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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Page 315
Cuisine: North American | Course Type: Cakes
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Recipe Reviews
This is my new go-to frosting. It's a Swiss meringue buttercream, and it's the perfect balance of sugar and butter. It's not sickeningly sweet like buttercreams that are made with 10X, and it's not so buttery that you think you're just eating a stick of butter.
It's easy enough to make, but the one thing to be careful about is making sure your granulated sugar is fully dissolved before you remove the bowl from the heat, or you'll end up with a gritty frosting.
(edited 8th July 2010) (0) comment (1) useful
andrew from Vancouver Island, BC
This is an egg-white buttercream (also known as a Swiss buttercream), and the first one I've made. Previously I'd made the simple 'American' butter and icing-sugar versions. It's more work, but it has a creamier, lighter result.
You combine sugar and egg whites in a bowl over a simmering water bath, bringing the temperature up to 150 degrees F or so (this safely pasteurizes the egg whites), then beat in a mixer, adding butter to stabilize it.
It makes a very creamy, soft, not too sweet frosting. Adding vanilla at the end makes this a Vanilla frosting; adding a little melted chocolate gives it a delicate chocolate flavour.
It is, however, a very sticky icing - it's hard to work with it without getting globs all over the place. It's delicious, but definitely messy.
(edited 12th November 2010) (0) comment (4) useful
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