Smbc.... What Am I Doing Wrong???

Baking By practiceandpatience Updated 31 Jan 2011 , 1:33pm by practiceandpatience

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practiceandpatience Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 9:59pm
post #1 of 11

I tried to make SMBC, and first issue I could not get the whites past a soft peak, and then I only added 1/2 the butter called for, and still all I could taste was butter??

Everyone here raves about SMBC and IMBC, but to my family and myself all we could taste was butter?
Am I doing something wrong?

10 replies
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drakegore Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 10:07pm
post #2 of 11

if there was any fat on utensils (or from yolks) that will keep you from getting stiff peaks.

what was your recipe? you need to have 1/4 cup sugar per egg white.

where you using a stand mixer?

how long did you whip for?

need a bit more information to help figure out the problem icon_smile.gif.

on taste, imbc and smbc require a lot more flavoring than PS buttercreams. my smallest batch (5 egg whites) can take up to 1/4 cup plus 2 tbs fruit puree or lemon curd or up to 3tbs vanilla.

diane

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Kiddiekakes Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 10:13pm
post #3 of 11

I too find IMBC and SMBC to buttery for my taste but I believe it is supposed to taste like that.

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Atomikjen Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 10:21pm
post #4 of 11

did you use egg whites in a carton or use cracked eggs? if you used carton ones, some of them say on the side that it's not recommended for meringues and you won't get stiff peaks with it but it does make a decent bc. if you used eggs cracked, you may have gotten yolk in it... I'm not a huge fan of SMBC, I love it on certain cakes, but in moderation... I'm still experimenting with different things though...

hth

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practiceandpatience Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 10:26pm
post #5 of 11

I used the Well Dressed Cake Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe.

I use the Kitchenaid 600

I beat at least 10-15 minutes.

I was very careful about fat on the utensils??

I also tried to flavor with caramel extract (2tsp. which then all I could taste was the caramel)

I used egg whites from cracked eggs (don't think I had egg yolk in it, didn't break any yolks)

Maybe it is just my taste buds???

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drakegore Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 10:33pm
post #6 of 11

hmmm, you have a good recipe and a stand mixer and are using real egg whites....all good, no problem there icon_smile.gif.

i whip mine 10 minutes at full speed after they reach 160 degrees.

i think what it sounds like to me is you may have unknowingly had some sort of fat incorporated into your meringue.

2 tsp extract would never be enough to fully flavor smbc or imbc. 2 tbs maybe, but not teaspoons. with 2 tsps, it would take like butter more than anything else.

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springlakecake Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 10:34pm
post #7 of 11

If you egg whites werent whipped up enough, I can imagine the texture of the buttercream might be a little different. I find if my butter is too cold then the buttercream wont whip up as fluffy. When the texture is off, it does just remind me of butter.

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Sangriacupcake Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 10:42pm
post #8 of 11

The intense butter flavor is too much for my family, as well. When I make SMBC, I use only 3/4 of the fat called for overall, using about half butter and half high ratio shortening. It really lightens the flavor without compromising the texture. But it has to be high ratio.

There's a high end custom cakery in my town that uses all high ratio in their IMBC. It's delicious!

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Navyempress Posted 23 Jan 2011 , 11:12pm
post #9 of 11

If you don't get a nice meringue first, definitely don't add the butter until you do. The meringue is the most important part of the frosting because it is the stability and it, paired with the vanilla will cut the taste of the butter. If it tastes too much like butter, try adding another teaspoon of vanilla because all it takes sometimes is a little more to change the taste considerably.

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CakeandDazzle Posted 31 Jan 2011 , 2:19am
post #10 of 11

the above reply!
also make sure you are using only UNSALTED butter!

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practiceandpatience Posted 31 Jan 2011 , 1:33pm
post #11 of 11

Thank you all, I will give it another try using your tips!!
cross your fingers for me!

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