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Buttercream
I hate eating buttercream that tastes like a stick of butter. Anyone have a great recipe for a buttercream that doesn't taste so buttery?
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jean on -
I agree that buttercream recipes taste like a stick of butter, I dislike that myself. You have to inject some sort of flavor because butter and meringue taste like plain butter when your done. Meringue doesn't add anything flavor wise. If you have to chill it then rewhip at a later date it tastes like plain whipped butter, the merinugue all but disapears.
I personally like to use a ganache base instead of meringue. You can do that with white, milk or semi sweet chocolates. When you reuse it at a later date the chocolate still gives you a flavor, where meringue doesn't.
Obviously, you can add innumberous different flavorings to a standard buttercream. The only other way to go is a butter and powdered sugar type of frosting.
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Permalink Reply by Kristi on -
A butter and powdered sugar type icing just tastes like sweet butter...it doesn't taste any less like butter, and you don't have the meringue to further dilute that taste. Though I do agree the meringue base does make it all that much more difficult to work with. Having said that though the meringue does a lot for stabilizing the buttercream.
I have generally had more luck using flavor oils which will mask the butter flavor but still give you the nice smooth finish of a traditional buttercream...but the idea of buttercream is the butter. You can cut back on the amount of butter, but there is really no substitution as it would no longer be a buttercream. One thing that I have done in the past is to use a traditional buttercream formula but cut the butter and substitute some cream to get the consistency you want. It does cut the butter taste. This is the best route if you are looking for a vanilla buttercream. Though you usually have to incorporate more vanilla flavoring/paste/etc. to get the right concentration.
I do agree ganache based icings are also a favorable choice. And there are a lot of ways to finish a cake outside of buttercream, though my mother would die if she heard me say it. Buttercream is her absolute favorite thing on this earth. Maybe one reason she likes that I became a Pastry Chef :)
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Permalink Reply by Jean on
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Kristi,
How do you add cream to your buttercream? ... Like fold in whipped cream?
tia
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Permalink Reply by Wilmarie on -
May be you can replace some of the butter and add some vegetable shortening and some extra flavorings?
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Permalink Reply by Kristi on
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In my opinion, Vegetable shortening is even worse than a overly buttery taste. Plus, technically speaking if it uses vegetable shortening then it is not really a buttercream. Generally, shortening sets better at room temp than butter which is why it gets used, but it also creates a different taste and can sometimes remain gritty. I do know it is a lot easier to handle than butter because it is solid at room temp, where butter is not. But, I just don't like the overall taste and I think butter flavored shortening is even worse. There is nothing tasty about it. Even in combination with butter I can't get over the "coating" in your mouth since it melts above body temp. Again, this is not to say that people don't like it. That is why there are hundreds of bakeries, etc. out there. And just because I don't like it doesn't mean that others won't.
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Permalink Reply by Kristi on
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you add the amount of butter desired to you italian/french or swiss buttercream. Then simply add the cream at the end to attain the desired consistency. You don't need volume from whipped cream because all the fat will deflate it instantly anyway.
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Permalink Reply by joseph buckner on -
This the same recipe that i use and yes I t works great the second time around.
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Permalink Reply by jlsenterprise on -
I use a recipe for brides that request less buttery frosting that uses cream fondant (you know the stuff you melt to enrobe petit fours with), butter, and sweetex. It stays perfectly white and doesn't taste too buttery or too much like shortening. They love it every time - and it's fast to make.
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Permalink Reply by De La Chocolate on -
Would you care to share your recipe?
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Permalink Reply by jlsenterprise on
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1-0 unsalted butter
1-0 sweetex
Mix fondant and butter with a paddle on second speed until butter lumps are gone, scraping as necessary. Add sweetex. Mix until smooth.
Note: This can get kind of "Spongey", but a little heat will help out. If I need the buttercream right away I will take a torch to the mixing bowl to warm up the mixture to help smooth it out. Otherwise I will use all kinds of methods to warm it up a bit to make the icing smoother to use. Also, to get a pure white, add a drop of blue food coloring.
Hope you like it! I guess I should also mention that the person who first shared this recipe with me is Steve James, CMB.
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Permalink Reply by De La Chocolate on
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Thanks--i'll give this a try.
ellen--De La Chocolate
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