Help! Smbc Fell Apart After Cocoa Powder Was Added - What To Do?

Baking By tsal Updated 26 Apr 2017 , 6:04pm by CatherineGeorge

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tsal Posted 22 Apr 2017 , 2:22pm
post #1 of 19

Hi,

I have a cake due at 5pm and I whipped up a double batch of SMBC. It was all fine until I added the cocoa powder (1/2 cup for a double batch) and it turned into soup. I have never had a problem like this before.

What should I do?


18 replies
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-K8memphis Posted 22 Apr 2017 , 3:36pm
post #2 of 19

did you already try to beat it like crazy? for like a half hour or something?

i would add some soft but not too soft butter or real melted chocolate -- adding real chocolate is temperature sensitive so be aware --

only use a small amount of your soup to try these things except the first one --

lemme know how it goes -- 

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-K8memphis Posted 22 Apr 2017 , 3:37pm
post #3 of 19

full disclosure -- i'm guessing -- i've never added cocoa powder to smbc -- wait yes i have -- i darken with cocoa powder and pipe with it -- i've never made a big potful though

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tsal Posted 22 Apr 2017 , 3:46pm
post #4 of 19

It's definitely the cocoa powder. I thought it was maybe because I made a double batch and maybe one stage along the line was messed up so I made a single batch and got the same result. I can't figure out why though.

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-K8memphis Posted 22 Apr 2017 , 3:47pm
post #5 of 19

add fat

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-K8memphis Posted 22 Apr 2017 , 3:48pm
post #6 of 19

it doesn't break on me when i add it to my smbc to pipe with --

try adding fat to bring it back together

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-K8memphis Posted 22 Apr 2017 , 10:11pm
post #7 of 19

how'd it go

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TC123 Posted 23 Apr 2017 , 1:35am
post #8 of 19

I'm hoping it came together well.

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tsal Posted 23 Apr 2017 , 1:45am
post #9 of 19

It was a write-off unfortunately. Spent time adding in butter, then in a last-ditch effort, I microwaved a cup of it (read that tip here on CC), but it remained a soupy, separated meds.

In the end I pulled frosting out of my freezer. Thankfully, I had some frozen!

i made this exact recipe last week, so I am truly perplexed as to why this happened.

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Apr 2017 , 7:37am
post #10 of 19

idk -- was your egg white sugar mixture melting the butter maybe?

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tsal Posted 23 Apr 2017 , 8:26am
post #11 of 19

I put the egg white mixture in the freezer for 15 minutes (as usual) to cool it down so it was cool when I added the butter.

And the weird part is that the icing did come together nicely both times at a certain point. Then I added a little PS (which I always do), and it was fine, but as soon as the cocoa powder hit it, game over.

Maybe it was something with the actual cocoa powder. 

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Apr 2017 , 2:04pm
post #12 of 19

baking can be so fickle -- ugh

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-K8memphis Posted 23 Apr 2017 , 2:05pm
post #13 of 19

so was it different cocoa than the last successful batch?

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tsal Posted 24 Apr 2017 , 12:53pm
post #14 of 19

No, but perhaps it somehow morphed in my pantry - lol. I have no clue. I left the mixture out for several hours to see what would happen to it and it really separated (very liquidy parts). I have been going over what could have happened:I find that the hot sugar/

I find that the hot sugar/egg-white mixture takes forever to cool (I use a candy thermometer to make sure it is at 160°C before I remove it from the double boiler), so I tried to speed it up by putting it in the freezer. The last time I made it, it took forever (over 45 minutes) to cool (even after putting it in the freezer) so I tried a new method below:

1. I put the hot sugar/egg mixture in two separate bowls in the freezer for 15 minutes (stirring every 5 minutes) to cool it down quickly. This resulted in my not having to whip it for very long, so even though I tested it and it seemed very stiff, perhaps it really needed to be whipped for longer.

2. My butter was too loose (this is arguable since I have made this recipe countless times in warmer temps which resulted in warmer butter)

I shall retry the recipe with sugar/whites that are whipped longer and report back! I am determined to get to the bottom of this.

Help! Smbc Fell Apart After Cocoa Powder Was Added - What To Do?

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-K8memphis Posted 24 Apr 2017 , 9:21pm
post #15 of 19

i whip my mixture to soft or firm peaks as soon as it comes off the heat -- then i let it finish cooling off if necessary -- which usually it's not necessary to wait -- then i just add the butter that is not rock hard -- still cold just squishable -- not squishy not soft though --

with what you added here -- you might have melted your butter which made the water separate out and it won't come back together unless you sop up the water -- no es bueno -- 

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tsal Posted 25 Apr 2017 , 12:02pm
post #16 of 19

How do you let it cool off? Do you just let it sit or turn down the mixer? I'm afraid that the mixture will crust if I let it sit.The first time I made it, it never cooled. My mixer was whipping for over an hour and I put ice packs

The first time I made it and whipped it straight off the heat, it never cooled. My mixer was whipping for over an hour and I put ice packs under the bowl and it just wouldn't cool. It was nuts and that's why I started putting it in the freezer.

I'm also thinking that perhaps there was some condensation created in the freezer which made my mixture less stable from the get-go and then it just fell apart.

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tsal Posted 25 Apr 2017 , 12:03pm
post #17 of 19

I don't know why my posts appear unedited. I edit them but they go back to their unedited form - sorry!

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-K8memphis Posted 25 Apr 2017 , 1:58pm
post #18 of 19

the mixing of the mixer cools it off -- it doesn't crust -- 


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CatherineGeorge Posted 26 Apr 2017 , 6:04pm
post #19 of 19

Do you have a thermometer? I've tried every combination of hot meringue, not well whipped meringue, cold butter, hot butter, etc. The only thing that seems to matter is that it ends up between about 72-76F. Also, sometimes it needs a bit to fully incorporate the flavoring. If it's room temp and you beat it for 5 minutes or so, I'm sure it will be fine. 

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