I don’t like shorting based recipes. I’m a fan of real butter and I don’t like super sweet either. I’m just as much about the taste of my products as I am about the design and this recipe is one of the best ever. It is a little more difficult then others but I promise it is worth it. You can any flavoring to this, vanilla, almond, strawberry, Nutella, chocolate. It doesn’t crust though.
Ingredients
- 2 cups sugar
- 2/3 cup water
- 6 egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
- 1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 1/4 lbs of unsalted butter, softened
- 3 teaspoons of vanilla/ or chosen extract or flavor
Instructions
- Combine sugar and water in saucepan and bring to a boil. Cover and let boil 3-5 minute until sugar dissolves, uncover and continue boiling until syrup reaches 238° on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage).
Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt, and beat on medium-high speed until stiff but not dry; do not over beat.
When syrup reaches 240 degrees pour 1/4 cup of syrup into egg white mixture. With mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming, about 3 minutes. Add rest of syrup slowly and beat for 8-12 min., or till cool, so butter will not melt.
In separate bowl cream butter. Add butter bit by bit, beating until spreadable, 3 to 5 minutes; beat in vanilla or chosen extract. If icing curdles, keep beating until smooth, may still be too warm. Use Immediately!
If you wanna do chocolate, melt 10oz of semi sweet chocolate, let cool and slowly add in.
i use this recipe too it tastes best
I discovered IMBC this spring and don't ever want to go back to traditional buttercream with crisco. This has perfect flavor!
This is one of my favorite recipes. It is so versatile and lends well to any flavor or addition for a filling. You can also store in the fridge up to a week. just bring to room temp and whip up prior to frosting cake.
Can you still put fondant detailing on a cake using this icing?
Yes you can cupcakegirl, its get a little softer at room temp then others but the taste is amazing. I just don't let it sit all day at room temp, if that helps.
Pair this buttercream with a dark chocolate ganache (filling or borders). the two mix so well together!
So this sounds as it taste great but does not hold up well in the heat right? Iam so sick of butter cream with shortening but they hold up .. let me know :)
I agree IMBC all the way. I will not use anything else, unless requested by client. Usually I can talk them into the IMBC.
Okay, I know that IMBC tastes better, but then what do you use to do borders, flowers, decorations, etc???
I am making my daughters wedding cake. My first one. Does this icing crack?
if you put fondant on this can you keep it out overnight?
by sure are you talking powdered sugar?
I absolutely love IMBC! I haven't tried this recipe, but I will next time! The last few times I've made the recipe I have, I had major issues with. Humidity, heat, are not friends with IMBC. It really should be kept in the fridge, until the last possible moments.
granulated or powdered sugar??
Granulated
the only problem i had was the humidity and storing the cake afterwards. i put it in the fridge and the icing cracked. if anyone knows a better way to store a done cake and how to beat the humidity let me know
This icing is DELICIOUS but you really can't pipe with it. It's way too soft, I put it in the fridge and it got too hard and cracked. It's also impossible to smooth. But the taste is incredible! If I don't care how smooth the cake is, I'm definitely using this one!
You should really add a little bit of sugar about a half a cup to the egg whites after they reach a stiff peak it will help hold it together and make it a little bit stiffer as well. Be sure to rain the sugar into the whites though!
I love this recipe. It takes more time and work to make but it's worth it. If you're looking for a creamy buttercream this is it. I use this recipe to ice the cake and then a stiff buttercream for flowers and piping.
He can this be used for cupcakes?
Yumcake: It is a buttercream, just cooked. It's fantastic for cupcakes. Not so sweet! :)
You really use granulated sugar with this? Not powdered? Just making sure. Thanks
Do you have keep this refrigerated? Can you use as a crumb coating?
sdrb84: it's a granulated sugar. your dissolving it into water and turning it into a syrup to pour into your egg whites. =]
ooops you're not your...wasn't paying attention.
I just made this and I now have italian buttercream soup. On the other hand though, it DOES taste reallllly good!!!!!!
I have seen egg whites in many frosting recipes like this one & there is no mention of cooking it (other than the sugar syrup) so I am wondering if there are any chances of salmonella poisoning with uncooked eggs? Or does the heated syrup bring the egg whites to a temperature safe to eat? Just curious. The recipe sounds wonderful I just can't help but wonder about the raw egg whites.
Also, does this go well covered in fondant?
I just got the buttercream soup. Do anyone knows how to fix it? Do you have an idea of what I did wrong? overbeating? HELP!!!!!
For those of you who are getting soup, just keep beating. I promise it will feel like forever, but it WILL turn fluffy. Beat the eggs forever and then beat the butter in forever. If you have a hand mixer you should expect to beat it for at LEAST 20 minutes. If you have a stand mixer put it on high and let it go. It will go from soupy to curdled looking. Once it is curdled looking you are almost there! And be sure the bottom of your bowl is cool to the touch or your egg mixture will be too hot for the butter. Keep trying you won't regret it! Whatever you do, don't refrigerate the soup to harden it and then try to rewhip it cold. It will separate and be ruined!
My imbc looks fabulous but tastes like butter...where did I go wrong? Did I not use enough sugar? Any way to fix it now so I don't have to throw it all away? Maybe add powdered sugar?
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how much does this make?
I tried this so many times. always soupy. I learned from a chef, two things I did wrong and corrected but still got soup. He said crystals on the pan needs to be eliminated with wet brush. cua the crystallation will run syrup. OK, that makes sense. He also said when adding syrup to egg whites, again, don't let stream hit side of metal bowl., for same reason, crystaling. I have a metal whip, but he said that was ok. Then my next error, what trying to whip the butter with the egg whites mixture. He said oil and water won't mix. You need to just fold it together. This also made sense....... still soupy. any suggestions other that what is above. I admit I did put it in fridge to save it, knowing that butter will harden there. But now I see this was incorrect thinking. Please help