Decorating With Italian Meringue Buttercream
Decorating By MariaLovesCakes Updated 11 May 2007 , 8:50pm by ShirleyW
I finally used the Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMB) and I have to say that IT IS WONDERFUL!!!! It is super easy to use, and super easy to smooth....!!! I was in smooth icing heaven!!! 
I used the recipe posted on Baking911.com, but will also try others like Sylvia Weinstock and another I have. They are all pretty much the same, but the recipe from Baking911.com has part Crisco and part butter in it.
My husband took the digital camera to work 
, so I will post the picture later of the cake I did...
I am soooo pleased with this icing I can't tell you all enough. I will definetely use it again.
Of course, the ingredients for this icing are more expensive because I don't usually use unsalted butter and the process is more involved that regular buttercream, but man, it is a wonderful thing...
I tried Swiss buttercream, but Italian is much better to smooth and is not as soft...
Ah, sorry, I forgot to make roses with it, but it feels thick enough to make them.
Sounds great! I'm planning on trying the recipe from Whimsical Bakehouse when I get a chance. Maybe this weekend.... 
i love meringue buttercream. I didn't know there was such a thing as a meringue with crisco. Hmmmm. I'm guessing the egg white and the butter mask the crisco taste. I'll have to give it a try.
I love the consistency of IMB, so smooth and creamy. And it looks so nice on a cake. I also love it because it is not nearly as sweet as icing made with powdered sugar. I've never made it with part crisco, just butter. That might be something to consider in the hot months, though, so it doesn't melt easily! I use the recipe from Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible.
I totally agree - meringue buttercreams are soooooooo much better than the powdered sugar variety. And they are a dream to work with. I use some crisco in mine during hot weather to stabilize it a bit. I use Toba Garrett's recipe. She suggests substituting about 1/6 of the butter with shortening.
i love meringue buttercream. I didn't know there was such a thing as a meringue with crisco. Hmmmm. I'm guessing the egg white and the butter mask the crisco taste. I'll have to give it a try.
Yep, you can't even tell Crisco was used on the recipe. Here is what the recipe looks like:
Italian Meringue Buttercream (From Baking 911)
4 sticks (1 pound) unsalted butter, slightly soft
1 cup Crisco® shortening
8 large egg whites *NOTE
1/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoon clear, pure or powdered vanilla
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
In a mixer, or by hand, beat butter and shortening together until smooth. Set aside in a cool area (68º F).
Combine egg whites and cream of tartar in large mixing bowl. Whip on a low medium until frothy. When white color is constant, slowly add 1/2 cup of sugar in a very fine stream. Continue to beat on medium.
While egg whites are beating, combine 1 cup of sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir until dissolved, cook over medium heat until boiling. Cook to 250º F, as measured with a Candy Thermometer.
If egg whites haven't yet reached a shiny, but softly stiff stage, turn them up onto high to finish beating. If whites reach shiny/soft/stiff stage before sugar syrup is ready, reduce speed to stir and keep mixing until syrup is ready. Increase speed of mixture. Pour a Tablespoon of syrup into whites (stay away from pouring them onto whip), beat for 10 seconds, continue until all of syrup is used. Beat meringue until bottom of bowl has cooled to about 98°. You want the meringue to return to a stiff/shiny peak before adding the butter mixture. This will make a more stable buttercream.
Using paddle, add butter, one heaping tablespoon at a time allowing mixture to mix for 10-15 seconds between additions. Continue until all butter is mixed in. If mixture breaks, continue beating at low-medium speed and mixture will come back together. Cool for about an hour in a cool area before using. Use immediately.
NOTE: For a sweeter tasting Italian Meringue Buttercream, beat in 1 cups of sifted powdered sugar in the end.
Does anyone have a recipe using the Italian Meringue Buttercream or a web site that has recipes using IMB cause it does delicious and I am always and willing to try new things. You can either PM me the recipes or web sites. TIA and do have a nice day
I just posted one....
Check under recipes... Sylvia Weinstock's recipe is there...
This sounds so good, but I'm concerned about one thing. (I live in La., high humidity, suffocating heat). Are any of you worried about the egg whites/salmonella and is there a way to make this icing using meringue powder, instead? Just curious...I'd hate to get anyone sick...that wouldn't be good for business and I don't carry any type of insurance! 
Does anyone have a recipe using the Italian Meringue Buttercream or a web site that has recipes using IMB cause it does delicious and I am always and willing to try new things. You can either PM me the recipes or web sites. TIA and do have a nice day
I just posted one....
Check under recipes... Sylvia Weinstock's recipe is there...
Hi Maria, can't seem to locate her recipe/s. I went to recipes and I can't seem to find it. 
Can you posted via pm. Thanks and sorry for the inconviences. Have a nice day.
Does anyone have a recipe using the Italian Meringue Buttercream or a web site that has recipes using IMB cause it does delicious and I am always and willing to try new things. You can either PM me the recipes or web sites. TIA and do have a nice day
I just posted one....
Check under recipes... Sylvia Weinstock's recipe is there...
Hi Maria, can't seem to locate her recipe/s. I went to recipes and I can't seem to find it. Can you posted via pm. Thanks and sorry for the inconviences. Have a nice day.
i only use Italian buttercream now but I have never tried it with Crisco. I did read from a pastry chef that adding 10% of vegetable shortening and 90% butter can help if you are afraid of it melting..
I have experimented with it a bit and left a heavily decorated cake out at room temp in the kitchen while the oven was on. ( so it got pretty hot in there!)..
I had no troubles at all, nothing weeped, fell or even melted!! FINALLY!!! I have found my buttercream of choice
In terms of the salmonella issue and egg white, when you add the hot suagr syrup to the beaten egg whites it should heat up suffiently to kill any bacteria in the egg. ( I think the actual temp should reach 160Degrees to kill of salmonella).
I cheat sometimes and use the powdered egg whites and it works fine for me
2 cakes, here is a link to Martha Stewart's recipe:
http://www.marthastewart.com/page.jhtml?&type=content&id=recipe1980&site=&page=1
It looks very similar to the one I make out of The Cake Bible. I don't know what I would do without that book, it is the best.
(I think I heard this from Squirrelly Cakes, so please correct me if I am wrong) but the egg whites do not get hot enough to kill the bacteria in the eggs.
Using powdered egg whites will give you an awful taste. Plus I don't even think it would work, or not nearly as well. Whipping powdered/pasteurized egg whites is just not the same. Swiss Meringue will get the eggs hot enough, but it is not as stable and can't be left out as long.
Some things I've found....
Both do not take colors well, and only last a day or two. After that the flavor is pretty much gone. They also do not hold up in heat well at all.
Hi Maria, can't seem to locate her recipe/s. I went to recipes and I can't seem to find it.
Can you posted via pm. Thanks and sorry for the inconviences. Have a nice day.
[/quote]
No, problem, but someone down below posted a link to the recipe .
If you find hers too long to make, here is a small recipe:
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Tip: Italian Meringue Buttercream
1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
pinch cream of tartar
1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, chilled
1 tsp. vanilla extract
In a small saucepan over medium heat, bring sugar and 2/3 cup water to a boil. Continue boiling until syrup reaches 238° on a candy thermometer (soft-ball stage).
Meanwhile, place egg whites in the bowl of a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, and beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar. Beat on high speed until stiff but not dry; do not overbeat.
With mixer running, add syrup to whites in a stream, beating on high speed until no longer steaming, about 3 minutes. Add butter bit by bit, beating until spreadable, 3 to 5 minutes; beat in vanilla. If icing curdles, don´t panic! Just keep beating until smooth.
You can use pasteurized egg whites instead of actual ones from eggs. Make sure you use the ones from Egg Beaters brand and not All Whites...
Egg Beaters Whites do say on the container that they can be used for meringues...
This sounds so good, but I'm concerned about one thing. (I live in La., high humidity, suffocating heat). Are any of you worried about the egg whites/salmonella and is there a way to make this icing using meringue powder, instead? Just curious...I'd hate to get anyone sick...that wouldn't be good for business and I don't carry any type of insurance!
I use pasteurized egg whites (Egg Beaters Brand only). I checked with other chefs that have used them and they say its fine. Don't use All Whites brand because they are not meant for meringues.
hey maria
u live in the orlando area if i am correct??!!
is there a cake supply store in that area
i'll will be in cocoa beach next month and wanted to check it out
thanks a lot
AShiana
hey maria
u live in the orlando area if i am correct??!!
is there a cake supply store in that area
i'll will be in cocoa beach next month and wanted to check it out
thanks a lot
AShiana
Yes, I do. There is one closed to downtown Orlando called D & G Occasions, address: 625-G Herndon Avenue, Orlando, 32803. Their phone number is 407-894-4458. They are right off Colonial Dr (ST RD 50), at the intersection of Colonial Drive and Hernon Avenue. You can do a mapquest or just called them for directions.
If you are coming down from Cocoa Beach, I believe you can take Colonial Drive (St Rd 50) and it leads you there.
They have everything from cake fillings, to cake toppers, cake board, cake boxes, flavors, candy melts, candy molds, cake books, cake pans of all shapes and sizes, cake stands, dummy cakes, different brands of fondant icing, etc.
You won't be dissapointed, they have TONS of stuff.
Wow, thank you so much for all that information.
I am looking forward to it.
I live in houston but we might be moving to cocoa.
Thank you again
AShiana
(I think I heard this from Squirrelly Cakes, so please correct me if I am wrong) but the egg whites do not get hot enough to kill the bacteria in the eggs.
Using powdered egg whites will give you an awful taste. Plus I don't even think it would work, or not nearly as well. Whipping powdered/pasteurized egg whites is just not the same. Swiss Meringue will get the eggs hot enough, but it is not as stable and can't be left out as long.
Some things I've found....
Both do not take colors well, and only last a day or two. After that the flavor is pretty much gone. They also do not hold up in heat well at all.
yep, meringue based buttercreams don't take colour well, but if you must tint them, I found candy colours works best. don't use wilton pastes...you'll be wasting them because you'll have specks of colour in the buttercream and it'll take a whole heap of paste just to get it a medium colour.
I love the italian meringue buttercream, but where i'm from with high humidity, my buttercream dosen't last at all, unless the cake goes from fridge to airconditioned room.
For those of you who have used italian meringue buttercream frequently, do you find that if you were to take the buttercream out of the fridge, use some and put the rest back in and take out again..there is some "separation or weeping".
I'm a bit puzzled because i've used it on birthday cakes twice and it was fine and then the last time i used it, the buttercream was like sweating! not sure what I did 
. I only suspect that I was working the buttercream too much. Meaning i used a bit then I put it in the fridge then thawed it and used it again. It was a hot day and i was trying to be a perfectionist 
...so I was decorating bit by bit!
Anyone out there that can enlighten me? Thanks!
Hi MariaLovesCakes, Thank you so very much and the trouble for posting the recipes and information. How very helpful you and everyone else here at CC is. I'm so happy that I found this site, can't seem to get away from it, especially when I have one and million things to do. I just enjoy being a part of CC. All have a great weekend.
I make mine with all butter, but I cut the amount down to 12 oz. or 3 sticks rather than the 1 lb. It was just too buttery for me. I didn't have enough butter at one time and substituted with 2 stick butter, 1/4 cup Crisco. Hated it, didn't like the taste or the texture. Also, adding just a touch of orange extract along with the vanilla called for gives it such a nice flavor, not orange tasting, just a fresh flavor.
http://forum.cakecentral.com/cake_recipe-2426-Italian-Meringue-Buttercream--Shirleys-Method.html
And Jackie is trying to change the star rating on this recipe, for some reason no matter how many people rate it 5 star it only goes up as high as 3. It really is a wonderful icing, give it a try sometime.
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