Buttercream Blitz
BUTTERCREAM 101
USE ROOM TEMPERATURE INGREDIENTS.
Eggs will whip up better, and additional flavoring ingredients will maintain the texture of the finished buttercream.
PAY ATTENTION TO YOUR BUTTER.
It should be soft enough to break off pieces, but not overly greasy on the exterior. If it’s too soft, butter is more likely to curdle and separate when being incorporated. However, if your butter is too cold, your mixture will look lumpy. To fix this, remove about ½ cup of the buttercream and microwave in 10-second intervals until warm. Add back to the mixer bowl, and whip to combine. The warmth should help the butter to incorporate.
ALAS, SEPARATION HAPPENS.
Swiss meringue and German buttercream can look separated, soupy, or curdled during the mixing process. If this happens to you, don’t fret. Continued vigorous mixing usually solves this, so continue to add in all the butter and then leave the mixer going for a few minutes to let it come together.
STORE IT RIGHT.
Buttercream can be made ahead and refrigerated for up to 1 week in an airtight container. Let it come to room temperature and briefly rewhip before using.
PIPING PERFECTION
With my go-to piping tips, the French star tip and the open star tip, you can create a wide range of frosting finishes. When piping frosting, do not fill the piping bag more than halfway. Hold the top of the bag in your dominant hand—this will be your squeezing hand—and let your nondominant hand steer the bag. Get multiple tips in the same size so you don’t have to switch out tips if piping different colors.
MAKE YOUR POINT
AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM
Butter + confectioners’ sugar + heavy whipping cream or milk
Probably the easiest buttercream to master, American buttercream is made by creaming butter with confectioners’ sugar until the mixture is spreadable. Cream or milk help give it a silky texture, but it’s still firmer and thicker than most other buttercreams. American buttercream doesn’t hold up very well in warmer temperatures and is best used on the day it is made. If you are not working with it, place a piece of plastic wrap directly against the surface to prevent a crust from forming.
CHOCOLATE CHIP CAKE WITH CHOCOLATE AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM
Makes 1 (8-inch) cake
I love to jazz up a recipe a little by adding chocolate chips, and dark chocolate pairs so perfectly with the vanilla cake. I finished