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Vanilla Italian Buttercream

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Photo by Chelsea Kyle

Almost nothing makes me happier than buttercream at the perfect temperature, a small offset spatula, and a beautiful cake waiting to be frosted. There are different types of buttercreams, but I prefer the Italian-meringue version, perhaps because its consistency is very similar to thick oil paint, Thiebaud's medium in Display Cakes. If you're making one of the variations, ensure that whatever you're adding is at room temperature and incorporate it slowly.

Recipe information

  • Total Time

    45 minutes

  • Yield

    Makes enough for one 8-inch cake

Ingredients

1

1/3 cups (9.5 oz / 266 g) sugar

1

/3 cup (2.9 oz / 80 g) water

7

large egg whites (7.4 oz / 210 g), at room temperature

1

/2 teaspoon cream of tartar

2

cups (16 oz / 454 g) unsalted butter, cut into 1 tablespoon pieces, at room temperature

2

tablespoons vanilla extract

Need to make a substitution?

Preparation

  1. Step 1

    The sugar syrup and egg whites will need to be ready at roughly the same time, so preparing them will require some coordination. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, bring the sugar and water to a simmer, swirling occasionally, and cook until the sugar dissolves. Continue simmering, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 248°F on a digital thermometer, about 5 minutes.

    Step 2

    Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites and cream of tartar on medium speed until the whites hold soft peaks, 8 to 10 minutes.

    Step 3

    Immediately transfer the sugar syrup to a heatproof liquid measuring cup. With the mixer running on medium-high speed, add the hot sugar syrup to the whites in a thin, steady stream; aim to pour it into the small space between the mixer bowl and the whisk. Continue to whip the mixture until thick and shiny and the outside of the bowl feels cool to the touch, about 10 minutes.

    Step 4

    Decrease the speed to medium and, with the mixer running, add the butter one piece at a time. The mixture won't resemble perfect buttercream until the last of the butter has been added. If it's looking deflated, wet, or broken during mixing, make sure the butter is at room temperature and slow down the additions, adding the next piece only after the last one has been fully incorporated. Add the vanilla and beat on medium speed until well combined, about 1 minute, until the texture is similar to mayonnaise.

Reprinted with permission from The New Persian Kitchen by Caitlin Freeman. Copyright © 2013 by Caitlin Freeman; photographs copyright © 2013 by Clay McLachlan. Published by Ten Speed Press, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher A self-taught baker and longtime owner of the San Francisco cake and sweets shop, Miette, Caitlin Freeman was inspired to bake by the confectionary painter Wayne Thiebaud. After selling Miette in 2008, she started the pastry program at Blue Bottle Coffee Co. and coauthored The Blue Bottle Craft of Coffee. Her artistic creations for the Blue Bottle Café at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art have been featured in the New York Times, Design Sponge, Elle Decor, San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and more. She lives in San Francisco, California.
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