Italian meringue buttercream for cakes and pastries
The perfect decoration for any cake or pastry! This is a wonderful cream that fully satisfies every sweet tooth. It'll appeal both to fans of buttercreams and to those who love light, airy meringue-based creams.
Cooking method
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Step 1:
To make the cream, start by taking the butter out of the refrigerator. Let it sit on the counter for a few hours to come up to room temperature. It will soften and be ready to use in the cream. To soften it faster and more easily, cut the butter into small pieces.
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Step 2:
Separately, put the measured sugar in a small saucepan and add a little water. Set the saucepan on the heat and bring it to a boil.
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Step 3:
Separately, get the egg whites ready. Start whipping them at full mixer speed.
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Step 4:
When the syrup comes to a boil, add a pinch of citric acid. This keeps the finished cream from crystallizing. Citric acid is also a preservative, which extends the cream's shelf life. Cook the syrup until it reaches 248°F (120°C). For this you'll need a kitchen thermometer.
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Step 5:
Whip the whites to stiff peaks. Without stopping the mixer, pour the hot sugar syrup into the whites in a thin stream. Keep whipping for a few minutes until the cream cools.
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Step 6:
Then, beating constantly, add the soft butter to the cream in very small additions. Once all the butter is in, beat the cream for another couple of minutes.
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Step 7:
The finished cream is smooth, glossy, and uniform. It holds its shape beautifully. At this point you can tint the cream any color of food coloring and use it to decorate any cake!
- Even the simplest cake needs at least a little decoration. The most versatile cream, in my opinion, is this meringue buttercream. Because it's very delicate and holds its shape perfectly, you can use it to fill all kinds of cakes and pastries. You can also use it to pipe flowers onto a cake or smooth, neat swirls to decorate cupcakes. Store the finished cream in the refrigerator for about a week. But take it out ahead of time before using it, so it can warm up.
Caloric content of the products possible in the composition of the dish
- Granulated sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Sugar - 398 kcal/100g
- Butter 82% - 734 kcal/100g
- Amateur unsalted butter - 709 kcal/100g
- Unsalted peasant butter - 661 kcal/100g
- Salted peasant butter - 652 kcal/100g
- Clarified butter - 869 kcal/100g
- Citric acid - 0 kcal/100g
- Water - 0 kcal/100g
- Egg whites - 44 kcal/100g
- Food coloring - 0 kcal/100g
