Why does my buttercream always split??!
Why does my buttercream always split??
My italian buttercream (egg whites + sugar syrup/softboil stage + butter) always splits once i start adding butter, anyone have any ideas as to why??
I've tried cooling the meringue, but that still doesn't help..
Answers:
I'm not sure, but I'm guessing that the temperature of the butter compared to the temperature of the sugar syrup may be the culprit. If the butter is too cold when it's incorporated into the mixture, that could cause the problem.
I'd say have the butter at room temperature, if not actually melted, before you add it. I'm just guessing here since I don't have your actual recipe in front of me, but if there's no reason why the butter has to be chilled, then try warming it up first.
Your egg whites are probably not stabilized when you add your fat to it.
Egg whites whipped up will deflate the moment they are touched by fat, and that includes a rubber or silicone spatula, a fleck of egg yolk, or butter.
Try adding a bit of cornstarch (1 Tbsp or so) to your eggs when whipping, Then make sure your sugar syrup is the right temp when adding.
Your recipe sounds like a standard "Seven Minute Frosting", where you combine whipped egg whites and syrup and beat for 7 minutes, but I"ve never heard of adding butter to that. Normally it has a "marshmallow-y" texture to it.
Maybe try this:
SNOW WHITE BUTTERCREAM ICING
This buttercream icing has an ideal consistency for frosting cakes. It has a firm quality making it good for wedding cake decorations and flat surface or flower nail flowers. Air dry decorations for 24 hours.
2/3 cup water
4 tablespoons meringue powder
12 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
1-1/4 cups shortening
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon almond flavoring
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla flavoring
1/4 teaspoon butter flavoring
Combine water and meringue powder; whip at high speed until peaks form. Add 4 cups of sugar, one cup at a time, beating after each addition at low speed. Alternately add shortening and remainder of sugar. Add salt and flavorings; beat at low speed until smooth.
YIELD: 7 cups icing. Recipe may be doubled or cut in half; however, if cut in half, yield is only 2-1/2 cups.
Are you adding the butter while the meringue is hot? The bowl of the mixer should just barely feel warm when you start adding the butter. What's the temp of your butter? It should be room temp. I make Italian buttercreams at least three times a week so I know how to fix all the problems associated with it, feel free to contact me if you need more info.
Try no salt butter, or Try butter with salt, whichever you haven't tried.
Hi there. Two answers to a single problem, one as regards temperature, one as regards method, and *both* can apply at the same time.
1. The butter is too cold (though it seems perverse, this is *not* the same as the meringue being too hot!). When the butter is too cold, it is structurally too inflexible to be able to be 'bent' into the emulsion to be accepted there, even though the meringue is at a 'perfect' mixing temperature, and then the whole lot splits.
2. You need to whisk the thinner of the two emulsions into the thicker. That's a judgement call and it will/can differ each time you make it.
General consideration: if this persists or you feel you cannot get the two sets of conditions required to play for you, ease up on the softball stage in the earlier process, going for 'short thread' (108°C / 225°F) instead before joining the egg whites. The texture will be more of a crème mousseline, but the risk of splitting is reduced because neither meringue nor butter need to meet from wider divergent temperature points to start off with.
I have not come across such a complicated recipe for butter cream.
I would guess that your merangue mix is not stable when you add the butter, are you sure your reading the temp of the sugar correctly 127 degrees C and adding it fast enough to the mixture. Then there is the are you whisking it long enough, if I was making marshmellow it would be whisked on the kitchen aid at a good speed for 10 mins.
How about trying this receipe instead !
250g Icing Sugar, sifted
125g Butter, softened
1-2 tbsp Milk or Cream
Vanilla Extract, 1/2 tsp ( i like a good vanilla falvour )
Cream the butter and sugar until soft and light.
Add the vanilla and enough milk (or cream) to produce a fairly stiff spreading consistency.
If you want a chocolate butter cream add 30g of melted catering grade ( coca 70% ) chocolate to the wet mix.
If you want to tweek the mixture - add a liitle milk to slacken it and a little more icing sigar to firm it up.