--->Adventures in Buttercream<---

Do you know what I dream about? ...Buttercream.     

Do you know what I adore? ...Buttercream.        

 Do you know what makes my heart flutter more than my Husband sometimes? ...Buttercream. 

The last one may not be true OR it might be a slight exaggeration.

 I love buttercream. I love it's silky smoothness. It's ability to take on so many flavors. It's gross negligence towards health. It is my guilty pleasure and my cryptonite.

 I am guilty of, as a child, scooping the store bought funfetti canister, with my finger no less, and quickly putting it's luscious decadence in my mouth. Then quickly running away and never admitting my part in the consumption of frosting as a small snack. 

I think several us are guilty of this...As you are reading this, you are quickly remembering those stolen moments by the fridge....right? If not, you too can still have 
the opportunity to do so as an adult
 and to also make the buttercream of your dreams, which I have done.

I grew up, exposed to my mother's buttercream. She did what is known as an "American Style Buttercream". We're all familiar with this recipe.  The simplicity of it and all it's decadence. I have never been a fan of my mother's buttercream and funny enough, my mother is not a fan of my mine. Mine lacks the sweetness she desires from a buttercream. What that means is, 1:4 ratio with butter to powdered sugar. That's punch you in the mouth sweetness and a glass of milk to get it down securely. 

Grocery stores use a version of this recipe but use shortening instead. 

That's why you taste all sugar and it holds a little better than butter in heat. 

My life experience dictated my pursuit of the perfect buttercream. Once the search was on, I found a wide array of fantastic styles and techniques to achieve subtle greatness. 

My eyes were opened to a whole new world. 

The two buttercream styles I fell firmly grounded in, is a 

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

 &

 an updated version of an American Style Buttercream.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

     It's just like it sounds. It's a meringue that butter is added to. You make a sticky, thick, almost marshmallow cream and then add silky smooth butter.  This particular style is not for the inexperienced. It typically takes me about {30} minutes to make and it is necessary to have a standing Kitchen Aid mixer.

 I watched several youtube videos of this style to find the best technique for myself. 

***I will provide my recipe in a later blog and teach you the tricks to using it***

  

    I LOVE this buttercream. It tastes like butter. It's recipe features a whole pound of butter. It has a subtle sweetness that doesn't overpower you, but lightly dances on your tongue with a delightful touch. This is the type you will find on exquisite wedding cakes. It is extra work and not always predictable. In the summer time, in a hot house, the buttercream takes significantly longer to come together. 

My favorite moment with this buttercream is when you've fluffed up the cloud-like meringue and it's time to add the butter. You ferociously mix these ingredients together...and you wait...you wait for the moment when it curdles. Once it curdles, it miraculously turns into buttercream.

 It's my favorite moment. It's gets me all giddy inside <3 <3 <3

These roses were made with Swiss Meringue Buttercream

American Style Buttercream:

This one is user friendly, predictable, and it's hard to find anyone that doesn't like it. It's my husband's favorite. I will spend uber amounts of time making that beautiful Swiss Meringue Buttercream and my husband will say, "I like that other kind you make." He's talking about this one. This is the one your Mom and Grandma probably made. This one is what you expect most of the time when you bite into a slice of cake. Like I said before, my Mother and I are at odds with this. She loves it done her way and I love it my way.

My way...starts with a pound of butter that I whip into submission. I then add the powdered sugar, little by little until I have achieved "the right amount" of sweetness 

and then add some yummy vanilla. 

That's it. It's easy, right? That's why our busy mom's made this.

American Style Buttercream was used for these ruffles

 There are benefits to both. But all that really matters is, 

how does it taste? 

What is your favorite style of buttercream? 

Are you punch in the mouth sweet like my Mom? Or the American style that is my husband's favorite? 

Or do you love the subtle sweetness of a Swiss Meringue?