My suggestion is to never use Sam's Club (or Costco) bulk butter for SMBC. I've never had any luck making it with either of those brands of butter. I'm not sure what the difference between those and any other brand is but something about it just makes the WORST SMBC. I'd follow everyone else's suggestions and definitely spend the money on some name brand butter. Good luck!
I agree it is better after it mellows and the flavors really take hold! I also found that adding melted cooled Ghirardelli chocolate made some of the most fantastic frosting! And white chocolate... oh baby! This could get r-rated very quickly! 
Let me tell you what not to make, butter rum. I laid waste to a small batch of that over the process of a few days, and it never touched a cake. Oops! 
But it was soooo good! 
Well I added a little more meringue and a little more of the flavors I had on hand. It improved the taste quite a bit from hunk o' butter. So much good advice here. Thank you to everyone for the input. Next time I venture into SMBC land I will arm myself with better ingredients and a better recipe. thanks!
Oh man! SMBC! HATED HATED HATED the first 2 attempts I had with this frosting, but I refused to accept that the CC world was wrong, so I kept at it, infact I used FromScratch's tutorial, but kept my 1:2:3 ratio and had the most amazing Strawberry Cream Cheese SMBC. I had people throwing shame out the window and eating 3-4 cupcakes that day! =) and then I gave it another go with a super chocolate cake, added raspberry icing fruits...yah, I didn't give the kids the scraps that night! I would say, find another recipe, butter DOES matter, and really start over, don't think you know the next step, read the next step. I use my IPad in the kitchen, and the 3rd time with SMBC, that guy was in my hand, by my side, or infront of my face. BUT! my husband doesn't like it, he prefers the heaviness of an American BC...some tastebuds are wonky! Good Luck!!!
I found a recipe that that takes unsalted & salted butter, it also includes a bit of hi ratio shorting so it doesn't melt in hot weather. I haven't tried it yet but plan on using it soon. I too have tried SMBC and the recipe I used tasted way too buttery! Thanks for all the great tips!
I always add salt to mine, not from the butter (as I find salted butter softer then unsalted at room temp), but I add a good pinch to all my batches. Customers (and family) love it!
SMBC is so delicious! Honestly, I haven't had one single complaint... It is worth trying a different recipe!
I agree with all the other tips as well... make sure the butter is unsalted, use only the best quality (I tried an organic "cultured" unsalted butter once and it was awful, so make sure you don't use a "cultured" butter). And SMBC takes a lot of flavor. If you made your current batch with unsalted butter, you can try rewhipping it and adding more flavoring. I'm not familiar with your recipe, but from the other accounts, you may need to try a different one...
I agree , that is all I use and it is light and yummy. I use 3 cups of butter1.5 cups of sugar and 5 egg whites( meringue powder) flavor if needed of just vanilla. Sounds like with 3 pounds of butter there was just to much butter and not enough sugar. find a new recipe before you toss the idea of SMBC.
I respectfully disagree 100% with the salted butter issue. I found that SMBC was nasty (to ME) until I started using as least SOME salted butter. Some people say it doesn't make a difference, and some people say you have to use one or the other. I say, figure out what you and your customers like, then stick with it. I started a thread quite a while back, in which I got my @ss handed to me for expressing that I like it better with salted butter, (I believe I was told I was stupid, or asinine... one of those wonderfully friendly monikers...I don't recall, but those comments were deleted) but at the end of the day, no one can tell you what tastes good to YOU but you.
Haha...I, too, like smbc with some salted butter, but I've been afraid to admit it, lest the smbc mob descend. Maybe we should start a support group! You know what else...I like it with some hi ratio shortening thrown in. I discovered that when I was experimenting to see if I could get something a little more stable in the heat, and it turned out to be much more mellow-tasting without tasting like sweetened butter.
I also like FromscratchSF's cream cheese smbc.
For me SMBC is the one of the best buttercreams out there. I like Italian and French also, but Swiss is the best. I would suggest using an imported butter if its available to you. European butter has a higher butter fat content and is amazingly delicious. It has a high cost but the result is fantastic. HTH
I made a batch of SMBC last week with salted butter because I had ran out of unsalted.. and when I tasted it, I was like oh crap...this isnt good.. and then I threw in some melted semi-sweet chocolate....wait for it.... HEAVEN! Salty-Sweet deliciousness. Slapped it on a chocolate cake and won rave reviews at the party we went to.
I also use a french buttercream for all my cakes, not too sweet and tastes like ice cream. sooo good with strawberry reduction.
1.5 C sugar (345 g)
3/4 C whole milk (6 oz)
1.5 T all purpose flour
1 T vanilla ext (or any other flavor)
3 oz Heavy cream
1 1/4 lb butter (567 g)
make a custard by heat sugar and milk in sauce pan over med heat until sugar is completely dissolved. remove from heat and whisk in flour and vanilla. let cool completely. (i pop it in the freezer for a few minutes covered with seran wrap)
In mixing bowl add the custard, butter and cream. beat on med speed until creamy. it may look soupy or curdeled at first, but keep beating a good 10-12 minutes or even longer until smooth.
very very yummy!
I thought Lizzard1 was referring to the French Meringue Buttercream that is made with egg yolks in kind of the same manner as the other two (Italian and Swiss)?
http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry-components/buttercream/french-buttercream/
I also like FromscratchSF's cream cheese smbc.
Oh baby... I need me the deets!! Can you share that recipe s'il vous plait?
Chrisviz... YES!! When you put the chocolate in there it turns into something sooooo wonderful.
I also use a french buttercream for all my cakes, not too sweet and tastes like ice cream. sooo good with strawberry reduction.
1.5 C sugar (345 g)
3/4 C whole milk (6 oz)
1.5 T all purpose flour
1 T vanilla ext (or any other flavor)
3 oz Heavy cream
1 1/4 lb butter (567 g)
make a custard by heat sugar and milk in sauce pan over med heat until sugar is completely dissolved. remove from heat and whisk in flour and vanilla. let cool completely. (i pop it in the freezer for a few minutes covered with seran wrap)
In mixing bowl add the custard, butter and cream. beat on med speed until creamy. it may look soupy or curdeled at first, but keep beating a good 10-12 minutes or even longer until smooth.
very very yummy!
Even though I love SMBC and IMBC, this sounds DIVINE!!! I'm going to give this a try. I have a recipe in one of my baking books but this recipe sound delish! Thank you for posting 
I also like FromscratchSF's cream cheese smbc.
Oh baby... I need me the deets!! Can you share that recipe s'il vous plait?
This is my dd's favorite icing.
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/17580/cream-cheese-swiss-meringue-buttercream
I also like FromscratchSF's cream cheese smbc.
Oh baby... I need me the deets!! Can you share that recipe s'il vous plait?
This is my dd's favorite icing.
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/17580/cream-cheese-swiss-meringue-buttercream
Make sure you read everything because FromScratchSF said that the ratios were altered in the recipe section by CC, somehow. That's why she went back and had that other link in the forum where she discussed it.
http://cakecentral.com/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=711181&postdays=0&postorder=asc&&start=0
I don't like SMBC or IMBC either....
I use either a half butter/half sweetex crusting recipe, or this following recipe for weddings if I want a glossy buttercream that is non-crusting:
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3533/creamy-whipped-buttercream-icing/comment-page-1#comment-11362
I usually do 2 lbs of sweetex and 2 lbs of butter (not 3:1 as the recipe says, especially in the summer) and I also use 5 lbs of pwdr sugar instead of 4 lbs. I'm generous with the vanilla. Use clear vanilla if you want it more white or pure if you don't mind it looking a bit more ivory.
The crusting buttercream is my favorite, but I like this one second best. I usually use crusting under fondant and the noncrusting for wedding cakes.
This cake was done using this recipe:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1977841
As was this one:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1690126
Its very soft so if you are used to a crusting recipe, you will have to practice with this one a bit first. On the other hand, this icing won't tear up your cake when you are spreading it.
I don't like SMBC or IMBC either....
I use either a half butter/half sweetex crusting recipe, or this following recipe for weddings if I want a glossy buttercream that is non-crusting:
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3533/creamy-whipped-buttercream-icing/comment-page-1#comment-11362
I usually do 2 lbs of sweetex and 2 lbs of butter (not 3:1 as the recipe says, especially in the summer) and I also use 5 lbs of pwdr sugar instead of 4 lbs. I'm generous with the vanilla. Use clear vanilla if you want it more white or pure if you don't mind it looking a bit more ivory.
The crusting buttercream is my favorite, but I like this one second best. I usually use crusting under fondant and the noncrusting for wedding cakes.
This cake was done using this recipe:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1977841
As was this one:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1690126
Its very soft so if you are used to a crusting recipe, you will have to practice with this one a bit first. On the other hand, this icing won't tear up your cake when you are spreading it.
You say this recipe takes some getting use to. In what way? Is there a special way that you smooth it? Did you use it ti pipe on your raspberry cake? It looks beautiful and I like the thickness of the piping. This may be the recipe I am looking for to do detail work like that. Thank you for sharing.
I don't like SMBC or IMBC either....
I use either a half butter/half sweetex crusting recipe, or this following recipe for weddings if I want a glossy buttercream that is non-crusting:
http://cakecentral.com/recipes/3533/creamy-whipped-buttercream-icing/comment-page-1#comment-11362
I usually do 2 lbs of sweetex and 2 lbs of butter (not 3:1 as the recipe says, especially in the summer) and I also use 5 lbs of pwdr sugar instead of 4 lbs. I'm generous with the vanilla. Use clear vanilla if you want it more white or pure if you don't mind it looking a bit more ivory.
The crusting buttercream is my favorite, but I like this one second best. I usually use crusting under fondant and the noncrusting for wedding cakes.
This cake was done using this recipe:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1977841
As was this one:
http://cakecentral.com/gallery/1690126
Its very soft so if you are used to a crusting recipe, you will have to practice with this one a bit first. On the other hand, this icing won't tear up your cake when you are spreading it.
You say this recipe takes some getting use to. In what way? Is there a special way that you smooth it? Did you use it ti pipe on your raspberry cake? It looks beautiful and I like the thickness of the piping. This may be the recipe I am looking for to do detail work like that. Thank you for sharing.
Its a very soft icing that gets nice and hard in the fridge. If you mix it per instructions in a 6 qt mixer, it will come out glassy smooth and I use a 6" spackle knife/scraper to smooth the sides and top of the cake. I also pipe with it. On the hottest days it may give you trouble...I prefer to do half butter and half shortening (be sure to weigh the shortening, as it will not come out the same in cups as the butter does).
Lizzard1.. exactly how do you make French buttercream?
Yes that is what I was referring to. I have never heard of making a custard with milk, butter, flour and eggs and that becoming frosting...From what I understand that is not french buttercream. Traditional french buttercream is making a sugar syrup and adding that slowly to whipping egg yolks and after it cools add room temp butter until it is thick and smooth.
HTH
I thought Lizzard1 was referring to the French Meringue Buttercream that is made with egg yolks in kind of the same manner as the other two (Italian and Swiss)?
http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry-components/buttercream/french-buttercream/
haha! Sorry, this is the line I was trying to quote. I was referring to this type of french buttercream 
Really? You don't like it? That is what my customers rave about when they compliment me on my cupcakes. I don't really like it plain either. I always add flavorings, like vanilla at the least. I do add peanutbutter, cream cheese, and other varities of flavors. Sometime I use LorAnn oils.
The thing I love about this buttercream, is that at first, it doesn't seem like it has a lot of flavor, but as the butter hits the tongue and melts, the flavors just burst. I don't use any other frosting but smbc.
I was wondering about that recipe too... I'd never heard of a French Buttercream made that way, only the way Duff makes it. I'm more than willing to try it out though! Sounds really creamy and good!
And can I agree about peanut butter SMBC... ohhhhh boy!! That is some amazing stuff right there.
I thought Lizzard1 was referring to the French Meringue Buttercream that is made with egg yolks in kind of the same manner as the other two (Italian and Swiss)?
http://www.joepastry.com/category/pastry-components/buttercream/french-buttercream/
haha! Sorry, this is the line I was trying to quote. I was referring to this type of french buttercream
I had never heard of the other one with a custard being called french buttercream, and so yes, I thought there was only one French, the one that is made almost like the Italian one, but includes egg yolks.
I'm going to try the other one though, because it sounds delicious, but was starting to get confused! Thanks for clarifying.
My suggestion is to never use Sam's Club (or Costco) bulk butter for SMBC. I've never had any luck making it with either of those brands of butter. I'm not sure what the difference between those and any other brand is but something about it just makes the WORST SMBC. I'd follow everyone else's suggestions and definitely spend the money on some name brand butter. Good luck!
I haven't used Sam's Club butter before, but I've used the Costco butter and not had any problems. I use Martha Stewart's SMBC recipe.
I really do not like clear vanilla extract with SMBC - I think it makes it taste super artificial, almost like cotton candy. So any cakes that need to have white white frosting and not ivory, I use americolor bright white coloring with American BC. If color isn't an issue, I would definitely recommend using replacing at least half the vanilla extract in your recipe with vanilla bean paste. It adds a great depth of flavor and the little vanilla bean flecks without having to go to the trouble of scraping the beans.
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