Sweetness & Light - Buttercream

It always amazes me how the combination of sugar, creamy butter and a little of this and that can combine into so many mouth watering, luscious and light confections.

With just the combination of egg whites, sugar, butter, a little flavouring and some fruit puree you can whip up a lovely buttercream to mound on top of cupcakes, spread over cakes or sandwich between macarons.  This rich frosting is in a category on its own and if you are used to a prepared product found on the grocers shelf, you know the one with the 30 ingredients, none of which you can pronounce, you may be intimidated by the couple of steps to make this.  But have no buttercream fears, give it a try and you will marvel at how incredible you are in the kitchen.

Spoonful of Whipped Buttercream

One tip before we get started...you need a stand mixer for this.  It takes quite a long time to whip up your egg mixture and to mix in your butter, probably 15-20 minutes in total, so you don't want to be standing with a hand mixer.  Well you could do it if patience is your virtue...it is not mine!  Also you do need to weigh your ingredients for best results.

This is a Buttercream recipe from Bonnie Gordon for a Brown Sugar Buttercream but I have used regular white sugar (not icing sugar) instead.  You can whip this up with brown sugar for an icing with a more caramelly (is that a real baking word??) taste.

Oh, there just seems to be more and more....I omitted the vanilla as I added in about 1/2 cup of smashed strawberries and about 1/4 cup of seedless strawberry jam after my mixture was complete.  Add in a little at a time and mix well to incorporate.  At first you may get the 'curdled' look but keep mixing.  If you are unfamiliar with the curdled look and it happens during your attempt with this recipe I think you will be able to identify it.  It sort of looks a little like cooked scrambled eggs...the mixture sort of separates instead of having a nice soft together consistency....sort of like a container of Cool Whip when you spoon it out.

Buttercream

200 grams white sugar
5 egg whites (I used pasturized egg whites found in egg section-conversion is on side of container)
2 cups unsalted soft butter
Pinch of salt
2 tsp. vanilla

Warm the egg whites, sugar and salt together over a pan of simmering water. Make sure the bottom of your mixing bowl doesn't touch the water or get too close (remember we are just heating up the egg whites and the sugar until the sugar dissolves, we are not cooking these eggs).  Use a whisk and keep whisking until all the sugar has dissolved and the whites are hot.  Now put your bowl onto your stand mixer and with the whip attachment whip this mixture on a medium-high speed until the mixture is cool and has tripled in volume. (The bottom of your bowl should not be warm when you are finished whipping.)  The mixture should also hold a fairly stiff peak.

Now have your softened butter cut into little pieces and with your mixer on a medium speed add in bits at a time and keep it going....toss some more in and mix, mix, mix.  Once all the butter is added you need to add in your vanilla if using or other flavouring and mix until there is no curdled look.  The appearance should be smooth and satiny.

Buttercream all done ready for my fruit puree!

Once you have reached this stage you can fold in melted, cooled chocolate or whip in some seedless jam or some fruit puree.  Not too much though.  The mixture cannot support a large onslaught of liquid or purees so add a little at a time.  

Now I took this yummy mixture and piped it onto my extra macarons and packaged some of them up real pretty.  I did manage to sample a few too many but I am a one-woman show and have no quality control staff to suffer through that dirty job! 

Strawberry Buttercream filled Macarons