I'm making SMBC for the first time this week for a cake this weekend. I have a few more questions before I try this.
- Can you make it ahead of time? How far ahead of time can it be made?
- After the cake is frosted, does it need to be refridgerated?
- Can it be used to glue small fondant pieces together? I have some little fondant buttons I want to glue onto the middle of some little fondant flowers, and I was going to use the SMBC . . . will that work?
- If it comes out too thin, is there anything I can add to make it thicker?
- Any other tips you have for me? I'm using the Well Dressed Cake Swiss Buttercream.
You can make it in advance, however it is best right out of the bowl.
I refrigerate overnight because I usually have it as filling as well, or some sort of fruit preserves. I just feel better about it being in the fridge. If the cake is for me? I leave it out.
Gluing fondant pieces together can be done by making fondant/gumpaste glue. Put a little ball of fondant or GP into a small amount of water, mix around, when it gets slimy look glue, there you go. Usually, plain ole' water works too, dabbed lightly onto the piece you are gluing.
It shouldn't come out too thin if you follow directions. Possibly, add more sugar than suggested, as it gives it more body. If it seems soupy, it's because your bowl is too warm from the first step of making it, or your room is too warm. Packa bag of frozen veggies around the bowl while mixing.
I find that if I use butter slightly soft, but much firmer than room temp, it makes for firmer SMBC.
After the last step, scrape the sides down, and put the mixer on the lowest setting possible, and let it turn around for a few minutes, to get out air from the balloon whisking.
I think that's it....good luck! If you make it properly and like the taste, you'll never go back to that other kind of icing again! It's quite a step up!
I'm making SMBC for the first time this week for a cake this weekend. I have a few more questions before I try this.
- Can you make it ahead of time? How far ahead of time can it be made?
You can, as long as you refrigerate it. When you're ready to use it, pull it out, thaw it on the counter for an hour or two, and whip it on low speed for about five minutes. I wouldn't make it up more than a day or two early, though.
- After the cake is frosted, does it need to be refridgerated?
It should be, though I've left it out on the counter overnight if the cake is fondant-covered.
- Can it be used to glue small fondant pieces together? I have some little fondant buttons I want to glue onto the middle of some little fondant flowers, and I was going to use the SMBC . . . will that work?
It will work, but if it gets warm, it'll melt. You might do better to use a paintbrush and a dab of water for your gluing.
- If it comes out too thin, is there anything I can add to make it thicker?
Yep. Pop it in the fridge for five minutes.
- Any other tips you have for me? I'm using the Well Dressed Cake Swiss Buttercream.
I've never made that particular recipe, but a couple of other tips are: don't panic when it looks weird; whip it a little longer and see if it come together first. It shouldn't take you less than about twenty minutes. Don't try to use the Viva/parchment/waxed paper trick for smoothing, it will not work. Instead, pop the cake in the fridge for half an hour, until it's good and hard, then use the hot spatula method (heat the spatula in a pan of hot--not boiling--water, wipe dry, smooth, repeat).
Also, if your butter is a bit cooler than room temperature, or if your kitchen is on the cool side, it will go easier than if your kitchen is 80 degrees.
i just wanted to say again what varika said, lol: don't despair when it looks really ugly and you think it will never turn into buttercream. just when you are ready to throw your hands up and declare it a failure, POOF! you have beautiful smbc, lol.
....and if you decide to refrigerate, it may get even uglier as you begin to whip it. it can look really scary if still cold, but again, just keep going and it will all work out well.
the rule of thumb you find in most smbc recipes is 1/4 cup sugar per egg white. the butter amount does vary depending on preference.
i use a cheap candy thermoter to make sure my egg whites are heated to 160 degrees (about 3-4 minutes) because i bake for a lot of kids and don't want to take even the smallest chance but you can also tell the sugar egg mixture is ready when you cannot feel the grain of the sugar at all and you see it is starting to froth up.
one last thing: make sure you use plenty of flavoring to get the best out of your smbc. a drop or a teaspoon won't do it justice. i use a minimum of 3 tbs vanilla for example in my smallest batch of smbc which is just enough to cover and fill and 8" cake. with 5 eggs/1 1/4 c sugar/1lb butter you can use up to 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs fruit puree, chocolate, etc.
diane
I use the recipe that the PP mentioned, and I find a lot of vanilla realy gives it a good flavor. And just like drakegore, tablespoons, not teaspoons! Sometimes though, when I want a pure sweet flavor...I don't add anything at all. Makes for a nice all purpose base for mocha, chocolate, and fruit puree fillings.
Can you add Lorann oils to it? I am making a two tier cake - one orange dreamsicle and one smores. I was thinking about mixing in the Lorann orange cream for the dreamsicle tier and Lorann marshmallow for the smores tier. I have about 1/2 a dram left of each - would you add the vanilla and the Lorann?
Can you add Lorann oils to it? I am making a two tier cake - one orange dreamsicle and one smores. I was thinking about mixing in the Lorann orange cream for the dreamsicle tier and Lorann marshmallow for the smores tier. I have about 1/2 a dram left of each - would you add the vanilla and the Lorann?
I added orange extract and orange peel (dried), along with vanilla, to SMBC and it tasted JUST LIKE dreamsicle. You certainly could use the oils, if you wanted.
Two more questions - when do you add the color? and Can SMBC be overwhipped?
I usually add the color at the end, after I've finished making my flavors up and all that, just like I do when I'm using American BC. And I'm sure there must be a point at which it's overwhipped, since you can knock the air out of a meringue, but I've never reached it! I'm usually way bored by the time I get to the end, because it's taken, oh, half an hour at least.
- Can you make it ahead of time? How far ahead of time can it be made?
You can make it well in advance. Just refrigerated it if you're making it more than a couple days early. Weather left at room temp, or refrigerated, if you make it in advance, you should beat it with a paddle to get rid of any air bubbles before using it.
At the bakery I work at we use SMBC almost exclusively, and I've never seen in go bad. We leave it out for several days at a time, but refrigerate extra that won't be used right away. We go through it quickly, but occasionally a bucket will get hidden behind something in the walk-in refrigerator, and it might be several weeks old but it's still perfectly fine.
Of course, we do use pasteurized egg whites, but as long as you cook your whites and sugar to 160F I don't see why it would be any different. Sugar is an excellent preservative.
- After the cake is frosted, does it need to be refrigerated?
It can stay out for a couple days, but I like to keep cakes refrigerated because when the frosting is cold it gets nice and hard (i.e. stable) so the cake is easy to transport, and doesn't get damaged easily.
- Can it be used to glue small fondant pieces together? I have some little fondant buttons I want to glue onto the middle of some little fondant flowers, and I was going to use the SMBC . . . will that work?
SMBC won't work well for gluing fondant together unless the pieces will be kept refrigerated at all time. I would use royal icing, water, piping gel, or fondant dissolved in water as glue instead.
- If it comes out too thin, is there anything I can add to make it thicker?
With SMBC (any meringue butter cream really), how thick/thin (or more accurately stiff/soft) it is depends on how cold/warm it is. If it's too stiff, warm it up; if it's too soft, chill it for a while. But keep in mind, SMBC IS softer than what you're probably used to if you use "regular" BC most of the time.
- Any other tips you have for me? I'm using the Well Dressed Cake Swiss Buttercream.
I'm not familiar with that recipe, but one thing I would suggest is, when starting with cold, refrigerated SMBC, you can quickly bring it to a workable texture by melting a small portion completely (in the microwave, or over a double boiler) and pour that over the cold BC. Then use the paddle attachment, and beat the BC on low speed until it's totally smooth and soft. This will usually take 5-10 min. The only thing that will happen if you beat it too long is it will get really, really soft. If you're beating cold BC and it looks clumpy or separated, you need to warm it up more (add more melted SMBC or some people use a small propane torch on the outside of the mixing bowl). If you over melt it, stick it in the fridge for a while and re-beat, or add some cold SMBC and re-beat.
Speaking of tips, if you are prepared to use it the same day you make it, check out Antonia74's tips on p.2 of this thread http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=404613&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=15. I am sure you can try this with previously stored MBC but my IMBC is at its absolute smoothest when it's freshly made as she suggests. I was always afraid to try her technique but when I finally did it BOYOHBOY was she right! I got a glassy-smooth cake. Woohoo!
All of your other questions have been answered, but FYI with regard to storage, what I've read has always suggested refrigerating it (I do know that many do not, as posted above) and that it lasts 8 days in the fridge (obviously that can change for some people too, huh? Your mileage may vary!). It also freezes GREAT! Has about a 3-month lifespan in the freezer.
My other tip of the day is to follow the PP's directions on how to save it if it was too warm (turns to soup) or cold (curdles). You just either cool it down or warm it up! My kitchen has been warm lately and the last 3 batches turned to soup...so bad that the bag of veggies didn't work and it was literally sloshing out of the bowl. I had to refrigerate it for like...15 minutes? 1/2 hour? I forget... before it came back to life. Don't ever chuck your MBC!!
(btw disclaimer: I actually use the Mousseline Buttercream IMBC recipe from the Cake Bible. I can't get the hang of SMBC...I ALWAYS scramble the eggs 
) .
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