Hi guys!
I made IMBC today for the first time (a huge thanks to ShirleyW for her help...she's the best). It really turned out well to my surprise. I'm going to be using this for a wedding next month and really need to icing to be whiter that it is. It is a bit on the yellow side (hello...3 sticks of butter).
Any advise will be great and much appreciated!
Wanda
have you tried adding a teensy bit of violet food coloring? I hear that works to cancel out the yellow. I haven't tried it myself so consider this a bump!
I would love to hear what works for this, so if you do try the violet food coloring (or whatever you try), can you post your results? I mostly use IMBC, and although I love it, this is definitely and issue. Also, once you get it white (if you can) can you then go ahead and color it a vibrant color, as you can with a shortening-based frosting? Don't mean to take away from your original posting, just an additional question for us IMBC users!
IMBC does have an off white or a bit of an Ivory color. I have not tried the violet trick, let us know if it works for you. Don't let anyone talk you into using a partial amount of shortening along with the butter in this icing. It changes the texture completely and tastes just awful. I did that once when I was low on butter, I will never do it again. I would also taste that Wilton white before adding any to your icing. I am not a fan of their products as far as taste.
Don't let anyone talk you into using a partial amount of shortening along with the butter in this icing. It changes the texture completely and tastes just awful. I did that once when I was low on butter, I will never do it again. I would also taste that Wilton white before adding any to your icing. I am not a fan of their products as far as taste.
Thanks for this, Shirley. I was thinking about combining IMBC with, say a Buttercream dream, to see if it would hold up well, and to see if it would color better (to make like a nice green cake--a more vibrant color). Does IMBC hold up well for a period of time outside of the fridge? I am going to attempt to make my niece's wedding cake (I am sure there will be a lot more questions coming!) I make IMBC for all my cakes, but I have not had to deal with the issue of leaving a cake out for a period of time just yet.
I have used Wilton's "Brite White" and it's worked beautifully...I didn't notice any alterations in the taste because you really don't need too much to whiten up your icing.
I have had IMBC hold up well for several hours at a reception, but in the summer months the room has to be well air conditioned. The cake I did last July when it was 117 degrees here was a nightmare. I got it there safely, went into the room and they had one small wall unit cooler, the building was very old and not insulated, it must have been 120 degrees in there. By the time the ceremony was over we had to dismantle the cake, it was drooping badly. Fortunately the bride was more upset with the owners of the venue, and the cake was a gift so she couldn't say anything mean to me either. 
From my experience, it is softer than a shortening based frosting, but it shouldn't be too soft. Did you use butter or margarine? I made the huge mistake once of using margarine, and I had to throw the batch away. It was awful--kind of soupy. Be sure and use a quality butter. Make sure your butter is at room temperature when you incorporate it, but not too soft. It does taste wonderful, as you said. I hope this helps.
[Strolling up to the podium with my hair pulled back in a very proper bun, my reading glasses perched on the very tip of my nose, and a fairly formal air about me as I am determined to impart a bit of wisdom upon the room. Don't worry if I don't cover everything, you will have an opportunity to ask your questions at the end of today's discussion.].....
I use the Mousseline Buttercream from "The Cake Bible" (essentially the same type of icing being discussed here), and she recommends that you cream your softened butter first, then set aside. Her instructions are to have the butter "soft but cool". So I might recommend that you take your somewhat softened butter (not TOO soft!) and put it all in a mixing bowl and beat it until it lightens considerably, then set it aside and proceed with your recipe as usual. This may help somewhat.
I would definitely be extremely suspicious of any additives to "whiten" your IMBC ... try just a bit on a small bowl of icing first to insure it will do what you want it to do without altering the taste, texture or integrity of your icing.
As for IMBC "holding up" to room temperatures, here is my experience. If it will be quite warm wherever you are displaying your cake, I find that it works very well to have the cake well-chilled when you deliver it. If you are able, put the components into a fridge to chill thoroughly. Delivery should be made with a vehicle with a working air conditioner, cranked as cold as it will go (don't worry if you have to wear a heavy parka; people may point, they may even laugh, but better to protect your cake's reputation than to suffer because you were unprepared). Quickly set up the cake as close as you dare to the time it will be needed and/or the start of the event. What this will do is firm up the butter in the icing. As the room heats up, the icing will gently and gradually come to room temperature, but it will take some time as your cakes are also well-chilled underneath the icing. This will certainly help to maintain the integrity of your decorating. By the time the cake needs to be cut, it should be nicely soft and easy to cut (too cold and the butter can cause the icing to "splinter" when you are cutting it), making for a lovely display on a plate.
Of course, a cool room temperature is best for display for any length of time, but we can only control those things we are able to.
All right now, everyone, that concludes our lecture for today. Please make note that these points are only suggestions for you all to try. Those of you who find either success OR failure, please come back and let the rest of us know so we, too, may continue on our journey of learning. Thank you for coming, and have a pleasant day.
Odessa
IMBC can be very soft when it's first done, but if it seems too soft, just chill it a bit and then rewhip until it's the right stiffness. It's nice to crumb coat with when it's like that though.
Another tip on whitening I've learned is that if you whip butter, it gets lighter, so you might try whipping the butter separately before adding it to the egg whites, until it lighens a bit. It may soften it too much whipping it, so then you'd have to re-chill it a bit to make sure it doesn't go into the meringue too soft...
Other than that, I just tell my brides that my icing isn't *pure* white.
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