Meringue Buttercream Method Question?!

Baking By BeesKnees578 Updated 13 Mar 2013 , 2:30am by BeesKnees578

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BeesKnees578 Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 5:32pm
post #1 of 10

I use Duff's mixed with my own.  His alone is just like eating slightly sweetened vanilla butter, which it actually is.

 

I have considered about the raw egg whites.  And yes because it's on TV, I assume it's OK, but in hind sight isn't the best option and will make a change.  Let me say why I chose that over say Italian or Swiss methods.  Every recipe I've tried (Whimsical Bakehouse - yummo, Nick Malgieri, others).  No doubt, they are DELICIOUS!

 

Each of these recipes say to whip the mixture until cool to the touch (which in a class that I took with Nick M, he said that means ABSOLUTELY no heat coming off the bowl).  About 5-10 min.  Really??!!  It takes my KA mixer NO LESS THAN a half hour.  No lie.  I guess I got fed up with the whole time-consuming process and the annoying buzzing of my mixer, that when I saw Duff's I just thought THIS IS THE ANSWER TO MY PRAYERS TO THE BAKING GODS!  Although the consistency is so very thick, almost too thick to spread on a cake and the taste was like eating butter, I was right in thinking that mixing it with my american buttercream recipe would work.  It is a delicious blend of sweet, but not too sweet.  And it sets up so nice and firm, but doesn't crust, which I kinda think is gross!  IMHO....

 

Does anyone else have this problem of the cooling taking so long?  The only time it works quickly is doing a half-recipe which would take a whole day to make enough to cover a large cake.  I have a 4qt and a pro600 KA. 

 

Do you think it's possible to cook the whites and sugars and then refrigerate?  Then add back into mixer and incorporate your butter?  I think it's worth the experiment for me as I hate most american buttercreams. 


Thanks all for your input!

9 replies
-K8memphis Cake Central Cake Decorator Profile
-K8memphis Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 5:44pm
post #2 of 10

egg whites whip best warm of course so that part's good

 

but you can certainly whip them first then get them in the fridge or just wait for them to cool off

 

sometimes i have an ice bath ready & set the egg white bowl into the icey water for a few

(if i'm particularly together) (doesn't happen often ;)

 

but set the timer because you don't necessarily need them cold--it just sets the butter faster i guess but no worries--would still work--

 

again that 'planetary action' of our lovely stand mixers covers a multitude of sins (creates friction = heat)

 

sure i've put them in the fridge and freezer to cool off fast--but usually they are cool enough for the butter just by whipping--plus my butter is a little chilly still so that helps even out the temp of the egg whites too--

 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 

i learned to whip egg whites from slow to high on the mixer speeds

 

the pastry chefs i learned from whip slowly then turn it up a few clicks at a time till it gets whipped

 

to be sure all the little bits and drips of egg white get incorporated evenly

 

and you only have to get to medium firm meringue for this to work

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thecakewitch Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 6:27pm
post #3 of 10

I use frozen bags of veggies to help the bowl cool faster or ice packs.

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-K8memphis Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 6:28pm
post #4 of 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by thecakewitch 

I use frozen bags of veggies to help the bowl cool faster or ice packs.

 

 

oh perfect!

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BeesKnees578 Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 7:46pm
post #5 of 10

I made it once while it was still too warm because I ran out of time...it never did whip up firmly.  Nick M told me that it was because my eggs were too warm so I have been paranoid ever since.  The bowl was just slightly warmer than room temp.  Maybe I didn't let it whip out long enough to cool it  further and get more air in there?

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-K8memphis Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 8:05pm
post #6 of 10
Quote:
Originally Posted by BeesKnees578 

I made it once while it was still too warm because I ran out of time...it never did whip up firmly.  Nick M told me that it was because my eggs were too warm so I have been paranoid ever since.  The bowl was just slightly warmer than room temp.  Maybe I didn't let it whip out long enough to cool it  further and get more air in there?

 

 

i think you're right i think would have had it

 

i've had mine like that sometimes

 

even if i put the butter in when the meringue was too warm

 

i stuffed it in the freezer and somehow walked away fluffy and light in the end

 

my butter usually still has some chill on it so that helps take the last bit of heat off too

 

but my egg white bowl is usually the same temp as you describe

 

i put the butter in little by little while it's mixing so that always gives me time to see & think if all is going well

 

then beat h*ll out of it icon_biggrin.gif

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kikiandkyle Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 8:21pm
post #7 of 10

Mine takes ages to cool too, I assumed it was because I'm using the KA metal bowl to heat rather than just putting the heated meringue into the cold KA bowl (having heated it in a glass bowl perhaps). I've put a bag of peas on there before when I was in a rush. I may spring for one of those fancy ice baths one day. 

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vgcea Posted 12 Mar 2013 , 8:30pm
post #8 of 10

When I'm in a hurry, I just pull up a standing fan to the entrance of the kitchen, set it in the direction of the mixer and let it blow. It cools much faster that way.

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Blueridgebuttercream Posted 13 Mar 2013 , 12:01am
post #9 of 10

I've been wondering the same thing about the "whip 10 minutes" instructions.  Last time I made a large batch my furnace was broken so room temp was 58 degrees and after 25 minutes of whipping the meringue was still at 98 degrees.  I always thought the recipe writers must live in some alternate universe where the laws of physics are different; however, now that I hear kikiandkyle's explanation that they're not heating the KA bowl, I have to admit that is perhaps a little more likely :) 

I do the bag of frozen veggies or a cold, wet towel around the bowl too.  If my butter's colder I throw it in earlier, but even when I've put the butter in too soon and it got soupy, I've been able to salvage by putting it in the fridge for a while to get colder. 
 

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BeesKnees578 Posted 13 Mar 2013 , 2:30am
post #10 of 10

Thanks all for the help!  This will certainly save me the hassle of making two different icings....now to find my favorite meringue recipe!?
 

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