Sylvia Weinstock Buttercream... What Am I Doing Wrong?
Decorating By Daniellemhv Updated 11 Mar 2007 , 9:05pm by Daniellemhv
Okay so I've made this recipe twice and Its absolutely Delish! You whip the egg whites, add the melted sugar and whip it forever until its stiff meringue then add the butter and whip it some more. Its suppose to look like cottage cheese then whip out real nice. Thats not what happens when I make it. Mine goes like this
Whip the egg whites, add the hot sugar, whip it forever but It never becomes a thick meringue. I whipped it and whipped it and whipped it and it Never gets thick. So I just whip it until it becomes cool 40-60 minutes then add the butter and it becomes soupy. I chill it for about 5 hours, let it thaw out a little bit, then whip it and THEN it starts to go through the cottage cheese stage then whips smooth.
But I don't really like taking 6+ hours to make icing. But I've tried other meringue icings and this one taste the best I think. So am I doing something wrong? Here is where I got the recipe:
Its the first one.
http://whatscookingamerica.net/PegW/ButtercreamRecipes.htm
P.S. I hate a candy thermometer so I know its the right temp
I thought about that but the recipe goes "wrong" before I even add the butter. THe meringue never gets thick
Oops! I should have read more thoroughly. The egg whites should already be whipped into a stiff meringue before you add the boiled sugar. Heres a terrific tutorial that I found helpful:
http://forums.egullet.org/index.php?s=600c433137cc5804e9819233a9502b5f&showtopic=87490
Thanks Lindakbh. But since i'm using the Sylvia recipe, her way is a little different. She just whips egg whites until they form soft peaks then adds the hot sugar/water mixture. I think that my problem may be that when I added the sugar I had the beater on low and not High. I'm trying that this time and its working out a little better. Its not done yet so who knows what will happen.
My method is very much like Sylvia's. You'll want to gradually add the sugar syrup while beating on medium speed. For what it's worth, I have found the ideal temp for the sugar syrup is 256 degrees.
Okay, thanks guys. The icing came out beautiful. BUT I put it in the fridge overnight and when I let it thaw a little bit and re-whip it. It really decreases in volume. yesterday when it was done it filled up about 3/4 of the bowl, nots its less than half, maybe 1/4. and it turns back into yellow. why does this happen? it happened last time i made it too.
You can keep IMBC at room temp for up to three days. If you refrigerate it, you need to bring it up to around 80 degrees before re-whipping or it will break.
I make a water bath that's about 85-88 degrees, set my icing in it for about 45 minutes, then re-whip.
Hello, this is my first post ever. I have been using this icing for about 9 months now. When I use davidson's eggs, the recipe is perfect...i tried using a carton of egg whites and I got soup!!!!!!!! I am making cake for my son'd first birthday this weekend and I threw away 2 batches. I tried meringue powder and it works, but the taste is slightly different. They stopped selling the davidson's where I live. So, it may be the egg whites you use. Are you waiting for the egg sugar syrup mixture to cool before you add the butter? You have to beat it for about 10 minutes before you add the butter. I hope I am helping. Chanda
For those of you who have trouble with the egg whites being " soupy", it is almost certainly residual fat in your bowl, or a bit of egg yolk. Fat will cause egg whites to fail every time.
Wipe your bowl with a paper towel soaked in vinegar, it will eliminate any residual fat. Also, never try to whip egg whites in a plastic bowl. Plastic and fat are molecularly very similar, and you will never get the maximum volume from egg whites whipped in a plastic bowl.
Thanks txkat. it may have been some egg yolk the first couple times. I remember there being a little tiny bit of egg yolk and thinking "that won't hurt". haha oops. I am SO Glad to hear that I can leave the icing out overnight. That makes my life alot easier.
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