Imbc---Yuck!

Baking By buttercream_dreams Updated 2 Jul 2008 , 5:04pm by beemarie

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buttercream_dreams Posted 20 Jun 2008 , 11:29pm
post #1 of 32

Ok, so for the first time today i made IMBC. I used the recipe and followed instructions from cakelove on youtube.

I absolutely LOVE the texture, it is soo silky and smooth..however, i find it REALLY gross.

I actually added 1/4 - 1/2 cup of icing sugar to the finished product to increase the sweetness a bit, which sort of helped for my overall opinion..but i still am having a hard time with it.

can you use margarine/shortening or even a 50/50 mix and cut out the butter all together?

or is there a recipe for icing/bc that produces the same texture as IMBC/SMBC?

sometimes I think a straight buttercream is a must...othertimes its just a little too much.
jmo- and i'm sure many of you think i am CRAZY!
but any insight/help/tips would be great.

31 replies
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JanH Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:20am
post #2 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by buttercream_dreams

I absolutely LOVE the texture, it is soo silky and smooth..however, i find it REALLY gross.




The type of icing you enjoy is a personal preference. icon_smile.gif
(All the different types of icings have their fans!)

What exactly do you find gross?

What do you expect to accomplish by substituting different fat/s for the butter?

Overview of different icing types:

http://tinyurl.com/yh44gu

ShirleyW's IMBC recipe uses less butter than most:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2426-Italian-Meringue-Buttercream--Shirleys-Method.html

HTH

[/i]

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LeanneW Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:28am
post #3 of 32

I guess it is just personal preference. I like IMBC because it isn't sweet.

Try adding different extracts like almond or just a bit more vanilla.

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KHalstead Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:30am
post #4 of 32

I'm kinda with you. I think it tastes like you're eating JUST butter! But then again, regular buttercream is a bit on the sweet side for me. Have you tried a whipped style icing?? Like rich's bettercreme........it's smooth and silky and doesn't taste like butter!

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julzs71 Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:30am
post #5 of 32

There are different kinds of icing. What did you use? I like the Shirley's and the one Jan did.

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sweetiemama Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:40am
post #6 of 32

Well....buttercream dreams, I had the same opinion you did when I tried my first SMBC. I really thought I would never try it again, except for all of the persistence of CC'ers. I read countless times how many loved their meringue buttercreams. I had also read how wonderful they are to smooth and decorate with.
My first try, my family was disgusted with the butter taste. Don't get me wrong...we love butter here in this house. But it seemed like we were eating a sweetened stick of butter. I really wanted to find a great meringue butter cream though, as that is what many people around my area expect on a wedding cake and that is/will be my focus for my cakes. I finally decided to try another recipe here. I think it is Melysa's for smbc. I had seen some posts about her recipe and decided to go for it. I thought it would not be much different from the first recipe....but I was wrong! My husband though it was great, and he was the most adamant the first time that I not use a meringue buttercream. He thought my cake tasted "professional", as in, from a bakery.
Melysa's recipe is on CC. I will try to post the link also. Give it a shot....it really is worth it! And....sooooo easy to smooth! I think it takes me two minutes versus 15 with American buttercream.
Good Luck! thumbs_up.gif
p.s. Melysa-THANK YOU!

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Wendoger Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:41am
post #7 of 32

I find that most adults like the IMBC because of the non-sweet factor.
On the other hand, most kids don't care for it.
I love the stuff....my friend got me hooked on it not long ago...I LOVE it !

Its the main request from my husbands friends at workicon_wink.gif

Gross is pretty harsh....I dont think anything made with sugar is grossicon_wink.gif

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fiddlesticks Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:46am
post #8 of 32

Great thread because ..I just pm.d a few people tonight on wanting to know a recipe to try and how much you can decorat with it etc ! Im not sure I have ever even tasted it ! I do Love the look of decor done with it though !

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Lenette Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 3:02am
post #9 of 32

I think the big thing with meringue buttercream is that you have to flavor it otherwise it has no taste. Use a good vanilla and at least a tablespoon maybe one and a half tablespoons.

You can use fruit purees, stir in some curd...careful though it is not as resilient as pwd sugar bc and can break on you. Add a little taste and maybe add a little more.

HTH and good luck with it. As someone said above each type of bc has it's fans perhaps this just isn't your thing. icon_smile.gif

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jdelectables Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 3:07am
post #10 of 32
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melysa Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 3:19am
post #11 of 32

sweetiemama, thank you! so glad you like the recipe!

wendoger, i dont think i've met a kid yet who thought smbc is gross. they always gobble it up!

lenette, heeehheeeee, i put like, FOUR tablespoons! i love intense flavor.

jdelectables, thanks for posting a link.

buttercream dreams, i hope you'll give it a try. its yummy yummy! i too hated my first batch. i had to try at least 3 or 4 recipes before i found one that suited my tastes. this one also has nearly half the butter as alot of recipes i've seen, and of course, much more flavoring. its also best eaten at room temp so it doesnt feel like you are eating butter, more like cream.

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pinkbox Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 3:44am
post #12 of 32

Here is the link to melysa's SMBC

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipes_fileid-print-recipeid-6927.html

My question is... refridgeration... is this icing only a stand alone icing? Or can you cover it in fondant?

Does it have to stay refridgerated? Would love to try it.

Coloring... does it hold color well?? Or is it good for pastels only.

THank you EXPERTS!!

Kim

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SweetResults Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 3:45am
post #13 of 32

You MUST add some kind of flavoring - vanilla or something else, or all you taste is butter. Which can still be good - but much better when you add a flavor.

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beemarie Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 3:55am
post #14 of 32
Quote:
Quote:

can you use margarine/shortening or even a 50/50 mix and cut out the butter all together?




I have tried substituting margarine for butter once, and it came out a soupy mess, so no, you cannot use margarine. I think there is much more water in margarine than in butter. I haven't used shortening as a substitute, but I don't think that would work, either. Just a guess though.

Keep trying, however! It is the best!

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JanH Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 6:23am
post #15 of 32

Both butter and margarine have a minimum of 80% fat and a maximum of 20% water:
(Shortening is 100% fat, 0% water.)

http://www.ochef.com/864.htm

Shortening and IMBC/SMBC:

http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-581860-.html

HTH

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Wendoger Posted 22 Jun 2008 , 2:22pm
post #16 of 32

Here is just a bit of info I've had save for a while on the difference between IMBC and SMBC....

Swiss and Italian meringues are used for frosting a cake, or as a filling to flavor the center. Swiss meringue frosting or buttercream involves heating egg whites and fine sugar to 110°F and, to avoid coagulating the eggs, constantly mixed at this temperature. When the sugar is no longer grainy, it is whipped to a high foam, like the consistency of marshmallow. Once this texture is achieved, soft butter and shortening are added to create this classic frosting.

Italian meringue buttercream frosting is stable and generally preferred by pastry chefs, as this icing is still excellent after going through a freeze/thaw cycle. Sugar is cooked in water to 240°F to create a simple syrup and slowly poured into egg whites while beating them in the mixer.

Meringue-based buttercream frostings are very light and have excellent delivery of flavor and texture, and seal tortes perfectly, giving them excellent shelf life frozen or refrigerated.

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melysa Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 5:05am
post #17 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by pinkbox

Here is the link to melysa's SMBC

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipes_fileid-print-recipeid-6927.html

My question is... refridgeration... is this icing only a stand alone icing? Or can you cover it in fondant?

Does it have to stay refridgerated? Would love to try it.

Coloring... does it hold color well?? Or is it good for pastels only.

THank you EXPERTS!!

Kim




kim, this can be safely left out at room temperature (68-70 ideal) for up to a day and a half. i do it often, never had a problem. in high heat though (example a parked car) it will spoil quickly.

if you wish to cover your cake in fondant, chill the frosted cake well (an hour is good) and work quickly with the fondant. most of my smbc cakes have fondant over them.

color- yes. depending on which color though. the frosting , especially if you use pure vanilla, will have a beige color, yellowish from the butter and brown from the vanilla. so for example if you are going for blue, you'll have to work harder at mixing until you get the right shade you're looking for. reds, oranges, yellows, etc, those are easy. but it will be slightly different than if you started with white white icing. look at my cupcakes, some are pastel smbc, but alot of them are very bright intense colors.

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Mamas Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 8:02am
post #18 of 32

hmmmm . . . I am intrigued by this SMBC of which you speak . . .
I absolutely hate the taste of buttercreme and really can not understand the love affair people seem to have going on with it.
Is there a way to get the SMBC white? Sorry if thats a silly question but most of my folks expect their icing to be white and I would have to give an hour dissertation on why the icing is beige not spoiled.

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melysa Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 3:12pm
post #19 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by Mamas

hmmmm . . . I am intrigued by this SMBC of which you speak . . .
I absolutely hate the taste of buttercreme and really can not understand the love affair people seem to have going on with it.
Is there a way to get the SMBC white? Sorry if thats a silly question but most of my folks expect their icing to be white and I would have to give an hour dissertation on why the icing is beige not spoiled.




i am used to making my smbc with brown sugar 9 times out of 10, so i get used to thinking it is beige. but when i do use white sugar it is alot brighter and "normal" looking. it has a slight tint just like as if you'd make american buttercream with real butter and vanilla, but its not drastically different.

i'll post a couple examples for you in a minute.

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buttercream_dreams Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 3:19pm
post #20 of 32

thanks guys, maybe i should just keep trying with it..i havent yet put it on a cake/cupcakes so maybe with the combination of cake and icing, i will like it better.
I dont know how much 5 sticks of butter is..is it equal to one lb. or two cups?
if so, then that is the amount i used. i am actually going to play around with this a bit, and let you what happens..but thanks again for all of your help and insight.

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melysa Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 3:19pm
post #21 of 32

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1182692 brown sugar and pure vanilla smbc

http://www.cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1160987 white sugar and pure vanilla smbc

as a customer, i'd honestly be more concerned about hearing why the frosting on my cake would be pure white (shortening and powdered sugar? yuk) than to have the natural color of decent ingredients (real butter, brown sugar and pure vanilla). just my thoughts~ but like you can see, the color difference is obvious between using white or brown sugar in the smbc. same amounts of vanilla.

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melysa Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 4:13pm
post #22 of 32
Quote:
Originally Posted by buttercream_dreams

thanks guys, maybe i should just keep trying with it..i havent yet put it on a cake/cupcakes so maybe with the combination of cake and icing, i will like it better.
I dont know how much 5 sticks of butter is..is it equal to one lb. or two cups?
if so, then that is the amount i used. i am actually going to play around with this a bit, and let you what happens..but thanks again for all of your help and insight.




5 sticks is equivelant to 2 and 1/2 cups or 1 and 1/4 pounds.

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awolf24 Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 5:12pm
post #23 of 32

I use Shirley's IMBC and absolutely love it:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2426-0-Italian-Meringue-Buttercream--Shirleys-Method.html

I can eat it plain by the spoonful but have found that you can't really appreciate it until you eat it WITH cake. Compared to traditional "American" BC, yes, it is much more buttery and less sweet but paired with cake - it is AMAZING. It compliments the sweetness of the cake, instead of overpowering it with sweetness like the American BC recipes tend to.

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fiddlesticks Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 5:13pm
post #24 of 32

melysa.. So instead of the 2-1/2cups white sugar you add the same amount of Brown sugar?? packed or not packed ! Thanks

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melysa Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 5:14pm
post #25 of 32

yup, packed~

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fiddlesticks Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 5:18pm
post #26 of 32

Thanks !The links you posted.. The icing sure looks delicious !!!! Can you make flowers etc with this icing ?

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akslice Posted 23 Jun 2008 , 6:10pm
post #27 of 32

How does the brown sugar icing take color?

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melysa Posted 24 Jun 2008 , 2:51am
post #28 of 32

fiddlesticks, i'm not an accomplished bc flower maker LOL, so i cant speak firsthand, but i hear often and have seen countless cakes with smbc/imbc flowers without issue. merissa here on cc is a good example, i know she has several floral cakes . if you google cupcake cafe, you'll see that its what they use too.

akslice, its a little harder to get the exact shade you want when you use brown sugar. but it will take color and hold it (it wont bleed out as long as its emulsified well into the bc). and honestly you cant beat the flavor when you use b. sugar, its so flavorful. i often will use less vanilla then too because the bs lends its own flavor intensity.

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fiddlesticks Posted 24 Jun 2008 , 3:03am
post #29 of 32

melysa. Thanks so much for the answers!

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melysa Posted 24 Jun 2008 , 3:14am
post #30 of 32

of course icon_smile.gif

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