Last month for my birthday I made a delicious lemon cake and I made a new (to me) buttercream that was like a meringue, but then you add a bunch of butter and voila, buttercream! I was so delicious - not super sweet and it was a dream to spread on. It was so awesome, I decided to make it again.
Just like last time, I made it ahead and refrigerated it. It looked great when I scraped it into the dish and put it in the fridge. Just like last time, I took it out and let it come to room temperature. Just like last time, I popped it in the mixer to fluff it up a bit before spreading it.
Unlike last time, it turned into a crumbly mess with a pool of liquid in the bottom of the bowl. Yikes!!
So I tossed it, ran to the store and got two more packs of butter, made the whole thing over again and this time, right out of the gate, it was a crumbly mess with a pool of liquid. Yuck! I popped it in the fridge and then took it out awhile later and tried to hand beat it. It's better and I wasn't going to make another batch to I just iced the cake with it, but it was like spreading gloopy butter and it's all weird and oily looking. What a mess. What happened!?
Oh, too bad you tossed it. The temperature was wrong. You have to bring the buttercream to room temp before you re-whip it. And, when you made it the second time your butter was probably too cold, it also has to be room temp to emulsify with the meringue, otherwise it will separate as happened to you, sorry! The merigue buttercreams are a dream to work with but definitely take some getting used too. If it happens again, you can take some of the buttercream out and melt it in the microwave, then throw this into the mixer with the cold stuff and it should come back together. Don't give up it is wonderful stuff!
Rexy Frequent Member
Joined: Jun 27, 2005
Posts: 211
Location: Cary, NC
Posted:
Sat Aug 15, 2009 12:28 pm
If it had a curdled look to it, you need to keep whipping, it will come together, just be patient!
costumeczar Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Oct 18, 2007
Posts: 2589
Location: Henrico VA
Posted:
Sat Aug 15, 2009 7:02 pm
You had a broken buttercream! This is a chance to see the coolest thing that you'll see happen in the kitchen (yes, I'm an icing geek.) Like Rexy said, keep beating it on high and the heat from the bowl and the whip will eventually make the icing come together again. You can speed up the process by wrapping a hot dish towel around the bowl while the beating is going on. At some point the temperature of the butter will warm up enough that the whole curdly mess will suddenly turn into a bee-oo-tiful bowl of smooth icing. It's so cool to watch...I make my kids come over the watch when the icing breaks, but they're not as interested as I am, ha ha!
The opposite thing can happen, too, which is where you put the butter into the icing when it isn't cool enough, and it ends up being soupy. You can bring it back from this but it takes a little longer and involves stuffing a lot of bags of ice and frozen vegetables up under the mixer bowl while the whip is turning. (You can also refrigerate the bowl until it cools down, but that takes longer.)
ceshell Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Feb 05, 2006
Posts: 2739
Location: Sunny Southern California
Birthday: May 01
Posted:
Sun Aug 16, 2009 12:41 am
LOL, I agree with costumeczar...I love watching my broken IMBC come back together. It's like magic! I especially love it because in the recipe I use (from the Cake Bible) it specifically says if it breaks down it will be irreparable. I'm like: Oh yeah? Repair THIS, baby!!
Lately my butter has been too warm before adding so it's been the soupy kind of broken. I find that popping it in the fridge for 15 minutes works better than frozen veggies/ice packs - maybe my frozen veggies aren't cold enough because they just defrost before my icing comes back together
AFCakeBaker Newbie
Joined: Jul 24, 2009
Posts: 18
Posted:
Sun Aug 16, 2009 6:33 pm
I actually use a similar buttercream and my recipe says not to refridge....but maybe it's different. But you are right...it is my favorite buttercream !
I agree with everyone else on this...it can take a while - like 10 min or so, but your buttercream will come back together to this amazing buttercream!
I however made a rookie mistake the second time I made it. I am so new to baking and everything cake that I thought you could use meringue powder in place of egg whites. I followed the Wilton recipe on the side of the meringue powder can and got this amazing meringue all whipped up and then once I added the butter, I got this incredible mess - a soupy weird mess that NEVER came together. So, I asked a pastry chef and she laughed and said nope - you have to use real egg whites!! Meringue powder doesn't work as soon as you add a protein...so, no cutting corners for me! I went back to egg whites and whalllllah - perfect IMBC
Lesson learned I guess!
CakeMakar Forum Addict
Joined: May 24, 2008
Posts: 645
Location: Texas, where we do it all BIG!
Posted:
Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:27 pm
I made Alton Brown's recipe and it never ever came together. I whipped that thing forever, literally. I stuck it in the fridge and did it again the next day--never came to.
I have yet to try it again.
CakeWhizz Frequent Member
Joined: Jul 01, 2007
Posts: 352
Posted:
Tue Aug 25, 2009 11:53 pm
costumeczar wrote:
You had a broken buttercream! This is a chance to see the coolest thing that you'll see happen in the kitchen (yes, I'm an icing geek.) Like Rexy said, keep beating it on high and the heat from the bowl and the whip will eventually make the icing come together again. You can speed up the process by wrapping a hot dish towel around the bowl while the beating is going on. At some point the temperature of the butter will warm up enough that the whole curdly mess will suddenly turn into a bee-oo-tiful bowl of smooth icing. It's so cool to watch...I make my kids come over the watch when the icing breaks, but they're not as interested as I am, ha ha!
The opposite thing can happen, too, which is where you put the butter into the icing when it isn't cool enough, and it ends up being soupy. You can bring it back from this but it takes a little longer and involves stuffing a lot of bags of ice and frozen vegetables up under the mixer bowl while the whip is turning. (You can also refrigerate the bowl until it cools down, but that takes longer.)
I agree wholeheartedly with Costumeczar. To complicate matters, I find that results can also vary according to the brand of butter you use!
I don't know if this helps, but if my kitchen feels too warm, I'll pop the mixer bowl in the freezer for about 10 minutes before making the meringue. Despite all the hassle, I'm a hardcore SMBC fan and I won't consider using anything else.
prterrell Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Mar 20, 2007
Posts: 2634
Location: Newnan, GA
Posted:
Thu Aug 27, 2009 1:23 am
mrsmudrash wrote:
I agree with everyone else on this...it can take a while - like 10 min or so, but your buttercream will come back together to this amazing buttercream!
I however made a rookie mistake the second time I made it. I am so new to baking and everything cake that I thought you could use meringue powder in place of egg whites. I followed the Wilton recipe on the side of the meringue powder can and got this amazing meringue all whipped up and then once I added the butter, I got this incredible mess - a soupy weird mess that NEVER came together. So, I asked a pastry chef and she laughed and said nope - you have to use real egg whites!! Meringue powder doesn't work as soon as you add a protein...so, no cutting corners for me! I went back to egg whites and whalllllah - perfect IMBC
Lesson learned I guess!
Really??? I use the meringue powder every time and it ALWAYS turns out perfect. Real egg whites on the other hand, never works.
Williamus Junior Member
Joined: Aug 20, 2009
Posts: 60
Posted:
Thu Aug 27, 2009 10:09 am
I'm just going to add my two cents...I only use Italian Merengue Butter Cream...and yes, it is very temperature sensitive...but once you get the hang of it...there is nothing like it (I use confectioners sugar/butter/shortening for Piping roses...and only for piping roses).
sweetiesbykim Frequent Member
Joined: May 24, 2008
Posts: 231
Posted:
Mon Sep 21, 2009 1:48 pm
I love my SMBC when it works!!! Through trial and error, I have learned most of the tips mentioned above.
My process during the summer in my non-air conditioned cake room has been:
1. Cook egg whites, sugar and salt while hand whisking constantly. When mixture becomes smooth and soupy (120F), start beating with a hand mixer over the simmering water until it comes to temp.
2. Pour into KA bowl and beat in stand mixer for 12 minutes.
3. Take 1lb block of butter out of fridge AFTER 12 minutes of beating. Cut 1/2 lb of butter into TBSP pieces and add to mixture on med speed. Beat for 1 minute while cutting the other 1/2 lb of butter. **Adding hard cold butter prevents a soupy mess that would need to be refrigerated.
4. Add second 1/2 lb slowly, tbsp by tbsp every 10 seconds for last 1/4 lb, then it should start transforming into curd-like state and resume to creamy goodness. Hold ice packs and frozen veggies on sides of KA bowl (while beating) after all butter is added to start the curdling stage.
Tellis12 Frequent Member
Joined: Nov 10, 2005
Posts: 497
Location: Cincinnati, OH
Posted:
Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:04 am
I am so glad I've read this! I really want to try one. Can you leave a cake iced in meringue bc out of the fridge?
sweetiesbykim Frequent Member
Joined: May 24, 2008
Posts: 231
Posted:
Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:25 am
Tellis12 wrote:
I am so glad I've read this! I really want to try one. Can you leave a cake iced in meringue bc out of the fridge?
It depends how long. It's all butter, so it will act like butter left out on the counter for buttering toast. It's fine for sitting out during a party, reception, etc., but I keep it cold and refrigerated up to delivery time. It's not good eaten cold, though
__Jamie__ Forum SuperStar!
Joined: Aug 16, 2008
Posts: 5033
Location: The less seriously you take me, the better off we'll all be!
Posted:
Tue Sep 22, 2009 11:30 am
sweetiesbykim wrote:
Tellis12 wrote:
I am so glad I've read this! I really want to try one. Can you leave a cake iced in meringue bc out of the fridge?
It depends how long. It's all butter, so it will act like butter left out on the counter for buttering toast. It's fine for sitting out during a party, reception, etc., but I keep it cold and refrigerated up to delivery time. It's not good eaten cold, though
Yep.
And I'm kinda silly.....when I have a cake made for at home consumption, I take that puppy outta the fridge and break off chunks of cold hard SMBC.yum. Melts on your tongue!
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