You know how you have a
Bucket List
in life, well, I have one
in cooking and
Swiss Buttercream
was on that list. I have had it
at weddings before and the
fabulous texture and taste put it
right at the top of the list, but the
time needed put it further down
the list.
Decorating cupcakes for the big
birthday party this week with a
house full of company put me
in the mood to try it - I know, crazy with
a house full, but my sister in law
likes to bake too and she whipped
up the cupcakes and we sat and chatted
while the frosting came together so it
was fun.
Such a decadent frosting!
It is really just a pound of butter
with a little sugar and egg whites
for stabilization.
It literally melts in your mouth.
(I have seen it literally melt off a
wedding cake at an outdoor summer
wedding, so don't use it for that!)
I followed Martha Stewart's recipe
for
Swiss Meringue Buttercream and
I also read a few other recipes online
to get a few tips.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe
5 egg whites
1 C. plus 2 T. white sugar
Pinch of salt
1 lb. or 2 C. room temperature butter,
cut into tablespoon sized cubes
1 1/2 tsp. white vanilla (she calls for regular)
Combine the egg whites, sugar and
salt in your metal mixing bowl and
place over a pan of simmering water.
Using a whisk, and whisking constantly,
mix the egg whites and sugar until the
sugar is all dissolved. The mixture
will be warm to the touch and you
shouldn't feel any sugar crystals.
I wiped down the sides of my bowl
with a damp paper towel to ensure there
were no undissolved sugar cubes.
Place the dissolved sugar mixture on your
mixer and beat with the whisk attachment
on medium speed until the bottom of the bowl
is no longer warm and the meringue has
achieved a stiff peak.
Mine had achieved a stiff peak but the bottom
of the bowl was still slightly warm so I
continued to beat. I finally touched the frosting
on the bottom to make sure that it wasn't warm
as that will melt your butter. She said about
10 minutes of beating, but mine took more like
15-20 for it not to be warm.
Now switch to your paddle attachment.
Add the room temperature butter one
tablespoon at a time on medium low.
While reading recipes, I saw
one at Sweetapolita
where her butter was too soft
so the whole thing turned
goopy and separated. I was afraid
mine was too soft so I popped it back
in the fridge for about 10 minutes
to firm it up.
Make sure each cube is incorporated
before adding another. This is what
takes the time! Well, I guess beating
it until it cooled took time too.
When all the butter is incorporated,
add the vanilla. Beat on low a couple
of minutes to eliminate air bubbles.
This covered 24 cupcakes in a rosette pattern
using the 1M tip. I had a little left over.
Click here for printable recipe.
It took me more than an hour, start to finish
but it is incredibly silky and delicious,
perfect for a special occasion. I would
probably be faster next time!!
I will be posting this with