Hard Smbc

Baking By skibunny5981 Updated 27 Apr 2017 , 2:01am by CatherineGeorge

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skibunny5981 Posted 25 Apr 2017 , 11:55am
post #1 of 8

I made swiss meringue buttercream for the very first time for my daughter's baptism cake this past weekend.  It tasted great and was silky smooth right after making it.  I put it in the fridge since I wasn't using it until the next day and it got rock hard so I left it out and let it come back to room temperature and then rewhipped it in the mixer.  I iced and decorated the cake and put the finished cake in the fridge overnight since it had a perishable filling.  The day of the party, I took the cake out an hour and a half before serving it and the icing was still kind of hard.  It wasn't rock hard like when I refrigerated the first time but I was expecting it to be softer and fluffier like when I initially made it.  Can someone help me figure out what went wrong?  Thanks! 

7 replies
-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 25 Apr 2017 , 2:09pm
post #2 of 8

what was your recipe? and what exact ingredients did you use?

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skibunny5981 Posted 25 Apr 2017 , 4:59pm
post #3 of 8

Hi K8Memphis 

I used the recipe from my craftsy class (ultimate cake bakers toolbox with james roselle.)

3 cups granulated sugar

10 egg whites

4 teaspoons meringue powder

1/2 cup shortening

2 lbs. butter

2 tablespoons vanilla

it first has you dissolve the sugar in the egg whites over a hot water bath and then whip it in the stand mixer.  Once the egg whites are whipped then you add the butter, shortening and vanilla little by little


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-K8memphis Posted 26 Apr 2017 , 3:00pm
post #4 of 8

idk -- i don't use any meringue powder --

the ratios i use are:

  • 1 1/3 cup butter
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla
  • 3/4 cup granulated Not confectioner's sugar
  • 3 large egg whites

from m. braun's lovely book "cakewalk"

so at three cups of sugar like yours i would be using 12 egg whites and five and a third cups of butter -- so that's nearly three pounds of buttter --

so i use extra whites, about the same in fat and sugar no meringue powder

there is not a right or wrong formula -- i mean it goes without saying that james roselle knows what he's doing -- i'm  just saying my formula is a bit different -- it works for me -- and i have no idea why yours stayed so hard blush

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CatherineGeorge Posted 26 Apr 2017 , 6:01pm
post #5 of 8

I don't think anything went wrong, it's just hard when chilled. 

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skibunny5981 Posted 26 Apr 2017 , 6:05pm
post #6 of 8

CatherineGeorge - Do you think it's possible I didn't have the cake out at room temperature long enough?  I thought taking it out an hour and a half before serving would have been plenty of time but the icing and cake were still slightly cold and the icing was still a little hard.  How long does everyone else have their cakes out before serving?

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-K8memphis Posted 26 Apr 2017 , 9:02pm
post #7 of 8

after an hour and a half at room temp my cake's icings are soft again

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CatherineGeorge Posted 27 Apr 2017 , 2:01am
post #8 of 8

I mean if you slice it the slices will warm up pretty quickly. Mine stay chilled a long time, especially on the inside. 

If you're curious, a thermometer would solve the mystery. 

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