Stiffer/less sweet buttercream
I made buttercream earlier this week that was too soft. I kept putting it in and out of the fridge but that wasn't working. 2cups conf sugar to one stick butter was tasty but kept melting. 4 cups was firm the flowers still have shape hours later. Is there an alternative to super sweet frosting?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Karen Marie on
-
Ebony what is it you really want? If you are looking to make buttercream without sugar and butter you cant...it wont be buttercream.....icing works like icing because of the ingredients...sugar fat and flavor....that is it....anthing else wont be the same....you can play around with alternatives but it would be better if you went on a whole foods or natural or vegetarian website for these things..here you will find flour, sugar, fat and eggs in all their glory in delicious fattening full flavor and sweet confections that will melt in your mouth and taste to die for.....
Less sugar use Splenda or sugar alcohols like xylitol and erythritol .....or honey or rice malt or stevia, Less fat? Try soy margarine.....but I gurantee you they wont taste like the cakes we make here....they cant....See the things you want to accomplish with the ingredients you are using wont work....sugar is sweet and butter is creamy....you cant changes that.
I dont want you to think I am being mean and I am not but in your posts you ask the impossible....so it sounds like you should explore alternative food sites..I think vegetarian or natural food sites would give you the options you may be looking for. But for anything cake (flour sugar butter eggs) we would be glad to help....we always do....
-
Permalink Reply by jeri c on
-
I agree with Karen... if you sacrifice the ingredients... you will sacrifice the flavor... however... ganache is not as sweet and you can use it like buttercream... the only answer I'd have... but it does not have less fat for sure!
-
Permalink Reply by ebony bardell on
-
I don't care about fat, I just don't like sweet frosting. It seems like since confectioners sugar is just sugar and cornstarch I should be able to attain the same consistency with cornstarch. I want to pipe decorations but not have them melt. I'm thinking I may have to go back to frosting with a spatula and finding some other way to decorate. Even my white chocolate was super super soft. I thought chocolate would harden up but no such luck
jeri c said:I agree with Karen... if you sacrifice the ingredients... you will sacrifice the flavor... however... ganache is not as sweet and you can use it like buttercream... the only answer I'd have... but it does not have less fat for sure!
-
Permalink Reply by Theresa Happe on
-
Hi Ebony, Swiss buttercream is definitely less sweet than icing made with confectioner's sugar, but it definitely contains a lot of butter. There is a video on this site which shows how to make it. But, basically the recipe is made with eggs, granulated sugar, butter and flavoring of your choice. If this sounds good to you, I'll post the recipe in the recipe section for you.
-
Permalink Reply by Keegan Luvs Cake on
-
You can add popcorn salt. If you make SMBC make sure to use the unsalted butter it will taste really buttery otherwise. Give Bettercreme a try.
-
-
The only thing you can do is not frost the cake. Cornstarch does not act the same way powdered sugar does...the amount of starch in the sugar is minimal...enough to keep it from clumping and that is all. And if you do make it with just cornstarch you wont want to eat it...another waste of time and money....you could learn how to make decorations out of gumpaste...they will look good and you dont have to eat them. As far as the white chocoloate buttercream it should have firmed up after you put it in the fridge..these things dont get hard on their own because of all the other ingredients added to them....there is something going on that you arent doing...and since you are by yourself it is very difficult to try to troubleshoot the problems for you. What recipe did you use? And how did you make it exactly?
ebony bardell said:I don't care about fat, I just don't like sweet frosting. It seems like since confectioners sugar is just sugar and cornstarch I should be able to attain the same consistency with cornstarch. I want to pipe decorations but not have them melt. I'm thinking I may have to go back to frosting with a spatula and finding some other way to decorate. Even my white chocolate was super super soft. I thought chocolate would harden up but no such luck
jeri c said:I agree with Karen... if you sacrifice the ingredients... you will sacrifice the flavor... however... ganache is not as sweet and you can use it like buttercream... the only answer I'd have... but it does not have less fat for sure!
-
Permalink Reply by Sherry Qualls on
-
I am with Theresa on the Swiss Meringue Buttercream...but one thing I do to American Decorators buttercream (all butter or butter/shortening) is make a salt water solution....heavy on the salt, let it dilute and then add a tablespoon or so to the icing, it does help to cut the sweetness. Be daring, play around....I am not of the notion that you HAVE to decorate with buttercream...to have a nicely decorated cake. But there are certain things you can achieve ONLY with buttercream (whatever recipe you use). Good luck, I hope you find the balance you want. You may also want to look into whipped cream frostings, they are not as sweet and you can pipe almost anything with them.
-
Permalink Reply by Faith Gealey-Brown on
-
Hi Ebony,
Usually I only use 100% butter when I want an icing that is smooth and dreamy. When I need a stiffer frosting I use 2 ratios of all vegetable shortening to 1 ratio of butter with my confectioner's sugar. Try using salted butter to cut down on the sweetness. The vegetable shortening allows the icing to be much stiffer - and WILL NOT melt. Trust me, I live on an island in the Caribbean, and if that can hold up to a hot island summer day, it should not melt! Here is what I typically do:
2/3 C shortening
1/3 C butter
4-5 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla (or 1 Tbsp if I'm only doing vanilla flavoured)
2 tsp flavouring (whatever flavouring you like)
Heavy Whipping Cream or evaporated milk (as needed)
Cream the shortening and butter together until nice and smooth, and a little lighter (usually about 2 minutes). Add two cups of confectioner's sugar and the half of the flavourings. Mix until smooth. Add another two cups of confectioner's sugar, and remaining flavourings. Mix again until smooth. At this point you may need to add some of the cream or the evap milk. I add it tablespoon, by tablespoon until I get the consistency I'm looking for. Taste. If it's sweet and stiff enough for you at this consistency, then you're in good shape, otherwise, add a little more confectioner's sugar to stiffen it up and sweeten; or a little more of the cream/milk to make it a little smoother. It's pretty much the same as most of the other american style buttercreams - but it's my favourite way to make buttercream that stands up to heat. It can easily be doubled or tripled, and will definitely crust.
I hope that helps!
Sunny smiles from the Cayman Isles!
Faith
-
Permalink Reply by Jennifer Cintron on
-
Faith, I was going to say pretty much the same thing. If Ebony is using all butter, that would probably account for the softness of the icing. I use half shortening and half butter, that way I get a good consistency for decorating but the flavor is not compromised. Also I often use salted butter to cut the sweetness - that is a general cooking rule that I learned from my mom - if something is too sweet, add a bit of salt; if it's too salty, add a bit of sugar. Not foolproof by any means but it's helped me in many situations!
Faith Gealey-Brown said:Hi Ebony,
Usually I only use 100% butter when I want an icing that is smooth and dreamy. When I need a stiffer frosting I use 2 ratios of all vegetable shortening to 1 ratio of butter with my confectioner's sugar. Try using salted butter to cut down on the sweetness. The vegetable shortening allows the icing to be much stiffer - and WILL NOT melt. Trust me, I live on an island in the Caribbean, and if that can hold up to a hot island summer day, it should not melt! Here is what I typically do:
2/3 C shortening
1/3 C butter
4-5 C confectioner's sugar, sifted
2 tsp vanilla (or 1 Tbsp if I'm only doing vanilla flavoured)
2 tsp flavouring (whatever flavouring you like)
Heavy Whipping Cream or evaporated milk (as needed)
Cream the shortening and butter together until nice and smooth, and a little lighter (usually about 2 minutes). Add two cups of confectioner's sugar and the half of the flavourings. Mix until smooth. Add another two cups of confectioner's sugar, and remaining flavourings. Mix again until smooth. At this point you may need to add some of the cream or the evap milk. I add it tablespoon, by tablespoon until I get the consistency I'm looking for. Taste. If it's sweet and stiff enough for you at this consistency, then you're in good shape, otherwise, add a little more confectioner's sugar to stiffen it up and sweeten; or a little more of the cream/milk to make it a little smoother. It's pretty much the same as most of the other american style buttercreams - but it's my favourite way to make buttercream that stands up to heat. It can easily be doubled or tripled, and will definitely crust.
I hope that helps!
Sunny smiles from the Cayman Isles!
Faith
-
-
I use 100% fresh butter.... but my buttercream is very rich and pretty sweet.... not sure how to help you. I don't use the Swiss Merangue but have heard people really do like it. Sorry I'm no help.
-
-
Thank u guys. U have given me alot to think about. I've never used salted butter cuz it seemed wierd to add salt to butter. I love whipped cream but couldn't get it firm enough to pipe. I've added gelatin but not really worked. I made the Swiss meringue once but it seemed like a lot of work ( egg whites) but not much difference. Shortening might be my next route. I have a marshmellow filling with shortening that really holds up well, never tried to pipe it though, but a little part of me is wanting to cut shortening out my diet anyway since it's partially or wholly hydrogenated so I'll see. I'm really looking forward to making a lemon layer/curd torte like cake next :)
oh what's bettercream or was that a typo?
jeri c said:I use 100% fresh butter.... but my buttercream is very rich and pretty sweet.... not sure how to help you. I don't use the Swiss Merangue but have heard people really do like it. Sorry I'm no help.
Popular Cake Searches
© 2024 Created by Theresa Happe.
Powered by
