AI finally worked up the courage to make my first IMBC, and WOW why was I so afraid to make this before? It's so much better- taste, texture..everything!
So as my main taste testers are my family, I decided to use IMBC only for cupcakes I have previously made in the past (a family favorite). Just to find out, they all hated it, and next time want that "confectionary sugar stuff"!! (AMB).
....what?!!!
Does my family just have horrible taste!?
They said they thought the IMBC, flavored with Irish cream, was "too oily" and they like "that sweet stuff".
Now after making IMBC, I just can't imagine using AMB again. Do any professional bakers out there still use ABC?
AAll of those AMB's should be ABC's. oh the delights of touch screen phones! Apologies!
It depends on your location. And your market.
I'm in Australia, and regular ABC is the domain of cheap commercial bakeries, used on cheap cakes and cupcakes.
As a custom caker, though, I use IMBC exclusively, unless asked for something different, for my buttercream.
Most Australians would find ABC far too sugary and sweet to eat in the huge pile you usually see on a cupcake these days!
Yes I still do ocassionally, However.................
If your willing to try a Swiss Meringue ButterCream, that's been adopted to people who also love American ButterCream, think about one try with these modifications that I've made. We're not very sophisticated here.
8 oz of egg whites, (by weight)
2 cups of granulated sugar,
3 sticks of butter and
1 Tablespoon of vanilla extract.
for those that I know like really sweet icing, I sift in about half a cup of powdered sugar. When I need a better piping consistency I plop in an extra few Tablespoons of Crisco.
AMy dad doesn't like it. He says it tastes "slick" most people are used to that crusted over mouth feel of buttercream. Some can't make the switch
AThanks MB I think I will try Swiss next, maybe try half the batch w/o the confectionary and half with. I originally was going to try Swiss, but after hours of comparing the pros and cons, I took from previous CC threads that IMBC had a longer shelf life?
And Morgan I guess I understand the "slick" feeling, I just thought that was a better texture to enjoy than crunching the outside of your frosting! Haha :)
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".....I just thought that was a better texture to enjoy than crunching the outside of your frosting! Haha
Mmmcake25, You're still All Good!!! You may end up with a whole book of different icings.
AMBC, SMBC, IMBC, ganache, fondant, MMF, MFF, poured fondant, chocolate glaze, corn syrup glaze, Royal Icing ..........................
You just match the icing to the persons taste - ((one man's meat is another mans poison))
AI think he's insane lol. I love the stuff and my clients do too! To each his own I guess. I love the stuff!!
I recently tried the SMBC with a recipe that is very similar to the one listed. I am not sure if perhaps I did it wrong as it just came together, no curdling etc, just one smooth icing...... however what we didn't like about it was the way that it hardened up in to fridge and changed the mouth feel as opposed to the buttercream staying a lot softer and smoother (I filled with SMBC and iced with BC), that is what made me think that I did it wrong?
If IMBC has a similar feel to it I can understand why your family felt that way. What I actually did with part of my SMBC was to add it about 50/50 with BC and that was seriously great.... way better than either by themselves, it hardened but stayed soft and there was no crunch to it either, so that might be worth a try for you?
I have a question--- I use SMBC and ABC, I give people a choice with a description of each, most choose ABC because I think most have never tried SMBC. I mostly do celebration cakes not wedding cakes so there is no tasting involved. So, those of you (AZ) who use strictly meringue buttercreams, do you just say "buttercream" to your clients and they get SMBC always? have any of you had complaints from clients thinking they were receiving ABC and got SMBC?
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I have a question--- I use SMBC and ABC, I give people a choice with a description of each, most choose ABC because I think most have never tried SMBC. I mostly do celebration cakes not wedding cakes so there is no tasting involved. So, those of you (AZ) who use strictly meringue buttercreams, do you just say "buttercream" to your clients and they get SMBC always? have any of you had complaints from clients thinking they were receiving ABC and got SMBC?
I usually describe what the smbc is like, and how it's different regarding mouthfeel, and how it's not toothachingly sweet. I've never had anyone express disappointment that they weren't going to get an ABC style icing, no. :D
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I usually describe what the smbc is like, and how it's different regarding mouthfeel, and how it's not toothachingly sweet. I've never had anyone express disappointment that they weren't going to get an ABC style icing, no. :D
Thanks for letting me know...maybe I will try to make the switch to an all SMBC menu!
Actually, anytime I've had IMBC, I thought it was greasy and too buttery as well, and my SMBC is definitely neither. Could be the recipes were wonky, or they could have been just fine, and I could be completely nuts.
AI prefer the SMBC, I use that and ganache mainly. Every other baker in my area uses American BC so I refer to it as my 'Kids Buttercream' also explaining the difference, I haven't made American BC for a customer in a long time!
For the original poster, have you tried making French BC? From what I understand it's more rich like ABC but it's made like a meringue BC, Joshua Russel makes it in his free Craftsy class and it looks easier to make then a SMBC. I haven't tried the French BC, but it uses powdered sugar.
A
Original message sent by bubs1stbirthday
I recently tried the SMBC with a recipe that is very similar to the one listed. I am not sure if perhaps I did it wrong as it just came together, no curdling etc, just one smooth icing...... however what we didn't like about it was the way that it hardened up in to fridge and changed the mouth feel as opposed to the buttercream staying a lot softer and smoother (I filled with SMBC and iced with BC), that is what made me think that I did it wrong?
If IMBC has a similar feel to it I can understand why your family felt that way. What I actually did with part of my SMBC was to add it about 50/50 with BC and that was seriously great.... way better than either by themselves, it hardened but stayed soft and there was no crunch to it either, so that might be worth a try for you?
You did it right. Do to the high fat content it gets rock hard like cold butter in the fridge...but you have to let it sit out for a while before eating it. Like a couple of hours. I don't like it cold at all!! But room temp OMG
I guess my next route is to try SMBC, and possibly French BC after that. I'm now wondering if they ate the frosting directly out of the refrigerator, which could of had a rock solid texture like Morgan stated. That way I could possibly understand why they said it was "slimy"...
AZ- how is the shelf life of SMBC? I think the only reason I chose IMBC was because from what I read, it seemed like IMBC lasted longer, I could also as well be nuts!
Part of me thought about checking to see what the (very few & far between) local bakeries in my area use for buttercream and see what the "norm" for my area is. Maybe that will explain why my family is stuck on ABC...
Thanks for everyone's input, very much appreciated!!!!!
This is so interesting bc I made SMBC last week after not having made it in years and my kids did not like it, they said they prefer AMC, personally I prefer the former but I did wonder about it. My husband on the other hand loved it as did my guests so maybe it's a more adult taste?
AIt's possible!! My friends dad told me he didn't like my cake. After some investigating it turned out that he ate it rock hard out of the fridge. Once he let it come to room temp it he loved it!! He bothers me all the time for it lol
Ahhhhh, you can't really love your smbc unless you can eat it right outta the fridge. Until then, you're only having a little love affair. Just kiddin'....but my personal favorite way to eat is, is right outta the fridge, nice and cold and chunky. Yum yum!
cold smbc is gross-- and it lasts several days out of the fridge in a cool room and of course you can freeze/fridge it if you want--it's a good icing-- has a good shelf life -- if i had leftover i would pop in some vanilla to spruce/spice it up--like for family
i make mine fresh for every cake though--it makes a difference
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Ahhhhh, you can't really love your smbc unless you can eat it right outta the fridge. Until then, you're only having a little love affair. Just kiddin'....but my personal favorite way to eat is, is right outta the fridge, nice and cold and chunky. Yum yum!
I'm glad I'm not the only one! I love cold cake and how the icing is hard..... It just melts in your mouth
If SMBC is made correctly, it's like a creamy ice cream right of the fridge. Yum! I especially love my Java SMBC cold.
Ahhhhh, you can't really love your smbc unless you can eat it right outta the fridge. Until then, you're only having a little love affair. Just kiddin'....but my personal favorite way to eat is, is right outta the fridge, nice and cold and chunky. Yum yum!
Eeek - that description makes me think of vomit. haha - I think you have just ruined SMBC for me for life.
Edited to add that we ended up cutting the pieces of cake an hour or two before we wanted to eat them so that they had time to warm up on the bench and for the SMBC to soften to a creamy texture which we found far better for us.
I definitely would not try to push that preference on an unsuspecting customer. I time my deliveries so the cake will be in place and resting, and will come to serving temp by the time they serve it, for sure. But I have spoken to people who did admit to eating it by the forkful right out of the refrigerator.
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I know some people say it lasts out of the fridge just fine for a couple/few days, personally that creeps me out. But that doesn't mean it's not perfectly safe. Some of those same people might say that you only have to cook it until the sugar is dissolved too, which really creeps me out, and is just BAD advice. Eggs need to be cooked properly, especially when serving to the public, and a person's fingers do not a thermometer make. Anyways....once I make a batch, it goes into and on the cake, and the cake goes into the fridge when I'm not working on it, or it's being delivered, period. I just don't take chances.
I have no doubt that you do it that way :-) Funny how different everyone's tastes are, personally I like cake straight from the fridge and I like mudcake straight from the freezer mmmmmm.
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I have no doubt that you do it that way :-) Funny how different everyone's tastes are, personally I like cake straight from the fridge and I like mudcake straight from the freezer mmmmmm.
try cheesecake straight from the freezer. also wonderful. (are you old enough to remember the wonderful fad of putting a wooden popsicle stick in a Milkey Way bar and freezing them?)
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