Thank you so much for posting your pictures. I've been wanting to try this for a while but was intimidated. Your tips made it so easy and your recipe turned out perfect! I also added melted Andes Mint chips to the SMBC and used it to fill chocolate cupcakes. SO YUM. Thanks again for taking the time to make the process so clear!

Ooooooh!!! now that sounds GOOD!!! I'm so glad that you had good luck with the recipe and that the pictures helped you with the process.

Thanks for the pictures, this was a lot easier then I expected. I canât believe I waited so long to try it. I love love love the texture. Is it supposed to taste like butter? I know there is a lot of butter in it but really it tasted like creamy butter. Did I over or under beat it, not enough flavor? Would the salted butter make that much difference? This is the recipe I used:
4 egg whites
1 cup suger
26 TBL salted butter (that is all I had)
1 tsp Crème Bouquet

The salted butter makes a big difference in teh end flavor. I don't like using salted butter because you end up with a frosting that tastes VERY buttery. Try adding more flavoring though.. it will help. I add about 2 TBSP of vanilla to a recipe that size..

The first time I tried it I used 1/2 salted and 1/2 sweet (unsalted) butter.. then I switched to all sweet and have never looked back. There's really no comparison IMHO. Even with no flavoring, it doesn't taste like a stick of butter. Next time use unsalted butter and you will see what I mean.

Thank you jkalman. I will try both suggestions.

that is alot of butter, in my opinion for the recipe. Elissa Strauss recipe uses 5 sticks of butter for 10 ounces off eggs and 20 ounces of sugar (thats off the top of my head, so it may not be exactly accurate)

What recipe do you use lilthorner?

26 TBSP of butter is 3 1/4 sticks.. that's not really a lot. Most recipes I have seen call for 4 sticks per about 5 egg whites. I usually use 3, but I have used 4 sticks of unsalted butter per 5 egg whites and it didn't taste like a stick of butter at all.

i did figure it to sticks but it still seemed like alot.

I usually use either Elissa Strauss recipe:
20 ounces sugar (2 3/4c plus 3T)
10 ounces egg whites (1 1/4 cup- about 10 whites)
20 ounces butter (5 sticks)

or my recipe from school (tastes good too lol):
1c egg whites (about
16 oz sugar
6 sticks of butter

the school recipe is closer to the ratio of butter to eggs, but look at the sugar.

Jeanne, what does your recipe look like?

It's posted at the start of the thread, but I usually do:

20 egg whites
4 cups sugar
12 sticks of butter
1/4 c of vanilla

I adapted my original recipe from one that called for 5 EW, 1 cup sugar, 4 sticks of butter (1/2 and 1/2 salted and un), and 2 tsp vanilla. SO I upped the flavoring.. it was better. Then I saw Shirley's IMBC that had 3 sticks of butter rather than 4 and I tried it for my SMBC.. took out one stick of salted butter and liked it more. Then I decided to try it with all unsalted and I loved it.. soooo much better. So I used that for a long time, but one day I was making a big batch and added too much butter and it was beautiful so now I just throw it all in. So I use 16 sticks now.

As long as it's unsalted butter it is fine. The minute you use salted butter it starts to taste more and more like butter and less like the SMBC I have come to love.

the recipe i use has 4 egg whites and 3 sticks of butter.

Thank you all for sharing. I guess I have some experimenting to do.

Thank you so much for sharing.

It looks great.

Good Luck.

Thanks for sharing; I will have to give it a try. I don't think I have ever had it.

this is so cool... i have to try this recipe and how you ice your cake... thanks for sharing jkalman

ceshell,

Thanks for the information. I will try the powdered whites, as I like to have other options. And I'll most definately start freezing my yolks.

I made SMBC with melted white chocolate and boy was it yummy! I didn't even want to bother with cake!

I have a question... can you use this SMBC under fondant instead of a crusting buttercream? I've tried it by itself and LOVE it, but I do a lot of fondant work and my clients like a layer of frosting underneath the fondant. I've always felt like the weight of the fondant would just squish the SMBC, not to mention referigerator problems. ??

u can use SMBC under fondant.. when I do it (not often becasue my folks like sweet buttercream LOL.. I chill it first. I use just about the same amount that i would if there was no fondant..roll out the fondant, then get the cake out and cover it.. no smashing.. now if u wait a bit with the cake out and it gets soft like butter, then you will have smashing..

but plenty of people use it under fondant

hmmm......I'll have to give that a try. Thanks!

I use it under fondant all the time too and like lilthorner I smooth it out and pop it in the fridge and then cover it. If you don't chill it the SMBC will smoosh all over the place.

I freeze yolks all the time too.. they have MANY uses. You can add sugar or salt to them depending on what you will be using them for (I'm thinking hollandaise vs. pastry cream). I freeze them in ice cube trays and one cube counts for 2 yolks. Add 1/2 tsp salt or 1 TBSP sugar per 1 cup of yolks.. and make sure you label them so you kow what you have.

I am new at this and after reading all about the praises of SMBC, I really want to try it. However, I don't have a stand mixers, I just have a hand mixer. Can it be done with a hand mixer since there's no paddle tool for the hand mixer? Thank you.

I'm wondering the same thing, I have my grandmothers Mixmaster with 2 beaters....no paddle, will it work?? I made meringue in it the other day and it turned out lovely.....

I still can't believe how good this is. I feel a little silly. I have been obsessed with this all weekend. Now I want to make orange creamsicle cupcakes. I see in the recipe you posted that you use orange curd to flavor yours. Would orange gelatin or orange extract work just as well?

Originally posted by fat-sissy in another thread:

French Buttercream Recipe courtesy Duff Goldman, Charm City Cakes, Baltimore Maryland
Show: Food Network Challenge
Episode: Challenge: Elvis Birthday Cakes





10 egg whites
15 ounces sugar
2 1/2 pounds unsalted butter, at room temperature
Special Equipment: 5-quart mixer with bowl and whip attachment, rubber spatula


*Cook's Note: Make sure to have a completely clean and dry mixing bowl when you start your process. Any fat or liquid at all in the bowl will stunt the protein development of the albumen (egg white protein) and you will not have a proper meringue at the end. The results could be disastrous.
Start whipping egg whites slowly in the mixer until foamy. Increase the speed of the mixer and slowly start adding the sugar until all the sugar is incorporated. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed of the mixer even more and whip until the mixture is shiny and stiff. You now have a meringue. You know when your meringue is done when you pull out the whip, hold it horizontally, and if you have what looks a "sparrow's beak" on the end of the whip.

Replace the whip, turn the mixer on medium and start adding the butter a bit at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer on high and let mix; depending on the weather, the buttercream could take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to form. You will know when it has formed when you hear the motor of the mixer start to slow down and whine a little bit; also, when you first add the butter, your meringue will break down and look weird and this is what you want. When the buttercream is done, the mixture will be homogeneous, consistent, and tasty.

Remove the buttercream from the bowl and transfer to an airtight container. Buttercream can be kept at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for a 1 to 2 weeks, but always use warm buttercream when icing a cake. To warm up the buttercream, put it back in the mixer using the whip or the paddle, and apply direct heat with a propane torch you can find at any hardware store.


This recipe was provided by professional chefs and has been scaled down from a bulk recipe provided by a restaurant. The Food Network Kitchens chefs have not tested this recipe, in the proportions indicated, and therefore, we cannot make any representation as to the results.

i'm planning to use this recipe for my father-in-law bday cake. im just wondering, is it ok to flavor SMBC with peppermint oil? or it will taste horrible? has anyone tried this before? what does it tastes like?

I was teaching a young girl the other day and when she came she did not bring enough icing with her. I had some smbc already made up. I decided since she was learning I would try mixing the 2 so we could see if it would still be pipeable. Well, it tasted GREAT!!!! It was a little soft so we only iced the cake with it, but it was really really yummy!
Rebecca

Thanks cupcakeshoppe, I will definitely give it a try. I am excited to see what happens.

Hi
I am a newbie and would love to try this recipe but I have several questions which I am hoping you can help with. Hope you are comfy coz this may take a while.

1. I am from across the pond and we don't do 'sticks' of butter -could someone clarify how many grams are in a stick?

2. I know from the previous posts you can use SMBC under fondant - however can it be used in the layers as well as under the fondant? ( I know from a 'taste' perspective it will be a yes but someone mentioned it needs to be refrigerated to prevent it slipping - I am doing a Thomas the Tank birthday cake and due to the shape will need several layers for height, as far as I know you don't put fondant cakes in the fridge once covered so my worry is the layers will slip and the cake will be ruined - I usually use a buttercream similar to the recipe for the American buttercream ( I always get complimented on the taste - honest)

3. Can someone recommend a sponge recipe for using SMBC as a dessert type cake - my cake is usually firm so i can cut and sculpt the sponge and would like something a bit lighter for unsculpted work. I know some people use box mixes - I always bake from scratch and would probably not be able to get hold of the mixes normally used - any suggestions would be great.

4. Forgive my ignorance but what is the difference between yellow cake and white cake? I have seen a recipe for WASC but never for yellow cake - i don't know if that is the US equivalent to our normal sponge cake - is the difference taste, texture, versatility or none of these.

5. Whats a sheet cake - is this just a rectangular sponge cake?

Sorry for the mammoth post but you guys are just so inspiring and knowledgeable and i'm desperate to try out some of the suggestions i have found on CC but a lot of the terminology used means nothing to me - we don't have butter sticks, sheet cakes or WASC in Scotland . I've done several cakes all covered in fondant but never attempted to vary the sponge recipe so any help you can offer would be fantastic.

Thanks
AnneMarie