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swiss/italian merengue buttercream

post #1 of 56
3/3/11 at 8:15pm
Thread Starter 
I have a recipe for swiss merengue buttercream that I really love.Now I want to try a italian merengue buttercream.Can I use the same recipe ingredients?Can I just change the method.I have heard that is the same recipe,just it requires to cook the sugar.Thanks! icon_biggrin.gif
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post #2 of 56
3/8/11 at 7:49pm
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please icon_lol.gif
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post #3 of 56
3/9/11 at 12:28am
Why don't you just use a recipe that is a known good one? You may be setting yourself up for failure. I am all for making a recipe "personal", but when trying a new technique, I follow it exactly the first time. There are so many discussions about this on CC. Study first and use one of the favorite recipes on CC. Good luck and we will all be here to help as you go through making the recipe the first time. They were here for me when I decided to overthink IMBC and botched the first batch. I used the Cake Love recipe. The second batch was perfect because of the help I got here.
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post #4 of 56
3/10/11 at 9:44pm
I've usually always used the disolving suger in whites over double broiler method. And I've also used a recipe that called for dissolving the suger in water and then adding it slowly. ALLLL methods I have tried have miserably failed. I love the tast of the egg whites so I prefer to keep using them. Yes, I know the humidity factor and I"ve payed closer attention to that and I still can't get it work. I must be just buttercream stupid or something because I cannot get this down. Someone HELP! icon_cry.gif
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post #5 of 56
3/10/11 at 10:06pm
I use the whimsical bakehouse recipe for Imbc, have made it several times and am absolutley in love with how easy it is, essentially it is the same ingredients as smbc, you just cook the sugar to a certain temp (245) and add it into your egg whites( whipped to stiff peaks) they have the recipe on their site. I also find that using a candy thermometer is more reliable than timing it like it says to in the bakehouse recipe. Cake loves specifies to bring sugar to 245 i believe.

http://www.whimsicalbakehouse.com/bake/bake_detail_no_photo.html

Cake loves recipe, is also a good one.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IxWmiHRTMz8

he really explains the method well in this video. i mustve watched it 4 times before i made imbc for the first time lol. HTH
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post #6 of 56
3/10/11 at 10:35pm
I also make whimsical bakehouse imbc. It is the best i have ever tasted. I also make smbc.
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post #7 of 56
3/11/11 at 9:57pm
So I tried your guyses advice and at first it was working out well. I got good volume in my egg whites and everything. I made sure my whites were completely room temp before adding the butter and still it turned into a soup. And no matter how much I beat it afterwords, it was still a soup. It does this EVERY SINGLE time I make buttercream with whites no matter which kind or method I use. I'm starting to think that this part of Illinois is just a terrible place to make this icing...or buttercream just doesn't like me. I'm at a loss. icon_mad.gif
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post #8 of 56
3/12/11 at 2:53am
This may sound odd, but what size is your mixer? I have Kitchenaids... a pro 6 and it comes together perfectly. If I am making another batch in my artisan right beside it, it takes forever. Reason: The artisan creates heat at the motor and makes the process take forever. The pro 6 stays cool. For the smaller mixer I have taken the CC advice and packed frozen vegetables around the outside of the bowl. And I wipe down the motor area periodically with a cool cloth. Another thing I do is my butter is still cold. I do the finger indent test (can push your finger in but there is still resistance). Your only problem is temperature. Sometimes you just have to find the odd quirks of your equipment.
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post #9 of 56
3/14/11 at 7:30am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scp1127

This may sound odd, but what size is your mixer? I have Kitchenaids... a pro 6 and it comes together perfectly. If I am making another batch in my artisan right beside it, it takes forever. Reason: The artisan creates heat at the motor and makes the process take forever. The pro 6 stays cool. For the smaller mixer I have taken the CC advice and packed frozen vegetables around the outside of the bowl. And I wipe down the motor area periodically with a cool cloth. Another thing I do is my butter is still cold. I do the finger indent test (can push your finger in but there is still resistance). Your only problem is temperature. Sometimes you just have to find the odd quirks of your equipment.



I want a kitchenaid SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO SO bad, but cannot afford one right now. So I just have a cheap stand mixer. And honestly, I have a feeling that is my problem, but I guess I'm just not ready to face that yet haha. But I do put ice packs around the bowl and everything seems to cool down very easily. Temp doesn't seem to be a huge problem because the meringue does cool down very nicely. It's just when I add the butter in that makes it soupy. And My butter is still cold also, it's just softened. I've tried to experiment with that because sometimes I'll get little bits of butter in it that I cannot get out no matter what I do. I've hear d other people having this problem, but I don't have a solution yet. icon_cool.gif
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post #10 of 56
3/14/11 at 9:09am
Check your thermometer. I have had four of them in the last two years and three were wrong... including the much praised CDN. The old Taylor is the only correct one. Maybe your white/ sugar mixture is off. Boil water and see if you hit 212 degrees. It sounds like you are doing it right, but if your mixer motor is throwing off heat, there may be nothing you can do.
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post #11 of 56
3/14/11 at 9:37am
Quote:
Originally Posted by scp1127

Check your thermometer. I have had four of them in the last two years and three were wrong... including the much praised CDN. The old Taylor is the only correct one. Maybe your white/ sugar mixture is off. Boil water and see if you hit 212 degrees. It sounds like you are doing it right, but if your mixer motor is throwing off heat, there may be nothing you can do.



That could be it too. What temp exactely should my meringue be at before I add the butter? If you know an approximate or if you could take the temp of yours the next time you make it I would be oh so thankful!! icon_lol.gif
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post #12 of 56
3/14/11 at 9:50am
Quick question: I take it that swiss merengue bc does not crust, right??
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post #13 of 56
3/14/11 at 10:01am
The meringue should be room temp. Sometimes it takes up to fourteen minutes to get there. If you do it too early, you will have a soupy mess. I was referring to the temp of the syrup in IMBC. Are you using SMBC or IMBC?
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post #14 of 56
3/14/11 at 10:20am
Ohh ok. Yeah, my meringue is always cool to the touch (not just the bowl, but the actual meringue). And I've always heard to bring the syrup to 240-245 so that's what I've been doing.
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post #15 of 56
3/14/11 at 11:19am
My recipes are 238 to 245, so they are right. What butter do you use? I only use Land O Lakes, so if it is another brand, hopefully someone will chime in.
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