Dyann: Hi everyone! Before we get started today I want to say thank you. We have gotten such great comments on our webpage dyannbakes.com. So keep on commenting, and also if you have a suggestion for our podcast, let me know. If you have a question, let me know, the whole vision that we have behind dyannbakes.com is that it is interactive. So help us build that community, okay.
Today we are going to talk about butter cream icing. I call this 123 Butter Cream, for a number of reasons. 123, because it's easy, and 123, because those are the proportions of the ingredients. You have 1 for egg white, I have 4 ounces. 2 for sugar, I have 8 ounces. 3 for butter, I have 12 ounces, and what's so cool about this is that, that's the recipe, 123. So whatever you start with, just continue through. I want to double it, I have 8 ounces of egg white, I have 16 ounces of sugar, I have 24 ounces of butter, I have to think there for a second.
Over here, I have what you need to flavor it and to color it. I have lemon oil and also coloring paste. I recommend that you use paste versus a liquid, because it adds extra moisture, and it might make your frosting a little watery. Okay, the first step is that we have to cook the egg whites and the sugar. And the way that you do that is over a water bath. So those are my egg whites and I am going to add just a pinch of salt because egg whites are protein, and they need to be loosened up, so that's what that does. The chemical reaction helps break up the protein.
So just going to break it up a little, and bring it over to the stove. I have my water bath here, and you have to cook eggs for them to be safe to a 140 degrees that pasteurizes them. So I have an easier way that you can accomplish this. I am going to add the sugar a little bit at a time. It starts to get frothy; it's a good idea to keep whipping it, because you just don't want it to get flat. You can see here now the egg whites and the sugar coming together, and again, I want to get it to a 140 degrees, but it is kind of a pain. It's going to mean that I have to get my thermometer.
So a little trick is, rub it between your fingers. If you still feel that it's grainy, that the sugar is still there, that means the sugar hasn't melted, and for the sugar to melt it is a higher temperature than the eggs need to be to be pasteurized, so you are safe. This is going to take about 3 or 4 minutes. You don't need the gym, just come and make Swiss Meringue Butter Cream Icing, because it is really quite a workout for your arm.
It has been about 3 to 4 minutes, and I just want to test it one last time to make sure. Yeah, not grainy, all the sugar is melted, and my eggs will be just fine. This is all set. The sugar has been melted, and now the egg white sugar mixture needs to be whipped until it's cool. Do you see how I use this bowl from the mixture? It is a way to save time, so you don't have to wash. So we are going to use the whisk attachment, because you need to add air into the mixture, and the way that you are going to be able to tell, that it is to the point you wanted it to be, is that the bowl is no longer hot.
So stir in about 4 or 5 minutes. Okay, now this looks like it is done. It's so pretty. Look it is like froth, looks good. Okay let me just get a little of this off the beater. It's very sticky, that's okay. And now we are going to put the butter in the butter cream. Back on the mixer; this time though you use the paddle, instead of the whisk, paddle. And as I said before, it is cool, cool to the touch, so that's another sign that I knew that it was ready, and with the mixer on a medium speed, I am going to add the butter, a piece at a time.
This right now, this is creamy and smooth. But then in the middle of it as it continues to be, it breaks up, and it looks like it's curdled, and you think, Oh God! I totally did something wrong. But you didn't, and then after it reaches that point it all comes back together. So I am going to show you what that looks like, so you kind of know that you are on the right track.
Now this is the point I was talking about that, look, it looks like it's all clumpy, and almost like curdled. Trust me; you are on the right track. Okay, now this is done, and it was curdly, but now it has come back together so it's nice and smooth, you'll see, but you'll also hear the kind of a slapping sound, this is another way for you to know that it's done.
So, leave that there, this is the stage where you add your flavoring, and I have lemon oil. I don't know if you have ever used oils. They are a bit more expensive than extracts, but they are far more concentrated and so you use less. Again, this is lemon oil, and what I do is, I keep pouring a little tiny bit into the cap, and then into my butter cream. Remember, you can always add more. So we'll mix this in, and we are done.
Look at this, it's really silky, and yeah, it's buttery, but it's not just as if you have made, you have taken butter and sugar and put them together. Egg whites add this just luxurious texture to it, and see it's just -- it's so nice. So again, make the cake from the box if don't have the time, but if you do, make the icing from scratch. Swiss Meringue butter cream icing, pretty good. Thanks for joining me; I'll see you next time.
Transcription by:
Scribe4you Transcription Services