I found dried egg white at several different health food stores. It's called "Just Whites" by Deb El. You can buy it online too but of course you'll probably get creamed on shipping. No pun intended!

The cool thing is, it has a pretty long shelf life so you just use what you need and put the rest in the cupboard, unlike if you get pasteurized EW in the refrigerated section (these work too btw) where it expires a week after opening.

I always use pasteurized ew or dried ew for my IMBC.

This is my IMBC cake.. I have made roses with it with no problem.. you have to be patient with it though. It does get soft in the piping bag very quickly. It helps if you have a couple bags so you can alternate when one gets soft or work with small bags so you can refill would be good too.. maybe better. I love IMBC and SMBC and I use it on pretty much all of my cakes.. except kid cakes.. they like the sicky sweet PS buttercream..

oops.. might help to actually put the pcture in.. LOL.. please excuse it.. it was my first so it's not the best, but it all IMBC even the drop flowers..

Well, I'm not an expert by any means, but this is my little cake that I made to try out IMBC for the first time (it was so amazingly delicious)

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=371173

Thanks, everyone, for the great smoothing and decorating tips! My dh and I both really liked the taste of IMBC, but my kids didn't. So I mixed the IMBC with some buttercream that I had, and we found a new favourite for all of us! The blend is now my favourite.

I make my IMBC with the little cartons of pasteurized egg whites from the grocery store. I will definitely look for some powdered egg whites, too! I didn't know they were any different from meringue powder!

Beautiful cakes posted, all!

This is my very first wedding cake made a couple of years ago with my version of IMBC. The recipe is posted as "another meringue frosting" It's delicious and I think easier to make than IMBC.

opps wrong pic

Here's one of mine, a floral design in all IMBC.

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-photo_27043.html

RuthWells, that is stunning! The flowers are beautifully piped and in such rich, glossy colours. What a gorgeous cake!!

Aw, thanks! It's one of my favorites. I don't have nearly enough time to indulge in cakes as much as I'd like, but I live vicariously through all of you here. Antonia, I think I have about 20 of your pix saved in my favorites -- I love your style!

Alright, you guys talked me into it. I will definately try it!!! The only thing I'm worried about is feeling like I'm eating straight butter. That would make me gag! I've never had it before though so I'll give it a try! Thanks guys!

flavacakes, make sure u let it come to room temp before eating

I just wanted to pipe up and say that for those of you worried about the raw egg, it's cooked by the hot syrup in most IMBC recipes, which is cooked to 250 (or there abouts). Also, you can find pasteurized eggs in most supermarkets now, if you're still worried!

Happy Frosting!
-Michelle

Ok I am SICK of the traditional BC frosting, and I think after reading ShirleyW's comments everywhere about the IMBC, I am ready to give it a try. It sounds like a wonderful alternative. However, I have one question: Can IMBC be used to do piping on character cakes? I've seen several people do roses, but I didn't know about small details like piping stars to fill in a character cake....I do a lot of children's cakes for birthdays, and I'd like to be able to use a meringue frosting if it is possible. Does anyone have experience with this?...or should I just stick with the yucky Crisco BC?

Thanks guys! I'm excited to try it now.

melysa and ceshell, what recipe do you guys use?

Oh, and what flavoring to you like in it?

I use Rose Levy Berenbaum's "Mousseline Buttercream" which I found on baking911.com. I found it long before I found CC, but now I am very interested to try ShirleyW's recipe and also the Martha Stewart one that Antonia74 recommends.

Here's another thread about IMBC that can be quite helpful if for any reason it doesn't come together: http://cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-311373.html. If it's too cold or warm it will either curdle or separate into soup, but all you have to do is warm or cool it (warm hands or towel on the bowl, I've heard of people using a blowdryer...on the other end I've rubbed a bag of frozen peas all over it while mixing!) and keep mixing, and it magically comes back. Don't ever give up on IMBC . By the way I'm a novice baker so these tips aren't meant to impart my expertise as much as to pass along some of my "growing pains" as I learned to make it.

I have only used vanilla, or else I've combined it w/ganache to make chocolate, or hazelnut praline to make hazelnut...some day I'll try other flavors but those are my fav's so that's what I make

i'm "sampling" recipes from whimsical bakehouse, kate sullivan, margaret braun books etc.

the flavorings i've tried...

adding espresso or strong brewed coffee,

amaretto liquer

FRESH strawberry puree (not jam)

seriously, it makes all the difference. like ceshell, if i only do vanilla, i add ALOT.

Oh, thank you katskakes! It looks like I should be able to use IMBC on my cakes with no problem. Now I just need to make a practice cake to try making IMBC on my own. I hope it turns out!

lilmansmum, you should be fine with the stars, perhaps just refill often in small amounts so it doesnt melt in your hands as you pipe as suggested by someone else earlier.

i have a question....HAS ANYONE EVER USED IMBC TO MAKE A FBCT??? my son hates regular bc, but he actually likes the imbc.

Oh no, not that quickly! You'll be fine. Chill the cake(s) thouroughly overnight in the fridge and transport it in a closed box or boxes. Within only two hours, they should still be pretty cold and firm when you get them to the venue. (I do this in hot, hot summer weather here and we get into the 90's & 100's F, no problem.)

When you get to the venue, the cake can sit in room temp/very light air conditioning for 12+ hours, no worries. I've had cakes sit 18 hours and nothing has happened.

It will be cold and hard when you get there, so plan to let it sit at least 4-5 hours before you can cut it and eat it anyway. (Or the icing is cold and hard.)

I used Shirley's IMBC recipe for the first time not too long ago and I'm pretty sure it's why I've gained 3lbs. Shame on you Shirley, what are you trying to do make me fat! LOL. It was the best tasting icing I've ever had. This is the cake I made keep in mind it was the first time piping with IMBC and it was a very warm day.

I use IMBC exclusivly as well. You can view my web site or photo's. I use it under fondant too. It does take me a while to get it smooth and I don't care for it as "vanilla" flavored. It tastes too buttery. I do love it with semi sweet chocolate and strawberry and raspberry puree's. Like Helen said it is a process of putting a lot on the cake and taking it off to get it smooth. I always use powdered egg whites in mine just to be safe. I get mine at www.honeyvillegrain.com for a very reasonable price including shipping. Using the powdered egg whites is also more cost effective than real egg whites. My tip: When you are whipping your egg whites with the hot sugar syrup, wait until it cools to 115 degrees before adding your butter and make sure your butter is room temperature but not too soft. My recipe is a cross between WBH Kaye's recipe and Sylvia Weinstock's.
Jacqui

Shirley and Helen --
You are cake GODESSES!
Thank you for your useful tips. I can't wait to try it on a cake soon.

It was even good to hear that Shirley spent hours trying to smooth her cake -- I usually give up after 45 minutes.

Thanks again for all the great tips!

I really want to try IMBC but I have a few questions. 1. How much "flavoring" do you add (tsp,tbls,dollops, etc..) 2. How well does it crust? 3. Does IMBC cakes need to be kept in the fridge or freezer? This would be a great alternative to just BC. Thanks to all for your help and the pictures of all the cakes are just amazing - I just hope to someday be able to make flowers like those