I love this stuff....I always hesitated to try another icing recipe because I like the one I use (WBH) and I know what it can do and not do etc...and you know how and old dog is... however I had a customer decline to order from me recently because she said she didn't like shortening based icings and the way they made her mouth feel greasy so I thought Hmmmm maybe it is time I try another...

I got all the ingredients and made it this morning and it is divine!! It is so creamy....but I am unsure of how it will hold up...can you pipe borders and roses with it? How long will it keep in the fridge?

It was surprisingly easy to make and the ingredients aren't that expensive except the unsalted butter and egg whites but I can build that into the price of the cake.

Can anyone else give me more tips and info on this icing??


Laurel

i've been using cake love's IMBC recipe with wilton meringue powder and getting great results consistently.

You can piped borders, but you have to do it fast, b/c your hands would warm it up. Also the upside down method it's the best for frosting with this icing. I love the flavor and texture of IMBC but I can't use it during the summer in FL. they are perfect for cupcakes too. It keeps very well outside refrigeration too and you can decorate with dondant and gumpaste with no problems, just keep the decorations simple, b/c this icing is really delicate and you can't smooth any smoosh as easy as with ABC. Hope this helps.

Here is a pic of one of my first cakes, it was forsted with IMBC and decorated with fondant, also the winnie the pooh cake was done with IMBC

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1591456


Anna

Wow! What took you so long?

Especially with so many threads about IMBC and SMBC!

Anyway, yes you can use IMBC to pipe any and everything including borders and roses and the best part is, you don't have to change the consistency!

Remember, if you refrigerate it, you need to bring it back to room temp and then rewhip before using!

Should be good in the fridge for a month.

I used the All Whites in the carton from Target. It says on the container not to be used for meringues, but it worked fine.

http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=gallery&file=displayimage&pid=1614892

This is my first IMBC cake!!! yay. As you can see the piping and borders turned out fine. I did make a rose too when I was finished just to see if I could and it did hold up fine. I would want to make the roses and put them on a sheet pan to chill though if I ever did them for a cake.

I learned that if you store IMBC then pipe with it, let it come to room temp SLOWLY. Don't force it, only bad things will happen. Once it's at room temp, whip it up again for just a couple minutes. Then it'll be smooth and silky once more! I also use a palette knife from the hardware store to do the hot knife method of smoothing. So great. If I had my own cake shop I would use IMBC exclusively.

Have you tried SMBC? I think it's just as good and easier to make. I have had some people tell me the IMBC and SMBC are to "buttery". Like eating a stick of butter. I happen to really enjoy it though.

As for piping, like someone said, your hands will make it really soft really fast. So I will have an ice pack handy to cool my hand down before piping.

I am hoping to try this soon. I made a cake for my moms birthday with 7 minute icing. I loved it and figured IMBC might be close to that. I hope I am as happy with it as you are because I really don't like the taste of a traditional BC, even though I use 1/2 butter, it's just so sweet.

Thanks Everyone..The tips are great!!! How about color?Does it take Americolor gel good?If I make roses and freeze them is it still sort of soft?How much time would I have out of the freezer before they got too soft?

The only thing I don't like about meringue butterceams is that they DON'T take color as well. I have read other threads about using oil-based colors instead of standard gels, but I haven't tried it myself.

Tip for coloring SMBC or IMBC--take a small amount, put gel color in and microwave it briefly. It will melt and the color will be very intense. Then, when you fold it into your base the color will show up much nicer.

Thanks vmertsock..I will remember to do that!!

fyi, cake love recipe:

Metria...I saw the youtube video...great instructions....And I used the same recipe you posted also....