Freezing Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Color Later Or Now?

Decorating By mmhassa2 Updated 11 Apr 2015 , 11:15pm by bubs1stbirthday

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mmhassa2 Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 9:00pm
post #1 of 8

So with a super busy week coming up I'll be spending my monday just making batches and batches of swiss meringue buttercream (Yum!).  But question is what are the cons of tinting them prior to freezing? Or it really doesnt matter whether I tint them before freezing or after its been defrosted?  Also while at it, my SMB has a slight beige/yellow from the butter.  Ideally I would like it to be a beautiful SOFT pink, how can I achieve it? Should I add white americolor to it and hope it becomes white and then tint it a light pink??

7 replies
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-K8memphis Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 9:08pm
post #2 of 8

you could spray it a soft pink -- that would work -- maybe the titanium dioxide aka white food color would work but i just don't like td myself -- it's weird --

but as is made with butter you will get a soft peach it will never be a soft pink --

and i never freeze my smbc before i use it so i don't know the answer to that one --

best to you

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mmhassa2 Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 9:12pm
post #3 of 8

You're absolutely right about turning a soft peach! lol I guess this is why I always end up with a darker pink as the light ones never look right. But I really need it to be a soft pink this time.  I did read about adding a bit of red to make it pink. I wondering if I should try that?  But afraid to waste it all if the color becomes red or some other color. 

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-K8memphis Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 9:22pm
post #4 of 8

just test on a small amount -- i've never done this but some people use a spot of purple in there to neutralize the yellow first -- y'know test it first -- but methinks taking it to soft pink from there and keeping it there would be risky --  pink can fade -- and i mean take it in & out the freezer to test --

and if it does seem stable keep it out of the light -- box it for delivery if it works out for you -- it takes minutes for the sun to zap out your pink color -- and if you layer it with purple underneath... box it!

it someone wants soft pink from me -- i airbrush or use shortening & confectioners' sugar icing aka american bc

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-K8memphis Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 9:25pm
post #5 of 8

if by chance this cake is for an outdoor celebration -- i would just say no to soft pink smbc --

but what do i know -- test it and see if it will hold --

(never say never, kate ) ok i stand corrected 


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mmhassa2 Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 9:30pm
post #6 of 8

It's for an indoor event :) Hmm looks like I'll be doing some tests on color it on Monday.  Im wayyyy too chicken to add even the tiniest amount of purple so will try red and hope I end up with a soft pink.

I have so many shades of pink in my box now Im going to go crazy thinking which pink to choose from my americolor selections. lol

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Magic Mouthfuls Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 10:53pm
post #7 of 8

Adding a tiny amount of voilet / purple does work to an extent (ie tip of a cocktail stick).  Dont' use Wilton if you have another brand on hand - use the other brand.

Adding white white / bright white (Americolour or Wilton) colour helps considerably too.  It slightly effects taste, but only noticeable to the cake decorator who is tasting both batches at the same time.  


I have found that pink coloured SMBC gets much darker over time, so under colour a day before icing the cake (keep icing at room temp) and then recheck the colour and only adjust deeper if necessary.

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bubs1stbirthday Posted 11 Apr 2015 , 11:15pm
post #8 of 8

I actually used a mix of half butter and half Solite (like chrisco I believe) as an experiment one day, it is much whiter and I only noticed a slight change to the SMBC. Prior to testing this out (my friend was having a picnic birthday party for her little one and it was meant to be hot) I always believed that the taste would be terrible but it really is barely perceptible when you replace 50% of the butter so maybe worth you trying it out on a small amount of SMBC to see if it suits you :-)

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