Buttercream 101

Everybody who is into making cupcakes and cake decorating, knows how important buttercream is.
And there is nothing that is worse then a buttercream recipe which sucks.
When I first started baking and decorating cupcakes and cakes, I was very inexperienced with buttercream so I bought the Magnolia Bakery cookbook and used their recipe for buttercream, which I regret now. It is sooooooooo sweet and when It's warm you can't do anything with it, and also it is actually just butter with powdered sugar and a bit aroma. That's when I started looking for a buttercream which isn't so sickly sweet and falls apart so easily. And that when I came upon Meringue Buttercream, and I love it. The one I always make is fluffy, light and has an pleasantly sweet and you can work really well with it.

I made this Basket weave cake for my Grandmas birthday, and for the flowers I used the Merengue Buttercream. I made them ahead and froze them, so I just had to pop them out of the freezer and put them on top of the cake.

The cake itself is a red velvet with a cream cheese filling, very yummy :)

Meringue Buttercream:

Fresh Large Egg Whites 6 Large
White Sugar  1 1/2 cups(300g)

Confectioners Sugar 2cups (240g)

Shortening 3/4 cup (170g)

Unsalted Butter 2cups (454g)

Vanilla Extract 1T

**If you don't own a kitchen aid mixer, prepare all the ingredients before starting the Buttercream, because a kitchen aid mixer doesn't need to be hold like a hand mixer. But I recommend preparing everything before starting so that you don't have to pause to measure out the ingredients in between.**

1. In a large metal bowl, mix together the egg whites and the sugar. Place over a double boiler and mix(DO NOT WHISK) until it reaches 115°F or 46°C and the sugar grains have completely dissolved. You can either use a thermometer or by hand with a glove. I recommend doing it with your hands, because you can feel if there are any sugar grains left and when it feels hotter than your own body temperature it's ready.

2. When temperature has been reached and sugar grains have dissolved pour mixture into the bowl you choose for whisking(if you use a kitchen aid pour it into the bowl of your kitchen aid mixer) and whisk until the meringue is white, glossy and firm.

Then add the powdered sugar.

3. When powdered sugar has been combined add the butter and the shortening. Either add everything at once or in 2 or 3 steps, but it has to happen fast.

Mix until everything is well combined.

For the shortening I use Crisco which is pretty much everywhere available in the U.S. In Germany you can either order it online which is expensive or you can find it at Real in the forreign section for 4,99€, which seems expensive but it's worth it because this buttercream is just plain awesome.

This recipe makes enough for 30 cupcakes.

This recipe is also great, because you can add whatever flavors you like.

Just for comparison, I'll write here the recipe for the Magnolia buttercream.

Ingredients:

1 cup (225g) Butter

6-8 cups (720-960g)Powdered sugar

1/2 cup (120ml) Milk

2 Tsp. Vanilla extract.

1. place the butter in a large bowl. Add 4 cups of powdered sugar and the milk and mix on medium speed of an electric mixer until creamy and smooth for about 3-5 minutes.

2. Gradually add the remaining sugar until mixture is thick enough for spreading.

Add the vanilla .

When you want to try it go ahead, but I promise you it is waaaaay to sweet.

Here are two pictures of stuff I made with the Meringue Buttercream.

The first is a blue Ombre' cake I made for the birthday of my brothers best friend.

The second is a rose cupcake also for my grandmas birthday.

Whether you use a Meringue Buttercream or another I think we can agree on one thing, that buttercream is awesome. But it also has those pesty little calories, which sew our clothes tighter in the night ;) 

With buttercream you can create little cake masterpieces so whatever you use, have fun and let your creativity flow.

XOXO Owlicious