I was hoping this post was going to be a celebratory one, but quite the opposite. I tried to make the BC from Cake Bible tonight (fortunately I don't need to ice the cake until Monday for Mom's 70th birthday on Tuesday. Anyhow, the icing is in the refrigerator per the instructions, but it doesn't seem right to me... It's like I just beat four sticks of butter! The flavor is butter, the texture is butter, the color is butter. I want to cry (or at least use the emoticom of the crybaby - but I'm so inept I can't even do that) BOO HOO! Any idea what might have gone awry?
Tori
It seems to be a common complaint of The Cake Bible.
Example:
My sister owns the cake bible also. We have both made many of the recipes, ... Now for the not-so-good: the buttercream frosting recipes are just awful. ...
So assuming this is true.... maybe make a batch of the also not so good Wilton shortening only.... then mix the two batches together.... you'll definitely have too much icing but hey it keeps for three months in the fridge and Thanksgiving cakes are up and coming lol...
I am assuming it's the meringue buttercream ?? It has a very different taste and consistency than decorators icing. Did you add the liqueur ? I always add the full 1 cup of liquer, most of whic are sweet. Frangelico and white creme de cocoa both have little or no colour but greatly enhance the flavor of meringue buttercream. I wouldn't use anything else.
Boy do people have opinions on buttercream! It boils down to a matter of taste and what you are used to. I love the Cake Bible buttercreams and I am not alone. The debate between butter and shortening can be deadly, so I won't go there. Find what you like and stick with it and never defend yourself!
That being said I find that adding something tart like lemon curd, or passionfruit puree greatly cuts the richness of a SMBC, IMBC. I have even used part Hi-Ratio shortening for people who say they don't like IMBC's and they fawn over the stuff.
I made the Classic Buttercream; not meringue. Perhaps it is just a matter of taste. I'm a cookie baker primarily, but have been fascinated by cake decorating for a few years since my stepmother started doing cakes. Honestly, I'm a box mix, canned icing gal, but I want to NOT be that type of cake maker. Since I found this site, I'm even more interested; looking at all of your beautiful work. I suppose a Wilton class is in order. For Mom's birthday cake, I guess I'll resort to the canned icing until I get more experience. Thanks for all the input. I'll keep hanging out on this site. It's a happy place to be!
DON'T USED CANNED ICING!!!!!
bring your buttercream to cool room temp and wisk in 1/4 to 1/2 c. of corn syrup is you like it sweeter. Add 2 T of any flavoring you like ( Vanilla, Almond)
When you assemble you cake, brush the layers with a good quality jam in your favorite flavor before torting or crumb coating. It will add a complexity of flavor that will detract from the buttery-ness of real buttercream if you don't like it.
Just a note....you can't ice a cake with cold buttercream. It sets up quite hard. You'll need to bring it to cool room temp before using it.
I just made some white chocolate IMBC and what a pain it is to get it to the right temp. Frig till firm on outside, stir, frig again, stir now its ready. Frost cake, now too soft, repeat frig. Start piping, now to soft, stick bag in freezer, drat the tips too hard now...on and on it goes. OOOOOh but it is so yummy!
Wilton won't teach you to bake, only to decorate.
The Classic Buttercream is a French buttercream (yolks, no whites).
All real buttercreams will taste like straight butter when they're cold. They should be allowed to come to room temperature before being served.
If the recipe called for salted butter, but you added unsalted... couldn't you just spinkle some salt in the bc and remix it??? Not sure, but a decorator that I know told me to do that once when I ran into a boo boo like this.....
I've never made this particular recipe before so if I'm wrong, please someone correct me..
thanks
I love the Meringue buttercream recipe that is in Julia Child's baking book... it only has three or four ingredients and is easy to make.... I do love the taste with salted butter!! Always get compliments, but it doesn't crust so you have to work at smoothing it!! Holds up great in high heat too!
You never use saltd butter for buttercream.
REally??? I always do and have nothing but rave reviews for it!!! That's how i was taught to do it in class and alot of decorator's in my area use salted butter!!! Umph! must be a taste thing..
I'm curious, too, about the unsalted vs salted butter in BC icing. I've used both and it has always turned out well. I have been trying different BC recipes to try and find the ones I like best, so maybe it depends on the recipe (??).
Interesting topic of discussion, though. I appreciate all the input regardless of what people prefer !!
I'm curious, too, about the unsalted vs salted butter in BC icing. I've used both and it has always turned out well. I have been trying different BC recipes to try and find the ones I like best, so maybe it depends on the recipe (??).
Interesting topic of discussion, though. I appreciate all the input regardless of what people prefer !!
I know that I was taught to put salt in alot of things that I bake. For example cookies and frosting -(that's not baked 
) But what I was told was that the salt cuts down on the sweetness.
As a matter of fact, when i first started making frosting I had used butter flavored crisco and eeewww not at all what I was looking for.. I called another decorator in town (who is actually a pastry chef) and she told me to sprinkle some salt in the frosting and it will cut down on the sweetness of the crisco/confectionery taste... it worked!!!
I now use the Wilton's BC recipe and use 1/2 salted butter to 1/2 sweetex (hi-ratio) shortening.
Maybe someone here with more knowledge will kick in and give us a really meaningful response to the reason of the added salt!!!! 
Most of you make decorators icing, not a true buttercream. Decorators icing is stabilized by large quantities of powdered sugar, which contains cornstarch, a thickener/stabilizer.
Buttercream ( eggs+granulated sugar or syrup+butter) will weep if salted butter is used since it doesn't have anything in it to absorb the moisture ( cornstarch) that salt draws out .
The chemistry of baking is well covered in The Cake Bible, and I'd suggest anyone who is serious about baking read it cover to cover, even if you don't use the recipes.
Sorry you threw the batch out. Most recipes say that at some point the icing will look curdled and to continue whipping it until it smooths out. Sometimes, if the butter is added before the meringue is cool enough, it may not have the correct consistency, but it can usually be salvaged by refrigerating and re-whipping.
This kind of buttercream is not easy. One with great taste that is easy is Toba Garrett's French vanilla buttercream. It is my second fave, and really does taste like vanilla ice cream. like I said before, I messed up Kaye's buttercream at least twice before I got the hang of it.
Oh no! Yes it will curdle, but you just keep mixing and mixing and it will come together.
Salt is a preservative and a flavor enhancer. Dairy producers salt butter for a number of reasons; longer shelf life, will mask off flavors and most Americans prefer the salt flavor. Unsalted butter in general is fresher. I personally prefer to buy my butter where there is a quick turnover and add my own salt. The more ingrediants that I can control the better I feel.
I made an IMBC frosting this weekend for work and I had at least 5 different people tell me it was "the best whipped cream frosting I've ever had, just like Sams!" LOL!
Quote by @%username% on %date%
%body%