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WTHeck!? Adding cocoa powder to BC makes it weep?

post #1 of 9
10/8/12 at 7:11pm
Thread Starter 
I have been using BakingJeannie's Fluffy American Buttercream (sort of a hybrid MBC/ABC) recipe for about 6 months now and I love it. When I try to make it chocolate, however, by adding cocoa powder, it seems to weep! I would understand, if I was adding liquid, but I'm adding more dry for goodness sake! Why would it weep!?

It's almost like the chocolate starts to separate itself from the BC as chocolate syrup. Any ideas why and what I can do instead to make chocolate or mocha with it without altering the consistency??

The base recipe is here: http://cakecentral.com/recipe/fluffy-american-buttercream[/url]
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post #2 of 9
10/8/12 at 7:17pm
I've never made this recipe, so can't speak to the issues you're experiencing. But perhaps it's not the cocoa causing the issue, but the beating of the buttercream causing moisture to be released? Have you tried folding in the cocoa, or adding it when you add the powdered sugar? What about folding in melted chocolate? Or folding in ganache?
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post #3 of 9
10/8/12 at 7:22pm
Thread Starter 
Weird, I did try adding it when I add the powdered sugar (i.e., right at the beginning, along with the dry powdered sugar) and it does the same thing. I attribute it to the chocolate!

I've not tried melted chocolate. I'd be afraid to add hot or even warm melted chocolate to cool whipped BC, for fear it would melt the butter or if the chocolate was too cool, that it would harden in pieces in the cool/cold BC.

Tips?? I haven't ever added melted chocolate to real SMBC!
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post #4 of 9
10/8/12 at 7:54pm
I melt chocolate on low heat in intervals in microwave. Let it cool even more.Add it to abc and to smbc and imbc. Never have a problem. The chocolate is cool , not even warm.hth
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post #5 of 9
10/8/12 at 8:13pm
When I add cocoa powder to IMBC it gets soupy but I found that if I add one more stick of unsalted butter it behaves beautifully. Can you try adding more butter to see if you have the better results. Can't explain it but this might be a fix for you too.
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post #6 of 9
10/8/12 at 8:15pm
Thread Starter 
DeniseNH, when do you add the extra stick of butter and when do you add the cocoa powder? Interesting!
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post #7 of 9
10/8/12 at 8:34pm
Maybe it is the cocoa grabbing the fats in the buttercream and leaving the liquid behind?

Just a theory. But cocoa is separated from the cocoa butter early in its life. That could be why the extra butter makes it OK.

Do not fear the melted chocolate. It is one of the pleasant goofy things about chocolate. You can melt it and bring it back to room temp and it stays melted. At that point, it shouldn't affect the buttercream at all.
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post #8 of 9
10/8/12 at 8:59pm
I have heard that some bakers will add the cocoa to boiling water to dissolve, then let it cool to a paste. Then add this paste to the buttercream.

I don't like adding cocoa to BC at all, but its mostly because of the slightly gritty mouthfeel it causes (yes, even with sifting finely).

I use dark chocolate in my IMBC and its drop-dead delicious.
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Life's too short to make cake pops.
___________________________________
www.sweetperfection.com.au
www.facebook.com/sweetperfectioncakes (come visit sometime!)
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post #9 of 9
10/9/12 at 4:55am
Thread Starter 
Thank you everyone for your encouragement icon_wink.gif I will be trying it today!
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