Buttercream

Alton Brown

Recipe courtesy Alton Brown

Show: Good EatsEpisode: The Icing Man Cometh

Rated: 3 stars out of 5Rate This RecipeRead users' reviews (88)

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Average Rating:

Total Reviews: 88

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  • on February 14, 2012

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    This recipe is actually perfect. The problem with buttercream is that everything has to be perfect for it to come together. I made this and my butter must have been a bit on the cold side or my syrup/sugar mixture was not hot enough or my eggs were too cold but the butter didn't incorporate into a smooth mixture. I had to put the mixture on the stove to warm it up and get the butter bits soft. Then it came together perfectly, but it's an illustration that everything has to be exactly perfect.

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  • on January 29, 2012

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    Step 4: This is the critical step of the recipe. The butter must be on the cold side and not soft. One of the ways this can go south is if the butter melts in the egg/sugar mixture. The butter should be firm but forgiving to the touch. You are in essence absorbing the solid butter into the sugar egg mixture. The next critical step is how much butter you need. In my estimation an additional stick more than what the recipe calls for. You'll start to see a grainy, oily, mixture. You just need to soak this up with more solid butter. Be careful that your pile of butter doesn't get too warm. The consistency you are looking for is in essence creamy butter. Using an ice bath would help I've read but I normally take a break and stick the mixing bowl and whisk attachment in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes. You can also do this if your butter melts and mixture breaks. Then crank up the mixer again. You should eventually wind up with a nice, stable, creamy butter cream. Voila!

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  • on August 14, 2011

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    If it looks like soup all you have to do in put a bowl of ice under ur mixer to make it cold then it should thicken up

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  • on August 09, 2011

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    Doesn't the hot syrup cook the eggs?

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  • on August 01, 2011

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    This is soooo good. I actually used the version AB put in his book in which he addressed that many people had difficulty with this recipe and altered it. Mine also turned into a soup, probably because it was 100 degrees outside and my butter was too soft, but I was able to rescue it by placing it in the fridge for about 20 minutes after i had completely finished the recipe and then beating it for about a minute more after that. It turned out wonderfully delicious. I also added about 1lb of strawberries, pureed in the food processor (my sister wanted strawberry frosting for her b-day cake. It tasted amazing but it was a little watery because of the strawberries, but if you leave it in the fridge it will harden up. If anyone wants the recipe AB puts in his book that doesn't have it, you can just email me, and i'll gladly give it out to you, but i really suggest you buy the book. There's a lot of updated recipes in there.

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  • on May 18, 2011

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    Can someone help me out? Another review said "egg whites" but the recipe calls for EGGS, not whites. Mine is just as yellow as it can be, the secod lump of butter turned it into a soup.

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  • on February 06, 2011

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    I'm not sure what problem other people are having, but this recipe is amazing.
    I've made is 4 times now, and about to make it a 5th. It's fairly easy to do, and the result is nothing soupy or chunky. It's perfect.
    All i'm saying is, despite everyone else having problems, This is definitely worth trying at least once.

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  • on January 19, 2011

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    This is a classic french buttercream that pastry chefs have been using all over the world for a very long time. I own a bakery and this is my preferred style of buttercream. He changed it in his book to a swiss meringue buttercream, not because he was wrong, but because everyone had so much difficulty with the recipe. Both the recipe and the video are correct, as any experienced baker can attest. True buttercream is a skill that, once learned, is a magnificient accompaniment to a cake. You need to work quickly when adding the sugar, as that pasteurizes the eggs. As your mixers may be different, refer to the video for cues. Room temp butter is about 70 degrees, only soft enough to make a slight indent with your finger. DO NOT add butter until the bowl of the mixer is room temp, then add butter as directed. If it gets too soupy, your butter melted. Put it in the refrigerator and mix again until it is smooth.

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  • on January 06, 2011

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    this receipe sucks the first batch my son made and it was a large bowl of soup. i thought he had done something wrong so we tossed about $10 worth of ingredients out he was trying to do a triple batch. the second batch i made and the same thing happend. i then tried adding powdered sugar to the soup as other reviewers tried 4 1bs to be exact to a 1 and 1/2 receipe and though it got thicker it was still to soft for decorating purposes tasted good if you like and butter and sugar i'll keep the second batch to make cookies or something.

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  • on December 31, 2010

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    I actually made this recipe the first time and it was so watery that I thought I must have made a mistake some how. Then I simply added powder sugar and it worked beautifully! This recipe has a wonderful buttery taste...the powder sugar makes it better to ice with.

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