The recipe and detailed instructions are at the end of this post. For this recipe, we need unsalted butter, vegetable margarine, egg whites, granulated sugar, and vanilla extract. Looks like we have it all. Ready, set, bake…
Thoroughly combine the butter with the margarine in a mixer. Reserve at room temperature. Make sure the butter and margarine are room temperature before you begin – if it is cool, it will not combine with the meringue later in the recipe.
Combine the egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl. Place the bowl over simmering water and heat to 140°F (60°C) while constantly whipping. If this is not whipped throughout the heating process the egg whites will congeal. The heat from this will both pasteurize the egg whites, killing off any salmonella, and enable the egg whites to whip to their highest potential.
Whip in a mixer, with a whisk attachment, set on high speed to stiff peaks. Lower the speed of the mixer, add the vanilla, and gradually whip in the butter mixture.
Recipe: Buttercream
Adapted from The Professional Pastry Chef: Fundamentals of Baking and Pastry, 4th Edition
Yield: About 1 pound
Ingredients
- 6 1/2 ounces (182 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 ounces (57 g) soft vegetable margarine
- 3 egg whites (96 ml)
- 6 ounces (171 g) granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons (2 ml) vanilla extract
Instructions
- Thoroughly combine the butter with the margarine in a mixer. Reserve at room temperature.
- Combine the egg whites and sugar in a mixing bowl. Place the bowl over simmering water and heat to 140°F (60°C) while constantly whipping.
- Whip in a mixer, with a whisk attachment, set on high speed o stiff peaks. Lower the speed on the mixer, add the vanilla, and gradually whip in the butter mixture.
- Add coloring and flavorings as desired.