American Buttercrème
Why I Love This Recipe
There are many different methods to creating Buttercrème. All are based on creating an emulsion of butter and water with egg as the emulsifier, just like Mayonnaise or aioli. There are also as many different names to identify these methods for creating Buttercrème.
American - Made with whole eggs and a double boiler;
French - Using only egg yolks and sugar syrup;
Italian - Using only Egg whites and Sugar Syrup;
Swiss - Using Egg Whites and a double boiler. (As with a Swiss meringue, Go figure).
This makes enough to frost a two layer 9-in. or a three layer 8-in. round cake
Ingredients You'll Need
1 lb butter
4 large eggs
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp Vanilla
Directions
Crack 4 eggs into a mixing bowl, add sugar, salt, and vanilla.
Bring 1/2 inch of water to boil in a sauce pan, reduce heat to simmer and place mixing bowl over water.
Heat the egg mixture to 160 degrees while whisking constantly.
When the mixture reaches 160 remove from heat and pour into another bowl to stop cooking.
Begin beating the mixture with a paddle attachment until cooled to room temperature.
Slice butter into 2 TB sized pieces and begin adding it the beaten mixture.
Only add 1 chunk at a time, waiting until the previous chunk has been incorporated before adding the next.
The Mixture will appear slightly lumpy at first, but will smooth out as butter is added.
Continue beating even after the last chunk of butter has been added; this will ensure a nice smooth Buttercrème.
Frost your cake and enjoy