Italian Meringue Buttercream #3

By carvalhohm

Ingredients

• 10 oz caster sugar
• 5 large egg whites
• 1 lb unsalted butter, softened
• Pinch of salt
• Few drops of vanilla extract
• Paste food colourings in pink, violet, yellow and orange
• Sugar/jam/candy thermometer

Details

Servings 24
Preparation time 35mins
Cooking time 60mins
Adapted from goodtoknow.co.uk

Preparation

Step 1

Pour 3 ½ fl oz water into saucepan and add 8oz caster sugar. Place pan on hob and stir until sugar dissolves. Bring mixture to boil. Use damp pastry brush to wash down any sugar crystals on side of pan. Boil mixture rapidly, without stirring it, until it reaches 121°C. Have large bowl of cold water ready for step 3.

When syrup reaches over 100°C, whisk the egg whites until stiff, preferably using table-top mixer. Gradually whisk in remaining caster sugar.

As soon as syrup reaches 121°C, remove pan from heat and plunge the base of pan into bowl of cold water, to prevent syrup from getting any hotter. Only leave pan in water for few seconds - if it's left too long, it will be too thick to pour.

With food mixer on full speed, gradually pour in syrup in thin stream, taking care to pour it between edge of bowl and whisk - if it's too close to edge of bowl, it will set there and won't get mixed in properly; if it's poured over moving whisk, then it will splatter out of bowl and make mess. Continue whisking mixture for about 8-10 mins until bowl feels just lukewarm. If syrup starts to become too thick to pour, return pan to hob very briefly, for the heat to thin is slightly.

Gradually whisk in butter. Then add salt and vanilla extract. Meringue will collapse little, and mixture may look like it's curdled, but keep whisking it until it forms smooth fluffy buttercream. Use paste color to color buttercream to desired color.