Imbc, Smbc, Mousseline Bc....help!?....
Decorating By swoboda Updated 11 Apr 2006 , 4:09am by swoboda
I'm going to try making one of these for the first time this week & I'm not sure which one to try. So far all I have ever made is the regular Crisco/Butter BC & the recipe from Sharon's Sugar Shack (which is great by the way!!). But I want to try these too because there's lots of posts on here raving about them.
I have 2 questions -
1) Which would be easiest for a beginner to make? (And maybe tell me why?)
2) Do you REALLY need a thermometer to get these right when making them? All 3 recipes I have call for a thermometer reading but I don't really want to invest in a $35 thermometer if I don't need to.
Thanks in advance for any advice!!
I've made IMBC and personally I found it to have an overwhelming butter flavor. Martha's recipe calls for a full pound of butter. The Mousseline also calls for a full pound of butter. I wonder if anyone else thinks this and has tried substituting hi-ratio shortening for some of the butter?
I used a thermometer for the IMBC. I purchased a candy thermometer but ended up later buying an instant read digital thermometer. I found that the bulb of the candy therm. barely reached the liquid in my pot so the temp was never truly accurate. The instant read therm. doesn't clip to the side but I can dip it in occassionally and then hold it there when the temp is getting close. Just be careful to not let it touch the bottom of the pan. It cost me around $15.
Buttercream is really personal taste and what you are familiar with. All the buttercreams are fairly easy if you follow the directions carefully. One person can hate the same recipe as another person loves. You have to try some for yourself. I like most of them for different reasons.
If the recipe calls for a specific cooking tem, you need a thermometer. An instant read can cost as little as $10.
On of the best is a metal candy thermomet that does not have the ball at the base. It rests on a metal piece so the thermometer won't rest on the bottom. It costs more, but is extremely durable and useful.
Even better, is one with a probe on a wire. The unit can be set for high/low ranges and for time. These can be found for about $25.
I think Swiss Meringue is a little easier to make than Italian Meringue, but they are very similar.
Yes, the primary ingredient is butter! It's BUTTERcream! 
They are very buttery tasting, but I find they are luscious on cake. You should eat them at room temperature, when they are soft. When chilled, they become firm and eating them is like eating cold butter. The sweetness is much more subtle than in a powdered sugar buttercream. People who normally find that type of buttercream too sweet, may prefer the meringue types.
I've made flowers and piped borders with the SMBC (there are several cakes and some cupcakes in my photos). It's soft, but it pipes really well. To make roses, I piped centers and chilled them briefly in the freezer before adding petals. Then I chilled the roses before putting them on the cake.
Thanks for your input everyone. I ended up making IMBC & WBH BC. I liked them both but had troubles piping flowers with them because my house & hands were too hot - the icing kept melting in my bag! Even tried popping to centres of roses in the freezer but when I touched the tip to add the centre bud it slid right off the paper!
I think next time I might try SMBC as I've read a few posts that it works well for flowers....
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