IndigoMuse Knits

Monday, April 24, 2006

Buttercream Icing

I've been craving buttercream icing since September 2005. I've been on a mission to find the holy grail of buttercream for over six months now. I even made a batch of a Martha Stewart's boiled buttercream. Took 45 minutes to whip (45 minutes people) only to find that it wasn't what I've been craving. Its still frozen in a huge tub in my freezer. I want the real deal. I want something like this...



Damnit I want to eat my screen this looks so yummy. The stuff made from butter. Good quality wedding cake icing. Not the crap you can buy at Kroger or Food Lion on a cake. That stuff is 100% whipped shortening and it leaves your tongue basted in oil for weeks. No, I want the kind that you should apply liberally to your love handles, hips, thighs and boobs because that's where its going to land after you've eaten it. Real sugar and real butter and a delicious pound cake or cupcake too. Is that too much to ask? I guess so since I have yet to find a bakery in town that has some. I've tried to find some at the beach and in Richmond too with no luck though I KNOW that those areas have to have some. They're simply hiding it from me. Damn youse, damn youse all to hell. That whimpering you hear in the corner is just me. I'm slightly hormonal (okay, seriously hormonal) and am close to a nervous buttercream breakdown. Pardon the bitchiness and no stitchiness. I hope to return tomorrow with my regularly scheduled blog.

16 comments:

--Deb said...

I've been looking for the perfect buttercream frosting recipe for YEARS. Every one I try is too sweet or too bland or too SOMETHING. Why is it so hard to find a good vanilla frosting?? I've got plenty of good chocolate frosting recipes, no problem. They're easy. What is it about the vanilla thing that's so hard? (grin)

Mary said...

My mom makes a great cream cheese icing that beats any buttercream I've ever had....

Marina said...

Where I come from - Australia - they still make the "real" thing ...

125g/4oz butter
1½ cups icing sugar
2 tbsp milk

Have ingredients at room temperature. Beat butter till white as possible. Gradually add ½ icing sugar, then milk & then rest of sugar. Mixture should be smooth & easy to spread.

Should be made the day it is to be used.

emmy said...

Hey Tanya!
My Mom has it or at least I think she does. I will have to find out EXACTLY what she did....I know it involves butter( of course!) confectioners sugar, and vanilla. I am sure that is all but to get it all in the right amounts...I have a feeling it goes something like..."Take X amounts of sticks of softened butter and mix in confectioners sugar until the consistency is right and add vanilla to taste." I will call her and see if I can get something more specific.

Have you tried Sally Bell's in the fan/Cary Street in Richmond? I hear that her baked goods are really good.Ukrops does an iced pound cake that I like but I don't think the icing is quite what you are looking for.

Will be back with an update for you.

Anonymous said...

My grandmother's recipe (which I think is pretty common - she refered to the settlement cookbook for everything. I didnt check it to see if it was in there though, sorry!)

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 cup water
1 cup egg whites
1 1/2 pounds butter (6 sticks), softened
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

candy thermometer

Mix 3 cups sugar with water in a small, heavy saucepan. Cook over high heat until syrup reaches 248 degrees F on a candy thermometer. (Watch it closely as it gets close to temperature; it will go really REALLY quickly at the end.)

While syrup is cooking, beat the egg whites with 2 tablespoons sugar until stiff but not dry. Extra- fine granulated sugar works best if you have it but not confectioners!!. Turn mixer off until syrup is ready.

With mixer running, pour syrup into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream, making sure not to pour directly onto beaters. Beat mixture until it is no longer hot.

Allow to cool to room temperature and then beat in the softened butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, until all is incorporated. (Salted butter works fine. If you are using unsalted butter, add 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste.) The mixture will become thin and may look curdled at first, but will then become smooth as it beats. Lastly, beat in the vanilla all at once. (Use the best vanilla you can afford!! The fake stuff will ruin the flavor.)

If not using at once, refrigerate the buttercream until needed. It will keep for about a week in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator. To use, just bring it back to room temperature and re-beat to restore the texture. If you have trouble with the texture, getting it to room temperature and extra beating are the keys to making it smooth.

And of course, you can add coloring if you want =) Hope this helps??

Robin said...

Tanya,
You are so hilarious! I wish I could help you out...Maybe on Tuesday?!! Hormonal....I don't know what that is!! HAH!

Anonymous said...

Hehe...you CRACK me up. I loved reading this entry!

Nana Sadie said...

Not that I have the problem anymore...but when I was hormonal nothing would do but Wildflower's Better Than Sex Cake - who needs buttercream when there's Chocolate overload? hmmm...don't have to be hormonal to want that!
(((hugs)))

sarah said...

You are so funny, however, I can absolutely relate. I have no recipe for you, but I do have a local bakery that makes a killer buttercream. Sorry can't share...

Anonymous said...

Tanya, I was fine, until I read your post, and saw that picture. Now, I'm outta here, and guess what I'm baking for the weekend?

Obsidian Kitten said...

Magnolia Bakery in NYC makes THE BEST cupcakes with b'cream icing i have ever had in my entire life. They make your freakin' KNEES buckle.

I've never tried this recipe, but here it is (supposedly copied from an old newpaper article about the bakery, no directions were included, only the ingredients):
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
8 cups confectionary sugar
1/2 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Use a few drops food coloring for pastel colored frosting.

From: http://www.epinions.com/content_1612750980

Sounds just simple enough to work, though...

Anonymous said...

those little cup cake things look so good. Now I want to bake!

sheep#100 said...

Now I want buttercream frostine, too. The real stuff made at a real bakery with real butter...nuts.

AR said...

Those cakes look so yummy. Not good for my weight dealie. I just looked at your older posts, and I have to say I love love love the pic of the guinea pig bed. It's adorable!

Boardy said...

If you're ,looking for a local baker with INCREDIBLE buttercream, try this little, hidden shop called Cobblestone Bakery on E. Main St. in the Bottom.

Long story short, I discovered her through one of the top Richmond, VA caterers who insisted prior to my wedding: "You can find these guys who make your wedding cake a sculpture, or you can go with a cake that will actually taste good."

David Napier of The City Bar (and David's White House Catering) is an amazing chef/caterer. He directed me to Cobblestone, and several months later, my guests were still asking for the bakery's contact info.

The icing was buttery without being gloppy or heavy, sweet without making you overdose on sugar. And don't even get me started on the cake! Holy crap it was amazing.

Give her a try. And thanks for the blog topic. I've been on the same quest for best buttercream since tasting my wedding cake. I'm practically losing my mind (and my figure) over it!

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