Have any of you ever make the Whimisical Bakehouse buttercream? I love the book and have tried 4 times to make her buttercream (not her mom's IMBC) and I always get a xxx sugar aftertaste. She uses boiling water with the sugar and beats it till cool then adds the shortening, butter, flavoring. I even tried boiling heavy cream instead of the water and it's still there. I did email her and she told me to try a different brand of sugar. I usually use CK so I tried Domino's and found the same aftertaste. I beat that stuff till my Kitchen Aid couldn't take any more. The texture is wonderful but no one I've served it to likes the aftertaste.

Thanks
Colleen

I exclusively use this icing for all my cakes.I have never had a sugar after taste but then the sugar here in Canada may be different.We get our confectioners sugar from Rogers sugar which supplies all of Canada...

Is there a trick that I am missing when making this? I boil the water, mix it with the xxx, beat till cool, add high ratio shortening (sweetex), unsalted butter, popcorn salt, and flavorings (I thinks that's all, I don't have my book right here in front of me) and I beat it for at least 15-20 min till doubled and smooth. I just can't get the xxx taste to go away. It has a grainy taste to me. I would love to get this down. Do you mix yours with IMBC? I did do that once and still could taste it.

Thank you

I don't use any of the salts..I boil the water..add it to the icing sugar to make a slurry.After it is cooled I add the butter and shortening.Oh yeah I also add the clear vanilla too..I don't use any salt because the butter is salted.Mine never tastes grainy...Hmmmm

I'll try some salted butter instead. Do you sift your xxx first?

Nope..I never sift....But I do make sure that all the sugar is melted into the water.scraping the bottom etc...

I'll try one more time on thursday. thanks for your help
Colleen

Anytime....Make sure you are re-beating the slurry once it cools and comes out of the fridge.

I just made a batch of this tonight and I too never add salt, use salted butter instead and it is one of my favorite BC's to use as a filling too because it is sooo creamy and smooth.

what do you mean rebeat it after it cools down? I beat it about 10 min or so until it cools after I add the boiling water, then add the rest of the ingredients. Are you supposed to refrigerate it first. Somehow that part wasn't in the directions in the book.

You beat it at first until it becomes a slurry.Then refridgerate it for about 10-15 miniutes.When it comes out it will be kinda crusty so you have to rebeat it.Then add the cold butter and room temp shortening.

what do you mean rebeat it after it cools down? I beat it about 10 min or so until it cools after I add the boiling water, then add the rest of the ingredients. Are you supposed to refrigerate it first. Somehow that part wasn't in the directions in the book.

I recheck the book and nothing was said about that, so maybe that is the problem!!! Thanks= where did you get the recipe that you use?

I got mine from the Whimsical Bakehouse Book....

I use this icing all the time. I don't put in the fridge though. I meausre Domino's sugar and popcorn salt and flavors, heat water in microwave for about 2 minutes, mix the hot water with sugar stuff, I use my paddle and mix at low speed for about 10-15 minutes, add alpine and butter, beat for about 15-20 minutes.

The book does stress to make sure after adding the hot water that you allow it to cool before adding shortening and butter.

The problem I have sometime is after putting icing in fridge and get it out next day. I have a hard time getting it really smooth as the first day. The book says let it sit for awhile at room temp, but for some reason I can't get that part right.

I just put mine in the fridge for a bit to cool the slurry down..not to actually make it cold.

I reread the recipe last night and I understood to beat until cool (like IMBC), so that's what I have been doing. I beat for about 10 min or so until the bowl is cool and the mixture feels cool. I'll try your way and hopefully I can get this to work for me.

Thanks loads!

ohhhh I like this buttercream too, but it is a little too soft to use for some decorating.

Actually I do all my borders,roses etc with it the key it to keep it very cold.

kiddiecakes - have you ever subbed the house buttercream for the whipped cream in the oreo filling? I want to put oreo filling in a cake for this weekend but don't want to have to worry about how long it has been out of the fridge. My understanding is that the house buttercream doesn't have to be refridgerated.
Also, have you ever put it under fondant. If I crumb coat a cake and the stick it in the fridge does it get hard like swbc? My thought is make the house buttercream, mix oreos in some and use as a filling. Ice with the rest, stick in the fridge until the icing is firm, and then cover with fondant. Will this icing work for this?
Thanks!
Holly

I use to use this buttercream all the time, but I had a few issues with it. It does whip up very nice and the taste is awesome, but it doesn't hold color very well at all. The color seems to separate. Now I use it only to fill cakes or cupcakes.

I have never put mine in the fridge, I have the Kitchenaid pro with the bowl that raises and place an ice pack under the bowl as the sugar and water mix for about 10 minutes. I have also never had the aftertaste you are talking about though, maybe try a bit more flavoring? I use Magic line butter/vanilla emulsion from Country Kitchen Sweetart to flavor mine.
Also it does really well under fondant but it will not crust/get hard and does not have to stay in the fridge. (Although the book says to store it in the fridge tightly sealed for up to 2 weeks)
Tracy

Hollylikescakes...Yes..I use the house BC all the time instead of whipped cream for the oreo cookie filling.The cream tends to get watery after a day or so and the cookies get mushy..Just saves the hassle of having to refridgerate.Yes..I also use it under fondant.It doesn't get hard just cold.

Onemissa....I had that issue at one also and I found it was the shortening..I was using high ratio and it made the colors seperate.I switched back to Crisco and have never had a problem..I use Americolor and it colors it very vivid all the time.

I just got this book yesterday and I am going to try this shortening as I also have a slight gritty taste . Seems to get better after the icing sits for a day or so though but still. One question, does it crust at all?

I would like to try something like Indys bc and mix it with Whimsical's direction and add a little butter.

Thanks for this thread, hopefully it wills save me from making some first time mistakes.

JustToEatCake.....no...it doesn't crust at all so sometimes it is not very forgiving it you bump a finished cake etc...Ask me how I know!!

Thanks for the advice!! This will be what I use. My kids wanted to combine their birthdays and have one big party, but they both still wanted their own cake design. Sounded great at the time, but there is no way I can fit two cakes in my fridge.

I have never put fondant over a icing that was still soft. I guess I should just ice a real thin layer. Seems like it is going to be smooshing around in there when I try to smooth out the fondant.

Hey guys,
I'm new to this forum and am attempting this icing today but its a little thin. It tastes wonderful but am wondering what to add to thicken it up so it will be thick enough to spread on a cake. Right now I'm pretty sure it would just slide off..

Thanks in advance.

By the way I used a recipe from a different website (like an idiot) that said it was the Whimisical Bakehouse Buttercream recipe so maybe she was wrong about the measurements?

My recipe I used is as follows...

In mixer bowl, stir together:

6 cups powdered sugar
1/8 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla

Using whip attachment, add and whip on low speed:

1 cup boiling water (3/4 cup on hot days)

Whip until smooth and is cool.

Add and whip until smooth again:

2 3/4 cup hi-ratio shortening or regular vegetable shortening
6oz (1 1/2 sticks) butter; slightly chilled and cut into 1" pieces

Turn up mixer to medium-high. Whip until double in volume and is light and fluffy. About 10-20 minutes. recipe will almost fill a 5qt mixer bowl when done.

Thanks everyone. The was delicous mixed with oreos as filling in chocolate cake I made this weekend. : ) And I love not having to worry about keeping it in the fridge.

Please also see:

http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopicp-6738905.html#6738905

HTH