Buttercream Without Meringue Powder?
Decorating By tomsmom245 Updated 2 May 2008 , 6:10pm by TexasSugar
This is probably a dumb question, but I have never made BC without meringue powder. Will it be ok without it? I don't have time to go to the supply store today and I need to make a ton of icing today for a birthday cake for tomorrow.
Thanks!
This is probably a dumb question, but I have never made BC without meringue powder. Will it be ok without it? I don't have time to go to the supply store today and I need to make a ton of icing today for a birthday cake for tomorrow.
Thanks!
You do not need it.
When I did the Wilton courses it was in the summer time and extremely hot and humid. Two of my cakes containing meringue powder the icing just slide right off my cake. The next week I was out of meringue powder and I made my icing without (as I had been doing prior to Wilton classes). My cake was well crusted over and perfectly smooth. I walked in to class with my cake and my instructor said to to The class, "This is what the meringue powder will do for you. It gives you a buttercream icing that crust over well". So I looked at her and said, "Actually I was out of meringue powder so I made my icing without it".
So moral of the story is you really don't need it. If you don't have it not the end of the world. Just remember it really is the moisture content that will help to determine how much your icing will crust over and how fast it will crust over.
if you use Crisco brand and you have lots of icing to make- the meringue pwd- that's what keeps the Non transfat crisco from puddling overnight. But it doesn't always happen so any shortening works
But a regular crusting buttercream recipe- It is a modified wilton- (to do in a KA mixer -won't work in a small mixer)this works great and I've had several ppl in my classes start using it after tasting it.
2 cups shortening (any brand)
1 cup real butter softened (you can use all shortening if you prefer)
3tsp vanilla
1 1/2 tsp butter flavoring (optional but I think it makes a difference)
Mix those all together..
add 12 cups (1 and 1/2 bags) of pwd sugar-- add them one cup at a time on LOW
when fully mixed add milk to make it the consistancy you are used to working with
hth...
When I use an all shortening bc, it will separate if I don't use meringue powder.
What recipe are you using?
I am not all that experienced, but we have an allergy in the family to eggs. I never use the powder. I make all shortening bc and I never have a problem and it crusts well.
Janice
I never use MP in my buttercream because I can taste it! YUK! But I use sweetex and butter, 1/2 & 1/2.
I used to use it in every one of my batches of buttercream. One day I ran out and just made it without it and guess what? It came out the exact same way, crusted just as usual and I thought it even tasted better. I thought why in the world am I paying for something that I don't even need? Have not used it since.
I'm with CherryLane. I use 1/2 sweetex and 1/2 butter and I have never used MP and it always comes out great and tastes great. In my KA I do:
2 1/2 cups butter (1 salted, 1 1/2 unsalted)
3 cups sweetex
16 Tbspn or so of liquid
5 lbs of powdered sugar
Comes out great everytime.
...my instructor said to to The class, "This is what the meringue powder will do for you. It gives you a buttercream icing that crust over well". So I looked at her and said, "Actually I was out of meringue powder so I made my icing without it".
Everyone learns in Wilton classes that the MP helps with crusting as well as a few other things. Don't blame the WMI, she is just reading what she is told.
...Just remember it really is the moisture content that will help to determine how much your icing will crust over and how fast it will crust over.
Actually it is not the moisture content. It is the ratio of fat to sugar. The more fat (crisco/butter) in the recipe the slower/less it will crust. The more powder sugar in the recipe the faster/harder it will crust.
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