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Italian Buttercream w/ Meringue Powder




Source of Recipe


King Arthur Flour


Recipe Introduction


This recipe seemed less finicky to me than the Cake Love version. Maybe because it uses meringue powder rather than fresh egg whites. Do go to the tutorial to get very specific help and instructions. Also, read the ‘Tips’ at the bottom of this recipe. IMBC is probably my favorite frosting – light and buttery and not overly sweet. Notice the storage information. If you need to make it ahead of time, you’ll need to set it out to come to room temperature. I filled 2 quart sized bags with the frosting and it took a 2-3 hours to come to room temperature. I placed the contents back in the mixer to whip up to smooth again.


Recipe Link: http://www.kingarthurflour.com/blog/2011/01/04/the-beautiful-side-of-baking-blissful-buttercream/

List of Ingredients




SUGAR SYRUP:
1 1/4 cups sugar
1/2 cup water

MERINGUE:
1/2 cup meringue powder
1 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup sugar

FROSTING:
3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter – room temperature
1/2 to 3/4 cup vegetable shortening (optional)
1 teaspoon to 2 tablespoons flavoring


Recipe



SYRUP:
In a small nonstick saucepan, over medium heat, bring the sugar and water to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once it comes to a boil cook, without stirring, until it reaches between 240 and 250 degrees.

MERINGUE:
Meanwhile, place the meringue powder, water and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer. With the whisk attachment beat at high speed until it looks foamy, turns white and you start to see tracks in the mixture. When this happens, turn down to medium and start to slowly add the sugar (the mixer should still be running). Return the speed to high and beat until the meringue is stiff.

With the mixer running at low speed, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl – between the whisk and the side of the bowl. Turn the speed up to medium-high and continue to beat until the mixture cools to 80 degrees. You can cool it down faster by holding an ice pack to the outside of the mixer bowl.

When the meringue is down to 80 degrees, you can begin to add the butter a little bit at a time (mixer should be running medium to medium-high at this point). This will take a few minutes and the meringue will deflate and perhaps begin to take on a curdled appearance. This is normal and should correct itself with additional whipping.

Once most of the butter is in and the icing around the whisk begins to come together (i.e. – smooth and creamy looking) add any flavoring you want. If you are using the vegetable shortening now is the time to add it in the same manner as the butter.

Use within 4 hours or refrigerate or freeze.

Makes 7 to 7 1/2 cups.


TIPS FROM KING ARTHUR BAKERS:
If you want to use fresh egg whites instead of meringue powder, you'll need 8 large whites, at room temperature, combined with 1 teaspoon cream of tartar. Pasteurized egg whites in cartons won't work for this purpose.

Vegetable shortening: If you plan to make piped roses, or if the cake you're frosting is going to spend any length of time in a warm place, adding a bit of vegetable shortening to the recipe will help any piping or decorations hold their shape better; the shortening has a higher melting point than butter, and helps the frosting to stay more stable in warm conditions.

Storage: Buttercream will keep up to 1 week in the refrigerator (longer than that, and you may see some mold start to form). It freezes beautifully. To use from frozen, defrost in the refrigerator overnight, then let it come to room temperature before using. If you see any weeping or separation, toss the frosting in the mixer and whip it briefly to bring it back together.

If you're coloring the frosting, be sure to use gel or paste colors, not liquid ones; they'll cause the frosting to break.

If you're not going to use the frosting right away, consider dividing it into several smaller containers before refrigerating or freezing it. The smaller amounts will take less time to come to room temperature, and you'll be able to work with the frosting sooner.