Meringue Buttercream

This is quite good. Like the idea of have egg white in the buttercream. Recipe taken from Taste Goblet.

Ingredients:
(this makes enough to cover and decorate a 8″ or 9″ cake, and about 15 reg cupcakes)

3 egg whites
1/2 cup sugar (use white sugar for traditional buttercream, or brown for a caramel version)
150g butter, softened to room temperature (I used salted butter)
It is important that the butter be very soft but not melting.
1/2 tsp pure vanilla or any flavoring you want
food coloring, if desired

1. Whisk the egg whites over a double boiler. Ensure bowl is grease-free. Add the sugar and whisk lightly to combine. The idea here is to give the whites and sugar gentle heat from the steam of the simmering water, to dissolve the sugar.

2. Stir the contents of the bowl lightly with the whisk. Stir continously because you do NOT want the whites to get cooked.

3. Once the whites are ready, remove the bowl from the saucepan. While the whites are still warm, start whisking them, first at a low speed to allow them to froth up and then slowly moving up to high speed.

4. Whisk the whites until they have tripled in volume, are glossy and hold stiff peaks when you lift the beaters up.

5. Add the softened butter in tablespoonfuls. Beat until thoroughly combined before adding the next tablespoonful. The previously shiny and stiff meringue may now look disastrously soupy. This is normal.

6. Continue to beat the mixture on medium-high speed until it thickens. This can take anywhwere from 7 to 15 minutes, sometimes even longer. Ever so often, scrape down the bowl with your spatula.

7. After the buttercream thicken. Now, at this stage, you can add vanilla, flavoring and/or food coloring to the buttercream. Add in small amounts and blend in with the beaters on low speed. The frosting can be used immediately.

If the weather is very very hot and humid, bung the bowl in the fridge for a few minutes to stiffen up the buttercream before using. It also can be refridgerated for 4-5 days in a clean, airtight container.

If storing in the fridge, let the buttercream soften at room temperature for about an hour, and then whisk or beat until it becomes fluffy again before using.

Chocolate Frosting

This is the frosting recipes that goes with the Old fashioned Chocolate Layer Cake from Cook’s Illustrated.

454g semisweet chocolate
115g unsalted butter
1/3 cup sugar
2 tsp vanilla extract
¼ tsp table salt
1 ¼ cup whipping cream (cold)
I omit the corn syrup.

Melt semisweet chocolate, finely chopped, in a heat-proof bowl set over saucepan containing 1 inch of barely simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth. Remove from heat and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat unsalted butter in small saucepan over medium-low heat until melted. Increase heat to medium; add sugar, vanilla extract, and salt and stir with heat-proof rubber spatula until sugar is dissolved, 4 to 5 minutes. Add melted chocolate, butter mixture and heavy cream to clean bowl of standing mixer and stir to thoroughly combine.

Place mixer bowl over ice bath and stir mixture constantly with rubber spatula until frosting is thick and just beginning to harden against sides of bowl, 1 to 2 minutes. Place bowl on standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment and beat on medium-high speed until frosting is light and fluffy, 1 to 2 minutes. Stir with rubber spatula until completely smooth.

Note: Do not substitute semisweet chocolate chips for the chopped semisweet chocolate in the frosting.
Chocolate chips contain less cocoa butter than bar chocolate and will not melt as readily. For best results, don’t make the frosting until the layers are cooled, and use the frosting as soon as it is ready. If the frosting gets too cold and stiff to spread easily, wrap the mixer bowl with a towel soaked in hot water and mix on low speed until the frosting appears creamy and smooth. Refrigerated leftover cake should sit at room temperature before serving until the frosting softens.

Chocolate Buttercream

This icing is simple for decor. Not tasty ya. I have made a big mistake when I am doing this. I added in the hot chocolate mixture into the buttercream. This had melted the butter, hence the texture is not “firm” enough.

Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) butter
4-5 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1/4 cup milk
50g semi-sweet chocolate

1. Melt the chocolate using double boiler or microwave and leave it to cool
2. beat butter until creamy, scrape bowl.
3. Add 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, milk, beat until combined.
4. Add in the chocolate (must be cooled completely)
5. Add more powdered sugar as needed to get piping consistency.