Italian Buttercream

This recipe is adapted from Cake Love's cookbook.

Cake Love's Italian Meringue Buttercream
Yield 4 to 5 cups (one 9 inch cake or 24 cupcakes)

5 large egg whites
10 oz extra fine granulated sugar
1/4 c cold water
4 sticks of butter, cut into tbsp pieces

Let butter and eggs come to room temperature.

Measure 1 cup sugar and the water into a 1 qt saucepan. Gently stir to combine.

Heat sugar and water until temperature reaches 245 degrees. Partially cover with a lid to caputre the evaporating water--this helps to moisten the side of the saucepan to prevent sugar cryastals from forming.

Separate egg whites into a bowl of a mixer fitted with wire whip attachment.
With a mixer on high speed, begin whipping the egg whites to stiff peaks. When the peaks are stiff, you have a meringue.
Keep the mixer running and pour the remaining 1/4 cup of sugar into the meringue.

Raise the heat under the sugar syrup to bring the syrup to 245 degrees it is is not there already. Remove thermometer and slowly pour the syrup into the meringue.

Agter 1 to 2 minutes reduce the mixer speed to medium for 3 to 4 minutes, or until the merinque is cooled. Add the butter 1 tablespoon at a time. Increase the mixer speed to high for 1 to 2 minutes, or until the butter is fully incorporated.

Flavor Variations

Flavor Ingredient Amount
vanilla vanilla extract 1 tsp
chocolate bittersweet choc. melted 1/2 cup
rum dark rum 2 to 4 Tbs to taste
amaretto amaretto 2 to 4 tbsp to taste
raspberry raspberry puree 1/4 to 1/2 cup
lemon limoncello 2 Tbsp.
orange orange oil 1 tsp
lime lime oil 1 tsp
Raspberry Puree

12 to 16 oz
4 oz extra fine granulated sugar

Thaw a package of raspberries and keep juice. Combine with sugar in a 2 qt saucepan. Gentlry brin mixture to a simmer over miedum heat and promptly remove from heat.
Scrape the puree from the bowl using a rubber spatula and carefully strain through a fine mesh sieve set over a large bowl. Try to captureall of the rasbperry seeds in the strainer.
Scrape the underside of the strainer.
Transfer the puree to an airtight container. Label, date and store up to 10 days.