Do you like the taste of Buttercream

ShishKabob

Thu, Nov 04 2021, 12:15 pm

amother [ Seablue ] wrote:

That recipe sounds needlessly complicated.
I use a simple buttercream recipe and it tastes delicious every time.

1/2 cup margarine
3 cups icing sugar
A few tablespoons of water as needed.
1 tsp vanilla or use almond extract for a special flavor

2/3 cup cocoa if you want chocolate

Simple easy and delicious.

This sounds like the recipe I have from the Pupa cookbook and it works every time bh. the taste is not who knows what, but it's ok and very simple.

Siriusly?

Thu, Nov 04 2021, 12:19 pm

amother [ Aconite ] wrote:

Swiss buttercream always tastes very, very buttery. It works in certain European cakes and pastries where the buttercream is spread quite thin, but I find it very overwhelming when used more generously.

The only type of buttercream I really like is flour buttercream, also known as ermine buttercream. It tastes almost like whipped cream.

I've tried Swiss, American and Italian buttercreams, but had never heard of this one! Just checked it out and it does sound good... will have to try it out!

It doesn't look like it would be good for coating and filling a fondant cake, though - it seems quite soft and doesn't seem to form a crust

nylon

Thu, Nov 04 2021, 12:38 pm

Yes, with caveats.

Pareve buttercream is generally mediocre. However, the latest version of Country Crock Plant Butter (either avocado or almond, but not olive) really works much better than the older margarine. I do find that it works best with a flavor (not plain/vanilla), since the buttery flavor isn't quite there, but the texture is very good, and it doesn't coat your mouth the way some non-dairy spreads can.

Many people who are used to pareve buttercream find dairy buttercream to be overwhelmingly buttery. I grew up eating butter for baked goods, so I like that flavor more.

I do prefer buttercream where there is some flavor (fruit, chocolate..) that contrasts with all the butter and sugar. If I were going to ice some cupcakes with a dairy vanilla frosting, I would choose cream cheese frosting (yum!) I can make all the buttercream bases. French is very very rich, almost too much for me, but so smooth. Swiss meringue is lighter and I feel like it showcases the flavor of fruit best. Italian is very stable. The trick is always to have the butter very very soft (but not at all melted) and incorporate it a piece at a time, so the buttercream will whip well and be light instead of a layer of solid butter.

But they are all rich and I feel they work best when not slathered on in huge quantities. If I am making a dairy cake with multiple layers, I will often use a different filling between the layers and buttercream only on the outside.

For birthdays, we eat cake first, separately, so we can have it dairy.

amother

Eggshell

Thu, Nov 04 2021, 3:15 pm

I almost never met a sweet I didn't like, but from the first birthday party I ever went to I have always detested buttercream. I was so excited to get a slice with a flower and so shocked when it tasted like Vaseline. I hate it even when made with butter, though it's usually nothing more than the refined axle grease known as Crisco, to which has been added sugar and artificial coloring and flavor. IMHO it's window dressing for cakes that are mediocre at best, downright bad at worst. Never trust a cake coated in "buttercream".