First Imbc Try And I Need To Know If This Is What It Looks
Decorating By wgoat5 Updated 23 Sep 2007 , 3:31pm by FromScratch
like before you smooth it? It was liked whipped butter in a way....
I had stayed away from this..but now I think it is SOOOOOOOOOOO GOOD!!! I'M TRANSFORMED PEOPLE!!!!! The IMBC doesn't taste like whipped butter to me guys! OHHHH YUM!
BUT....is this the right consistancy? Why am I having a hard time just spreading it on the cake? Much less smoothing it? Can someone tell me if this is what it looks like when it goes on and if not what have I done wrong or might have done wrong? How do you smooth this stuff?
I could lather my body with it and be happy 
(Thanks Shirley for your wonderful recipe, I will be a convert IF I can get it to smooth out for me)
AND this is such a small batch do you all just double up or have to make 1 batch at a time?
Ok look at the pic and tell me what I did wrong or if it's right but how to smooth.
Sorry keep rambling on
Oh yeah...the cake isn't for anybody I just wanted to try out the recipe, so not a pretty picture 
Christi
It looks pretty good. You may want to add the butter a bit at a time and waiting until the it's absorbed before adding the next so you'll insure a smooth batch. Also make sure you use it right after you make it to make sure it is smooth. If you chill it, you have to bring it to room temperature so it won't curdle when you beat it. Congratulations on your first batch. I was happy when I made my first batch of IMBC. It is delicious. 
I am by no means an expert on why it would have turned out this way and how to fix it. I use IMBC all the time and it goes on very smooth, so there is definitely something different about your first batch. I use Dede Wilson's IMBC, and it makes a big batch, so I don't double it--I don't think it would fit into the mixer bowl if I did.
I wouldn't give up, though! Sounds like you love the taste (I am dedicated to IMBC unless I use a chocolate frosting or cream cheese or have a request for a shortening frosting!! LOVE it!), and for your first time it really doesn't look too bad. Hopefully an IMBC expert will give their reply and tell you what you need to do next time.
Oh ya know...it wasn't shiney when I stopped whipping it...but it was really thick so maybe I did whip to long? This is worth a try AGAIN!! The butter was all incorporated....ohhh geez I guess this stuff is gonna give me a migraine till I can get it right. Not gonna try it again tonight but maybe tomorrow (after the cakes are out of here).
I want it to be soooo pretty....but right now my IMBC is pretty ugly LOL
Thank you all that replied!
I am going to take a guess and say you probably didn't whip it enough. I usually mix it for about 15 minutes or longer, until it has a fluffy consistency. And it is shiny, too. How long did you mix your IMBC? It should be light and very easy to frost. Hmmmmm......
I have only made this twice and Yep it is soooooooo good!!! I would suggest PMing ShirleyW and she can tell you exactly what you need to do. She is such a wonderful help!!!
i found it hard to smooth at first too. mine was shiney but i didn't whip it as long as the directions said though because it was cool and shiney and i couldn't keep my fingers out of the bowl to taste it! anywho, i just kept working it with the spatula and it did smooth out nicely. so i probably (and you too most likely, as the others have said) didn't whip it long enough.
do another batch. let us know how it goes.
I am guessing here, it looks to me like the butter may have been too cold when you added it, or you may have overbeaten the icing. It should be fairly soft when it has finished beating, almost like whipped cream. It should go on pretty smoothly even before you begin smoothing it with a spatula or chocolate scraper. I am not sure how you can salvage it on the cake, you might try hitting it lightly with a hot blow dryer to see if it will soften up a bit.
Well I had to keep beatingthe egg whites and sugar forever because the bowl didn't cool quickly. THEN I added the little bits of semi cold butter to the mixer and when I got through I walked away....It doesn't take as long as I thought after I added the butter to mix to the consistency it is supposed to be. Or does it? I am going to try again. My whole family loves it regardless of how this cake looks
Thank you ALL for posting to my questions!! I sure appreciate all the good advice. And I will try again 
Yay! Another IMBC convert! Hurrah! I just LOVE that stuff! It's all I use, other than ganache.
Here is a link to a thread with some great tips from both ShirleyW and Antonia 74 (scroll down to read all the posts on page 3 from Shirley and Antonia74)- I didn't read thru the whole thread to see if you had already participated in it, so sorry if it's old news to you. Anyway they both had lots of great info on getting it made and getting it smooth. http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=404613&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=15
Mine always turns out silkier than yours but I have no idea why so I'll leave that to the experts to solve .
I am a newbie, what is imbc? And where can I find the recipe?
IMBC = Italian Meringue Buttercream
The one referred to in this thread is Italian Meringue Buttercream - Shirley's Method. It can be found in the recipes section on this site. The link is:
http://www.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2426-222-Italian-Meringue-Buttercream--Shirleys-Method.html
~ Gigi
Cariage,
You're welcome. I've found that doing site searches for some of the abbreviations used here can be very helpful. Also, there are some specific threads in the forums that define them too. Again, you'd need to do a forum search.
Good luck with your IMBC tomorrow!
~ Gigi
Ok, I did a Swiss Buttercream from PastryWiz last night... I used meringue powder instead of the egg whites (worried about contamination) and it only said to disolve the sugar so it didn't get very hot for very long... added softened butter (it stayed out all day) and it was a soupy mess...
I refrigerated for a few hours and beat it for a bit, still weird lumpy texture, so I beat it again, this time into submission. It finally turned smooth, but it is just sweetened butter, WAY too rich to eat more than one finger full... I'll have to try Shirley's Italian version and see how much better it tastes, which I'm sure it will!!!
[quote="wgoat5"]doesn't take as long as I thought after I added the butter to mix to the consistency it is supposed to be. Or does it? quote]
That's what I thought the first time I made it, too, but rather than stopping it short, I still let it go as long as the directions said and it DID become smoother and FLUFFIER than it was when I initially thought it was done. For sure let it go for the suggested time.
Thanks Alana, I took some leftover cake to my mom's for my uncles wife to try...and MY goodness I thought she was dying and going to heaven! She loved the chocolate cake combo with the IMBC with the orange Really brought out the chocolate in the WASC
Thanks Alana, I took some leftover cake to my mom's for my uncles wife to try...and MY goodness I thought she was dying and going to heaven! She loved the chocolate cake combo with the IMBC with the orange
Really brought out the chocolate in the WASC
You should try chocolate IMBC sometime. It's yummy!!
LaSombra how do I find this yummy recipe
?
well, there are various ways to do it but the other day, I was filling a cake with ganache so went ahead and added some of that to the IMBC. It was really good. You can add cocoa powder to it also and that works (just make sure you sift it first) or you could probably melt and cool some chocolate and just mix it in.
okay, so this is going to a VERY stupid question, i'm sure... but you all make me want to try IMBC so much. after looking at the recipe, i'm assuming that you cannot make this with a hand mixer, correct? poor lil ole me doesn't have a fancy KA mixer yet (i'm just entering this whole decorating world).
i guess i'll just have to keep this on the backburner until santa comes, i'm sure!
you might try hitting it lightly with a hot blow dryer to see if it will soften up a bit.
WOW! i have NEVER thought of that (not just for imbc, i can think of a few different things already!) i am definitely using that tip! Thanks!
**I have never made IMBC yet, but i sure plan on it now! sounds SO great! 
Ok, I did a Swiss Buttercream from PastryWiz last night... I used meringue powder instead of the egg whites (worried about contamination) and it only said to disolve the sugar so it didn't get very hot for very long... added softened butter (it stayed out all day) and it was a soupy mess...
I refrigerated for a few hours and beat it for a bit, still weird lumpy texture, so I beat it again, this time into submission. It finally turned smooth, but it is just sweetened butter, WAY too rich to eat more than one finger full... I'll have to try Shirley's Italian version and see how much better it tastes, which I'm sure it will!!!
What was thr recipe? I make SMBC all the time and it's great. But I use less butter than most recipes. My recipe is 10 lg egg whites, 16 oz sugar, 3 sticks unsalted butter and 2-3 tbsp real vanilla. It is really good and definitely not too buttery.
With all of the meringue buttercreams there is a fine line between too cold and too warm. If it gets really cold I put my mixer bowl over a double boiler and melt it down a little and then mix it on med-low until it comes together.. it can take a while but it will come together. If it's too soupy (like if your butter is too warm.. it should yield to your finger a little but not be completely mushy) then just pop it in the fridge for a couple minutes and mix it again.. don't let it get too cold or it'll get lumpy. I love the MBC's because you can't really screw it up.. just let it beat up and it will come together eventually.
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