CakeCentral.com Forum

IMBC - what did I do wrong? Goto page 1, 2  Next      CakeCentral.com Forum Index » Cake Disasters Author Message krm52200 Junior Member Joined: Sep 18, 2009 Posts: 30 Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 11:32 am  So this weekend I made Martha Stewart's recipe for Italian Meringue Buttercream. I followed the recipe to a "t" and for some reason ended up with soup. I then put it in the fridge hoping that chilling it would firm it up but it seperated (maybe the egg whites, not sure) and never got any thicker. It tasted good and had a super smooth texture but there was no way it would have stayed on a cake. Any thoughts? LaBellaFlor Forum SuperStar! Joined: Jan 16, 2009 Posts: 2066 Location: Enjoying C.C. while still dealing in the real world. Birthday: Jul 15 Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:14 pm  IMBC is easy to make, ONCE you get the temperatures down. For the most part it'll look runny and with more beating it begans to thicken up. If it's too cold it will curdle, too hot and you get the puddle. But let it beat and that puddle does tend to turn into the prettiest, smooth texture. costumeczar Forum SuperStar! Joined: Oct 18, 2007 Posts: 2590 Location: Henrico VA Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 12:42 pm  What recipe was it? Sometimes Martha's recipes aren't that balanced. It was most likely the temperature, but if you tell us the recipe it might help. krm52200 Junior Member Joined: Sep 18, 2009 Posts: 30 Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 1:03 pm  Here is the recipe. Like I said, I followed it exactly, using a candy thermometer to ensure the proper temperature. I would love to get it right, as I said, the texture and taste were great. I still have it in the fridge, maybe I can do something to salvage it. I let it beat forever but it never got any thicker. Thanks for any input Ingredients Makes 4 cups * 1 1/2 cups sugar * 5 large egg whites * Pinch of cream of tartar * 1 pound unsalted butter, cut into small pieces (4 sticks) * 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract Directions 1. In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 1/3 cup water to a boil. Boil until syrup reaches soft-ball stage (238 degrees.on a candy thermometer). 2. In an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, beat egg whites with an electric mixer on low until foamy. Add cream of tartar; beat on medium high until stiff but not dry. 3. With mixer running, pour syrup down side of bowl into egg whites in a steady stream, and beat on high speed until steam is no longer visible, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter a few pieces at a time. Add vanilla and beat until smooth. If it looks curdled at any point, keep beating to smooth out. costumeczar Forum SuperStar! Joined: Oct 18, 2007 Posts: 2590 Location: Henrico VA Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 5:24 pm  Reduce the sugar to 1 cup and boil it until it reaches 248 degrees. Thanks, Martha... Just make sure that the meringue is cool before you put the butter in, or else it will be soupy and you'll have to work harder to cool it down. krm52200 Junior Member Joined: Sep 18, 2009 Posts: 30 Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:46 pm  Thanks for the help, I will try your adjustments next time. Is there anything I can do to salvage what I already made or should I just start over again? costumeczar Forum SuperStar! Joined: Oct 18, 2007 Posts: 2590 Location: Henrico VA Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:54 pm  At this point it's probably too late to save it. If it's room temp and you whip it for a while and it doesn't come together you can try to put it back in the fridge and see if cooling it off for a while works. antonia74 Forum SuperStar! Joined: May 06, 2005 Posts: 2392 Location: Toronto/Kingston, CANADA Birthday: Aug 08 Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:54 pm  It says to start adding the butter only 3 minutes after the syrup has been added? No way. IMHO that isn't cool enough yet. You should be able to touch the bottom of the bowl and not feel heat. It's still blazing hot at that point and your butter would have just melted away. For this quantity of meringue, I'd guess closer to 10-15 minutes before the first pat of butter could go in. This is a great step-by-step how-to with photos to show you what it will look like at each stage. Hope it helps! http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/IMBC2.pdf costumeczar Forum SuperStar! Joined: Oct 18, 2007 Posts: 2590 Location: Henrico VA Posted: Mon Oct 05, 2009 6:59 pm  antonia74 wrote: It says to start adding the butter only 3 minutes after the syrup has been added? No way. IMHO that isn't cool enough yet. You should be able to touch the bottom of the bowl and not feel heat. It's still blazing hot at that point and your butter would have just melted away. For this quantity of meringue, I'd guess closer to 10-15 minutes before the first pat of butter could go in. This is a great step-by-step how-to with photos to show you what it will look like at each stage. Hope it helps! http://www.cakescanada.com/HowTo/IMBC2.pdf Yikes, sorry, I didn't even see that part! The meringue has to be cool before you can put the room temp butter in, otherwise it will melt. Again, Thanks, Martha! krm52200 Junior Member Joined: Sep 18, 2009 Posts: 30 Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 3:48 am  Thanks again for all your replies. I will just give it a try another day using the tutorial antonia posted. I think the bowl was cool enough, I've been cooking and baking for years so I knew better than to just start throwing butter in the hot syrup, despite what Martha says to do. Plus I had read a bunch of recipes and they all said to touch the bowl to make sure it was cool first. I guess I just didn't get it right this time. I don't know why I even used her recipe, I've never made anything else by her! Thanks again, CC'ers. Back to the drawing board rosiecast Frequent Member Joined: Jul 14, 2009 Posts: 236 Location: Hastings, NY Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 7:54 am  Hi, just wondering how IMBC is used. Is it used for filling? froting the cake? both? What does it taste like? (newbie here) costumeczar Forum SuperStar! Joined: Oct 18, 2007 Posts: 2590 Location: Henrico VA Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:25 am  It's used for fillings and frosting cakes. You flavor it with liquers, preserves, etc. Make sure to use unsalted butter, since people who have used salted report that it makes it taste too much like straight butter. I like it better than shortening-based buttercreams, since it isn't as sweet and it has a lower melting point, so it feels more like a whipped cream in your mouth. Some people prefer the sweeter shortening-based icings, it's just a matter pf preference. rosiecast Frequent Member Joined: Jul 14, 2009 Posts: 236 Location: Hastings, NY Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 8:43 am  Thanks costumeczar. I have a feeling I'll like this. Must try it!! I also like frostings that are not as sweet. prterrell Forum SuperStar! Joined: Mar 20, 2007 Posts: 2634 Location: Newnan, GA Posted: Tue Oct 06, 2009 11:31 am  I love Martha Stewart recipes...as a source for ideas. They ALWAYS have to be tweaked, however. debster Forum Fanatic Joined: Nov 28, 2005 Posts: 1737 Posted: Wed Oct 07, 2009 9:42 am  I use what antonia74 says, but what I learned I had the soupy problem from the stuff being so hot and the butter melting BAD, I take and put some ice cubes on the tray under my bowl of my kitchenaid and it makes it cool faster and works better. I have to make four batches today wish me luck!!!! It's been awhile. Display posts from previous:   All Posts1 Day7 Days2 Weeks1 Month3 Months6 Months1 Year  Oldest FirstNewest First     CakeCentral.com Forum Index » Cake Disasters Goto page 1, 2  Next You cannot post new topics in this forum You cannot reply to topics in this forum You cannot edit your posts in this forum You cannot delete your posts in this forum You cannot vote in polls in this forum You can attach files in this forum You can download files in this forum Translation: