Mel, thanks so much for this recipe. I also thought of MBCs as being a basic pain in the neck and shied away from them, but after seeing this I can't wait to try it. Just a little tip for making sure everything is totally grease-free when working with egg whites: I either rinse my bowl, beaters and storage containers in a (white) vinegar and water solution or rub them down with a paper towel moistened with a little vinegar before rinsing them with clear water. It cuts the grease like nobody's business.
By the way, Chassidy, I hope your delivery was a rip-roaring success and that you're feeling great. I'm sure your daughter is beautiful!
crazyladybaker,
isnt it just funny that a place like TJ Maxx would have something like that! wow! I will have to keep my eyes open the next time I am in there. I will keep the King Arthur in mind....
playingwithsugar,
I actually planned on trying to add white chocolate to the mix. I was wondering if I could melt white chocolate (which I have on hand) and add it to the vanilla batch I have in the fridge?
I made a full batch and divided half vanilla and half chocolate. The vanilla is very buttery, but the chocolate is just so delicious!!!!
thank you!
Yes, you can add any type of chocolate to an MBC frosting, as long as you let it come down to at least body temperature before you add it.
Theresa 
This thread has been great! I plan on making this SMBC soon. I'm excited because I'm already getting tired of the hi ratio shortening frosting.
Does the SMBC pipe well, and can you make flowers with it? Has anyone done this? I guess I could make the flowers out of royal icing, but I'd rather not if I don't have to. Hoping someone has tried this....
Hey, Mel, does this mean that you're giving up your crown as the Queen of Bettercream? LOL!
Not in this lifetime, girlfriend!! 
Do you know how many Bettercreme questions I answer a day? Ok, only a couple, but still, I'd get slapped if I gave it up! Hahaha! I'm just expanding my horizons!
I agree that you'd be fine to add some melted white chocolate to the already vanilla batch! The only down side is how much of it you will want to eat! 
I could've snacked on it all day. It was either a stroke of luck, or a horrible disappointment that the last time I made it it exactly covered the amount of cuppies I had and there was barely a tablespoon left! I cried and cried, but I did it quietly so no one would realize I was swooning over icing! Ha!
I do have to apologize for a slower response time right now. I'm convalescing, and don't get online as much because I get worn out so fast. Thanks to everyone for their positive feedback and support! You guys really make my days better.
Hi All,
I am in love with the melted white chocolate in the merignue butter cream---boy is this good!!!! However, I must say that the chocolate probably excites me more---the flavor reminds me of the flavor of a Carvel chocolate ice cream in their ice cream cakes--yum, yum! My husband LOVED it.....
I have a question--and I should have asked this before now---I have a couple cupcakes with the IMBC that have been out at room temperature today---should I have put them in the fridge overnight? It never occured to me that perhaps I shouldn't have left them out---they were so yummy to look at.
I have attahed some pics below....thanks for all the help!
sorry it's not letting me attach pictures... 
You should put them in the fridge if they're sitting around for a prolonged time. It's just a good idea. What I like is that the cold makes the icing get firm. That's how I like to eat it... straight from the fridge on a spoon. I am so glad you liked the white chocolate. I was addicted immediately to that!
So, Mel, exactly how much weight have you lost on this SMBC diet? LOL!
I think it's time for all you SMBC newbies/converts to tell us SMBC veterans:
If you are still using the same recipe Mel shared, and why you like it;
If you tweaked the same recipe to your own taste, and what you did to it;
or finally -
If you went recipe surfing and found one you like better, and why?
Theresa
Why Theresa, thank you for asking! I, too, used to be overweight and underattractive, but since I found the SMBC Mega Diet, I've felt as light as whipped icing! That's right!! Whip, whip, whip your way to a tiered waistline, and buttery hips and thighs! Simply stop eating all other artery clogging, non butter based foods, and replace those disgusting balanced meals with delicious spoonfulls of any of our fabulous flavors of SMBC. Within minutes you'll feel the surge of buttercream energy! Within mere weeks you'll be greasing your way into your old pregnancy sweatpants! *results not typical, void where prohibited, please allow 6 to 8 weeks for delivery*
hahahahahaha! You are just too much! I would love to loose some weight and looking at all these cuppie/cake/frosting recipes is not helping!
Hubby asked if we had any IMBC icing left! ha!
It's funny that I kind of stumbled upon this thread. I made SMBC for the 3rd - and possibly the last - time a few days ago. I REALLY want to like it, but as someone else said, it's like eating whipped butter. This last time, I tried a recipe called...something like...Less Buttery SMBC. Nope. The butter still hits you first, then a little sweet, and then you notice the creamy butter again, and then it's gone. I would liken it to......maybe Cool Whip, but buttery and less sweet. Granted, I didn't go wild with the flavors - it was a vanilla SMBC, but vanilla frosting is requested a lot so it has to be good! I *suppose* it could grow on me, but my fear is that it would have to grow on my customers, too....and I might lose their business before they realize they like it. 
So now I'm in a bind! I was recently told on here that I MUST start using MBC because ABC is "horrid, and only meant for beginners and Wilton classes." 
But I just don't like the heavy butter flavor...or really even the texture of MBC. I don't like a super sweet, crusting buttercream either, but I do like a frosting with a bit more substance than MBC has. (Mel, I suspect this is why you like it cold, because it's firmer and has more substance when it's cold.)
Still, I'm not ready to give up on it just yet. At the risk of being yelled at by the MBC purists, I'm going to try replacing some of the butter with shortening and adding a bit of white chocolate.....maybe those changes will lower the butter flavor and add a bit more heaviness. Of course, I guess then it won't be SMBC!
[quote="JohnnyCakes1966"]So now I'm in a bind! I was recently told on here that I MUST start using MBC because ABC is "horrid, and only meant for beginners and Wilton classes."
Whoever told you that you MUST start using MBC is dead wrong. If you are in business, then you use what the customers in your area ask for, not what someone else bullies you into using.
I live in an area where MBC is the red-headed stepchild, with most folks preferring the sweeter ABC or Bettercreme.
Theresa
[quote="playingwithsugar"]
So now I'm in a bind! I was recently told on here that I MUST start using MBC because ABC is "horrid, and only meant for beginners and Wilton classes."
Whoever told you that you MUST start using MBC is dead wrong. If you are in business, then you use what the customers in your area ask for, not what someone else bullies you into using.
I live in an area where MBC is the red-headed stepchild, with most folks preferring the sweeter ABC or Bettercreme.
Theresa
Oh, I know. 
I was being sarcastic in quoting the person. Considering how many professionals there are on here who use ABC, I thought it was pretty arrogant and insulting for the person to say it's only for beginners. No, I won't stop using ABC. 
Although I really would love to use MBC. The mixer does most of the work with MBC, where with ABC, I spend so much time sifting the powdered sugar, making sure I add enough liquid but not too much, etc. ABC really does require more labor than MBC.
johnnycakes1966
I am in love with ABC and have a ABC fettish..... I made some of the MBC and brought it into work on cupcakes and mostly everyone loved it. In all fairness, I did not do a taste test between AMC and MBC, so they probably just enjoyed it with the cupcake. I too struggled with the butter taste and the next time, I'm going to cut back on butter, but adding the white chocolate was heavenly and I must say I fell in love--however the chocolate is to die for too. I'm not sure that I will ever loose my ABC fetish, but I am always looking for different ideas to create different cupcakes. Try some white choclate, you won't be disappointed....let us all know how things turn out...
countrygirl71
I read through the thread so sooty if someone has answered this. Can I freeze the left over MBC or will it separate?
Yes you can freeze it, then let it come back to room temp and rewhip before you use it. It might look for a few minutes that it's ruined, just keep whipping. It's crazy.
As for the purists... they can kiss it. We use and offer what our customers want (or what we like if we're just doing it for fun) and that is NO ONE else's business. If I serve mud patties with ground worm sauce, that's between me and whomever is eating it. You are going to see so many arguments from people about this stuff and it's just stupid. Box vs. Scratch, MBC vs. ABC, pure extracts and oils vs. imitation flavorings, 'good' chocolate vs. chips. I'm sick of it all. It ALL has it's place, and if you don't want to use it... DON'T! I mean, I'd love to make a cake stuffed with amazing imported chocolate instead of Hersheys! But am I going to take a loss to do it? NOT! I save that stuff for making something for ME! Hehe. And Bettercreme may not be as 'pure' as whipped heavy cream, and you know what...? I don't care. I like it. My Customers like it. I call that win-win. Ok, sorry if that sounded like a tirade, I just get tired of people try to force their beliefs on others. Even if it's 'just' baking. It all starts somewhere. I am one of those horrible free-thinkers that refuses to conform.
I'm with you, Mel! I'm all about taking what I like about different things and figuring out how to combine them to make what I - and my customers - like. Sometimes it's a flavor; sometimes a technique....I just play around until it works.
Now....I'll have to look into this Bettercream. I know there's a thread about it, but it's soooo long and my ADD won't let me read it. LOL
Johnnycakes, if that thread scares you, I created a Google Document to overcome that. It's completely abbreviated, maybe one page long. Just the facts, Ma'am! If it leaves any questions unanswered for you, just shoot me a note and I'll answer them (if I can!!).
http://docs.google.com/View?id=dgjqsjjc_4gmsq9sdh
I know this topic is a little old but I only read it recently. The first time I tried the recipe, I thought the tasted too buttery - I am used to ABC so it wasn't sweet enough. When I made it the second time, I used less butter and more flavoring and now like it very much. I am still having trouble getting the egg whites in a carton to firm up but I am working on that.
What I wanted to say was that I made it yesterday for someone who is lactose intolerant and substituted a soy magerine for the butter and it was still delicious.
Thanks Melvira for the inspiration to give it a try!
OMG MELVIRA CONGRATULATIONS!!! I have been gone from the boards for so long, but this post alone was worth coming back for. I haven't even gotten past the first page of this thread, but right now I just wanna hug you. 
If you changed your mind around page 14, well, nevermind then. 
OK finally read the whole thread! (Well...mostly...I kind of glossed thru some posts) and have a few things to add - repeated info isn't meant to be redundant but rather to be a "me too!"
I've found every generic brand of egg whites I've ever tried to whip up just fine, but as PPs mentioned, All Whites didn't work for me either (I've seen posts from others who've had success with AW but not for me). I only use cartons because they're pasteurized and there is too much debate about whether the EW get hot enough to kill bacteria (at least in IMBC technique), but if you're only using 'em due to the waste, well frankly using fresh EW is cheaper. I can get eggs for $1.59/dz...so even if my batch of IMBC used the entire dozen, I've only spent $1.59. Amount of food gone to waste: 80 cents. The carton is like $3.50 and contains 10 eggs. (However, if you don't use the whole carton, you can FREEZE the rest - woot!)
Benefit of using the IMBC recipe: you'll know immediately if your carton whites will work, since you whip the whites separately (and first). Other benefit: for some reason I am incapable of making SMBC without actually scrambling the eggs 
.
Antonia74's brilliant smoothing method - AMAZING! http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=404613&postdays=0&postorder=asc&highlight=imbc&&start=15 Scroll halfway down to her post, the one that includes a pic of a bench scraper. My hot-spatula smoothed IMBC cakes were just plain fugly, and my antonia74-method cakes came out as smooth as glass - yeah!
Definitely safe at room temp for hours and hours (some will tell you days...who knows if that true but hours is ABSOLUTELY fine). Personally I refrigerate for storage, plus the rock-hard icing is a dream for fondanting and makes transporting your cake a piece of...oh, nevermind. Have seen some report problems with it in REALLY hot weather if it's not kept indoors in the a/c but that's just from a melty standpoint. It won't spoil. And, as Melvira stated, you can freeze the leftovers - yay!
I just read the post about the disastrous soupy mess. Don't forget folks: if your MBC curdles while whipping in the butter, just whip it faster for a bit and maybe warm the bowl a tad (like, with your hands)...because it's too cold. If it turns to soup and starts coating your kitchen walls, it's too warm so STOP what you are doing and put the bowl in the fridge for a while. Too long, even - curdled MBC is easier to whip back into submission than the soupy stuff that flies all over your kitchen (because how exactly is it going to stop being too warm while you're whipping the bejeepers out of it? You need to chill it back up). Either way, the temp is the problem so do NOT throw it out! Never! That would be a travesty for all butterkind!
Likewise if those of you who make it *with enough flavoring* (I use 3TBSP vanilla whereas the recipe calls for just 1) - then just go crazy and follow the suggestions in this thread for super-flavors i.e. peanut butter or chocolate (or whatever) - it might just be that the vanilla-flavored version simply doesn't cut the butter enough for you. I love it though.I want to raid Melvira's fridge right NOW!
We use a French buttercream that uses the entire egg and the syrup is heated to firm ball stage. I love it's richness and texture. It's even better when Flavors are added. I offer this type of icing and our "kids"buttercream which is an all butter/powdered sugar/whipping cream type recipe that is for the people with a sweet tooth. At my tastings, more people like the French buttercream for weddings. Just remember that a shortening icing coats the inside of your mouth. A butter icing melts in your mouth. I encourage everyone to use butter! It takes a little getting use to the very soft icing consistency, but it's worth it!
Well, I made SMBC tonight for the first time ever. Melvira, thank you SO MUCH for your PMs and your help on this board. I probably wouldn't have made it if not for your thread on it. I also watched the youtube video where she calls it 1-2-3 SMBC. Great tips and advice!
What I especially like is that it isn't so sweet like the regular buttercream. The texture is wonderfully silky, and it's only mildly sweet. I added half a bottle (tiny bottle) of Cheesecake Loran Oil, and then I added about 1/2 LB of melted and cooled white chocolate. I think this will go really well w/ the WASC cake I have, and the raspberry filling I plan to use.
This was really easy to make, so if any of you are interested in trying it, but afraid to take the leap...GO FOR IT! You'll be glad you tried it.
I', sorry if this has already been covered in this thread, but can you MBC gurus share with me your preferred method of smoothing this type of BC? I find its fine to work on a 'rough' spatula'd exterior, but what if you want that really smooth BC look (for which I use Melviras method! Thanks Melvira!) ? I am sure someone mentioned refrigerating it until solid then using the roller, but would that work? I thought it might be too solid :-/
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