package for amounts).
This spreads very well, and is not as "heavy" as only butter+sugar frosting.
1. Spacial K -- chill out. No one like a know-it-all, and no one especially likes an angry know-it-all.
2. In regards to the earlier post about buttercream being made with confectioners' sugar and butter, yes, I've seen that in a lot of places, too, but I get the impression that this is more like the quick version, sort of a pseudo-buttercream. Try the recipe with the eggs -- it's FABULOUS! It's more time-consuming to prepare, but it is a thousand-fold (or 1E03 for you engineers ;-D ) better than the version using confectioners' sugar. The confectioners' sugar version does have a couple of advantages, though, so don't completely forget about it. It takes less time to make, and as it sits, it dries out a bit, making the frosting kind of hard, which is nice for decorating. I like it for decorating cookies. Buttercream made with eggs is a little more heat sensitive and gets a bit droopy when it sits out.
Thanks for the great blog!!!
INGREDIENTS:
• 2 tablespoons flour
• 3/4 cup milk
• 3/4 cup butter
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
PREPARATION:
In a saucepan add a small amount of the milk to flour then stir to make a smooth paste. Add remaining milk. Cook, stirring constantly, over medium heat until mixture boils and thickens. Cool.
Cream butter using medium speed of electric mixer.
Gradually add sugar and salt; beat well. Add cooled milk mixture. Beat until light and fluffy; add vanilla. Frosts a two layer cake.
You should be able to refrigerate it for at least a week. Just make sure you provide enough time for it to return to room temperature.
Thanks for a really cool site! I'm adding it to my bookmarks.
K.
--for the record, I never went to culinary school, but instead learned it all from my mom/granparents/great-grandparents who owned bakeries. And our buttercream was always made with egg yolks.
I remember also reading somewhere that to get rid of some of the "cornstarch" taste in that type of frosting to stir it over some simmering water (using double boiler) for a couple of minutes--now you can just microwave it a bit to do the same thing, then let cool and rewhip.
Would microwaving the above raw egg frosting (after making it, of course), kill off the salmonella, and then you could just rewhip it?
Depends on how long you microwave it. Trouble is, you might end up cooking the eggs and liquid would probably end up weeping out of it while it cooked and whipping it up would end up making it into small chunky soup. If you gently heat it and hold it at 160°F for a couple minutes, that will kill off any bacteria. Just do that to the eggs in a double boiler right before you use it in the recipe.
I like the way you posted your recipe method above--it is a lot less fussy than the Ann Warren recipe method (of Cupcake Cafe--she was featured on one of the earlier Martha Stewart Living shows some years back), where you first make the syrup, then blend it into the whole eggs, wait for it to cool, then pour that mixture into the butter you're whipping....
Let's hear it for one-bowl frosting!
:D
I, too, graduated from a "culinary" school, but in my case, it was a "baking/pastry" school. There is a difference.
Regards,
MB
Anyway, buying an entire cake just to satisfy a random craving is ridiculous (and dangerous!), so I was hoping to learn how to make my own, but I want it to taste like the real thing. Even if I wanted to buy an entire cake, it's hard to find a decent one anymore. In my area, there are so many grocery-store bakeries that there are few independent bakeries around, and most of the grocery stores get it wrong, opting for that fluffier icing version that can only be described as tasting like a mixture of Cool Whip and Pledge.
To me, confectioners' sugar has a funny taste to it, and I think that's the problem with the recipes I've tried in the past, though I'm not 100% certain that's been the whole problem. Anyway, I wanted to know if, based on my description of what I'm trying to make, anyone can confirm that recipe is what I'm looking for.
Thank you!
Recipe:
Step One: Mix 1 cup milk with 4 Tablespoons of flour (COOK & STIR UNTIL THICK, COOL).
Step Two: Beat 16 Tablespoons of butter (unsalted) with 1 teaspoon of vanilla for four minutes.
Step Three: Slowly beat in 1 cup sugar (regular or superfine granulated) on high speed four minutes until fluffy.
Step Four: Add cooked and cooled flour mixture and beat four minutes more.
We usually used this on cakes eaten the same day, but you would probably want to refrigerate it if not (all that butter). It gets hard like a buttercream when refrigerated, so allow cake to come to room temperature before serving.
[/u]
It is a great recipe and glad to see it hear with pictures. I also like Cook’s Illustrated “Rich Coffee Buttercream Frosting”, a variation that accompanies this recipe, very tasty.
With a recipe as simple as buttercream, it seems like there would be many sources with almost the exact same recipe. Michael's had a good history of crediting his sources when he uses an existing recipe, so maybe he forgot on this one or didn't realize that the recipe he uses is the same as the Cook's Illustrated one. Maybe he'll update his write up with a reference to Cook's after reading these comments. Ahem, Michael?
Can anyone help? I need this buttercream TONIGHT. Thanks!
Uhm, not to be rude, but have you read Michael's description of how to make buttercream or are you using a random recipe? At no point does the recipe call for heating a sugar mixture to soft ball stage (which is around 235F) and then adding egg yolks to it. Michael clearly states that you start with the egg yolks, sugar, and whatnot and heat that mixture until 160.
Not having the thermometer anymore, can you sugest an approximation of when 160? (Emeril Lagasse has a buttercream that uses sugar and corn syrup heated till disolved). I would like to follow Michael's and your suggestions.
Thanks.
The 160°F is used to make sure any salmonella that may be present in the eggs is killed effectively. The current number that is quoted for salmonella infections is 1 in 10,000 eggs consumed (and most of these cases are in restaurants), so if you're certain of the safety of your eggs - then go ahead and simply heat until everything is smooth and the sugar dissolved into the egg.
It tastes wonderful, but it just doesn't hold...both times it starts to seperate. I live at 7000 feet and I know that has effects on the baked goods, but I wasn't sure if it would effect the buttercream or if I just need to keep practicing to get it right.
Any suggestions would be great!
Oh...and yes I've beaten it until my kitchenaid motor almost died...
-amber
Regular beater is fine.
1. Does this recipe make buttercream stable enough to make icing roses?
2. How long can it be refrigerated?
3. Do the eggs need to be room temperature?
About the eggs: room temp (or slightly warmer) eggs will blend together more easily.
It is firm enough to pipe rosettes and things like whipped cream, but if you want something harder, you might try fondant or marzipan.
I really like this recipe: sweetness is just right for me and I have been able to halve and quarter it (here in Japan cakes tend to be smaller, but the standard frosting is whipped or chantilly cream,) as well as flavor it easily. I much prefer the satiny smoothness to the slightly grainy and very sweet uncooked kind with confectioners sugar-- The one difficult thing is not to get distracted while cooking the eggs on the double boiler, my biggest problem when doing stirred custard, pastry cream, and genoise. ;)
Happy baking and a big "Mahalo" to Michael Chu for this versitile recipe.
Aloha,
AnMochi
http://www.baking911.com/cakes/101.htm
Click on "recipes" and then, "cakes-fillings, frostings, & glazes." Hope you find something you like.
Aloha,
AnMochi
Have you tried substituting some shortening for part of the butter? You might notice the difference in taste but it is said to be more stable.
Perhaps you should consider fondant instead of buttercream. You didn't mention the temperature of your room, but over seven hours in a warm room, and there may be food poisoning concerns if it is very warm there and the buttercream made with egg has been out for so long.
Hope this helps.
anMochi
Any chance of re-posting it?
This is a great website and Michael Chu's buttercream recipe has worked wonderfully for me in Australia. Thanks!
I've had some trouble with the database migration. I'll see if I can fix this without messing everything up.
[i:dd0f4a5101]
American [/i:dd0f4a5101]- Usually powdered sugar with flavoring and butter
Swiss- Heated eggwhites and sugar beaten with room temp unsalted butter
French-Egg yolks beaten till lemon colored and thick; (soft ball stage) sugar syrup is added then chunks of butter beaten in
Italian- Whipped eggwhites ; sugar syrup that has been heated to soft ball stage is added then butter
I personally love the swiss meringue however I use the french one for my sans rival layer cakes.
I'm just wondering if it's just me or has anyone experience the following:
I've made the frosting with the milk and flour cooked mixture and I used all butter. While it tasted good on the same day.........the next day, I could taste the flour and it tasted sort of odd like....no butter or vanilla taste at all.
I've also tried another recipe that uses corn flour added to warm milk to form a paste and then beat into creamed butter/sugar and I piped flowers with star tip. Frosting tasted good....but after a few hours, it started weeping. The flowers are still defined and held up well at this point, the frosting still taste good, soft and creamy but weeping. I used 1 ply of tissue paper to soak up the liquid trying hard not to disturb the flowers.
The decorated cake looks ok and taste good with the frosting soft and creamy but the weeping is just annoying, any comments or help?!?!
cookie
Thanks!
On May 10, 2006 at 03:10 PM, McDee said...
I'm in a pastry course at culinary school now (just got home from my pastry mid-term) and our most commonly used buttercream is a whole egg mixture like above except:
sugar and water (4:1) are brought to soft ball stage
whole eggs are whipped to ribbon stage
sugar mixture is drizzled into the eggs (down the side of the bowl while mixer is running) which cooks the eggs
mixture is kept moving while it cools (we've been using an ice-bath under the 20qt mixer to cool it more quickly)
chunked butter is added
Proceed as above.
Having hated cake frostings my whole life, I can honestly say that I enjoy this frosting. It's not too sweet, nor too buttery