Copy of U.B's Buttercream frosting recipe.....
Pictures of us making our trial batch tonight to come!!!
I also had to make some "practice" cupcakes to frost for playgroup tomorrow....
BUTTERcream Frosting
5 egg whites, room temperature
1 1/4 c sugar
1 lb butter, room temperature
flavorings and colorings, as desired
1. Cut each stick of butter into 8 chunks.
2. Warm the egg whites and the butter to room temperature.
3. Place the egg whites into a clean mixer bowl and put the whip on the stand mixer.
4. In a clean sauce pan, place the sugar. Add just enough water to make the sugar into a slurry. (~1/3-1/2 c).
5. Start whipping the egg whites at a low speed. The mixer should be running just fast enough to lightly foam the egg whites. Too fast and your frosting will not be as fluffy as it could be.
6. Start boiling your sugar slurry. The final temperature should be above 235 F, but below 240 F. Anywhere in between is fine. Here is the trick: you want the egg whites to be soft peak at about the time the syrup is ready. If the egg whites are ready, it's ok to turn the mixer off, but when the syrup is ready, it's ready and it cannot wait!
7. Take the hot syrup and turn the mixer down to a medium speed. Pour the hot sugar syrup down the side of the bowl slowly. It should take about a minute to add all the sugar. Don't scrape the pan out. Just dump as much as you can into the mixer bowl.
8. Turn the mixer up to high and let it run as long as it takes to cool the buttercream down to room temp. The bowl should feel cool to the touch.
9. Now, armed with patience, and maybe a beer to help you be patient, add the butter one chunk at a time while the mixer is on medium high. One. Chunk. At. A. Time. No faster. It should all be mixed in before you think about adding another chunk.
10. Done! It should be delicious. If you want to add flavorings or colors, you can separate the buttercream into smaller portions and add it now. If it becomes too soft, a few minutes in the fridge will firm it up, and if it is too hard, warm the bowl in your hands until it reaches the spreading consistency you want. Delicious! And totally fat free and nutritious!!
If you want to make the buttercream and then use it later, just refrigerate it until you are ready to use it and then warm it up to room temperature. A few seconds in the mixer at highspeed will bring it back to the consistency you want. If you have extra, it can be frozen or refrigerated for a long time. Enjoy!
