So I have a question about SMBC icing...I'm seeing so many rave reviews about it on the forums. My question is, is it as tasty as buttercream and is it safe since it uses raw egg whites?

Thanks for your help

Kristi

yes and yes

and i have to say i like it better taste wise

Yes.

And you actually cook the whites when making SMBC.

Any icing recipe I have ever seen heats the whites. Now, If you heat the sugar to 250 and pour it into uncooked whipped whites, you are heating them more than enough to cook them. THey only need to reach 145 for about ten seconds..........

That would be IMBC. The sugar is heated and is supposed to pasteurize the meringue. It's yummy, and it didn't bother my family any, but some people may be more sensitive.

Well.. you don't cook the whites when you make IMBC, but you do pour 248 degree sugar syrup in with them. You would have to monitor the temp of the meringue to know if you got them up to a suitable temperature. With SMBC I cook the whites and sugar to 160-170 degrees before whipping up the meringue. Not all recipes will tell you to do that though.. just warm them until the sugar melts which can be way before they reach a suitable temp. If you whites are room temp it can happen very fast.. and the sugar will dissolve in white that haven't been heated too so I find it more reliable to use a instant read thermometer.

SMBC is very good.. silky smooth and easy to work with.. I have a post about how to make it.. you can peek at it here:

http://www.cakecentral.com/cake-decorating-ftopict-594605-.html

Oh I've seen numerous recipes with raw eggs, in fact my MIL's family recipe for hazelnut cake w/chocolate icing includes throwing in a raw egg (into the icing that is) at the very end

With SMBC the ew are heated to 160 so they are not technically cooked, but that heat kills any bacteria. There is debate about IMBC and whether that method actually gets the ew cooked enough. I prefer to use pasteurized ew when I make IMBC.

Other recipes where the ew might not technically be cooked to a safe heat...royal icing, seven-minute-frosting...I am sure there are more! I keep ew powder on hand to eliminate the risk.

eta: read Jkalman's link, it's awesome!!

It is absolutely delicious. I am a recent convert after reading the thread and viewing the tutorial so generously provided by jkalman. Her recipe is wonderful. After using the SMBC icing and then tasting a cake with a version of american buttercream wow what a difference. Give it a try!