Buttercream trouble

[Buffalo chickenator]

Can someone help me? I'm new to this site-and sort of new to baking.
Whenever I try to make any kind of buttercream, it's always runny and melts easily like it has no structure.
My latest attempt was 2 days ago-I tried to make swiss meringue and the egg whites and sugar whipped very nicely, but as soon as I incorporated the butter it melted and the mixture wasn't even warm . I put it in the refrigerator to stiffen and re whip later but it didn't even whip or thicken. I had made sure the sugar crystals were dissolves too and that the mixture was hot to touch before removing off the stove. And that the house was cool while I was making it.
Here is the recipe I used:
7 egg whites
2 and a half sticks of butter
2 cups of sugar
This happens to every buttercream I make including the American version (and that one just melts).

 

[Norcalbaker59]

The standard ratio for SMBC is 1:2:3

1 part egg whites
2 parts sugar
3 parts butter

While there is some wiggle room, you need to stay relatively close to these ratios.

The recipe you used does not conform to these ratios.

Your ratios are off at:
1:1.14:.80
Sugar is 1.14; should be 2.00
Butter is .80; should be 3.0

Also, after the butter is added, the mixture will look like soup. It has to be beaten for an additional 8 to 10 mins on the lowest setting.

Try the Serious Eats’ recipe. Stella Parks includes a video tutorial to help you through the process.

http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2017/05/swiss-meringue-buttercream-frosting-recipe.html

It’s important to whip the egg whites to the correct consistency. Firm peaks and stiff peaks can be confusing.

Firm peak. Note the soft curl and especially how the base curls over.

The same eggs whites in the bowl after another minute of beating. They also curl, but note the base is straight up. This is actually a stiff peak. The curl was created by the direction the beater was pulled from the bowl. If egg whites are beaten beyond this point, they will dry out and begin to collapse.

So look at the base, not just the curl to determine if your whites are at firm or stiff peak.

 

[Apocalypso]

My guess was that your butter was too soft or your meringue was too warm when you added it. The bowl should no longer be warm to the touch on the bottom. I've used a frozen kitchen towel held to the bottom of the bowl to help that along, but only at the very end of a long process.

For me, living in Florida, butter at true "room temperature" in my place (75-78F unless I'm running it cooler for guests) is actually a bit too soft for this. You'll want the butter to be soft but not squishy. It should still hold its shape and not be scraped off the paper.

However, it's more unusual that you have had problems with an American buttercream melting, unless you're talking about in the summer heat outside. You might try freezing your cake layers to help keep it cold while you're frosting the cake, and keep the cake chilled after. You might not be incorporating enough powdered sugar? What recipe are you using? Hopefully you're using an electric mixer and doing minutes of whipping? Finally, you might want to try 1/2 vegetable shortening (Crisco has a butter flavor one) in place of the butter, because shortening has a higher melting point than butter.

 

[Buffalo chickenator]

Thanks a lot for the replies. I usually add 2 cups of powdered sugar more than any recipe puts because i notice that it is starts to melt. Except I've tried many American buttercream recipes that have high ratings on the Internet that I can't put a specific recipe. But I did so because I was unsure whether it was the recipe itself. But now I think that the problem isn't the recipes. I use an electric hand mixer for icings and beating eggs. I beat my Swiss meringue for about 20 minutes (to where I think was stiff peaks) before I put in the butter.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

Thanks a lot for the replies. I usually add 2 cups of powdered sugar more than any recipe puts because i notice that it is starts to melt. Except I've tried many American buttercream recipes that have high ratings on the Internet that I can't put a specific recipe. But I did so because I was unsure whether it was the recipe itself. But now I think that the problem isn't the recipes. I use an electric hand mixer for icings and beating eggs. I beat my Swiss meringue for about 20 minutes (to where I think was stiff peaks) before I put in the butter.

You aren’t making Swiss meringue buttercream. Swiss meringue buttercream does not contain powdered sugar.

To make Swiss meringue buttercream, granulated sugar is dissolved in egg whites over simmering water. The mixture is heated to 140° – 160° to evaporate some of the natural water and to kill bacteria in the egg whites.

The egg whites are then beaten to stiff peaks.(meringue).

Soften butter is beat into the meringue in small additions. The meringue is then beaten for 8 -10 minutes to completely emulsify.

American “buttercream” isn’t buttercream. There’s no butter in it. It’s simply powdered sugar and shortening.

There’s another icing known as Lauren’s Kitchen Buttercream made with pre-packaged raw pasteurized egg whites, powdered sugar, and either butter or shortening. It sounds like you were trying to make Lauren’s Kitchen Buttercream.

The hand mixer isn’t the problem. It’s the ratios you used and the fresh egg whites. You used approximately:

8.75 oz egg whites

6 oz butter

8.8 oz powdered sugar



Lauren’s Kitchen Buttercream ratios are:


4.2 oz pre-packaged pasteurized egg whites

16 oz powdered sugar

32 oz butter

Lauren’s Kitchen Buttercream is made by beating the egg whites and powdered sugar for at least 5 minutes. It will be a thin runny mixture. Then butter is beat in.

 

[Apocalypso]

I think I may have confused the matter by asking about the comment of American buttercream also melting, thus the powdered sugar reply?

 

[Buffalo chickenator]

I think I may have confused the matter by asking about the comment of American buttercream also melting, thus the powdered sugar reply?

Actually, It seems I've caused the confusion. I wrote this really quickly, So I kinda jumbled up everything. I was talking about the american icing (which now I know isnt).
Whenever I used an American style of icing on the Internet, I usually add an extra 2 cups of powdered sugar because it always appeared to be melted.
You asked about the minutes I spent beating my swiss meringue (when I attempted swiss meringue not the other icing i mentioned ) -I beat it for 20 mins, it looked like the stiff peak, (although not super firm) then I added the butter, and then it collapsed.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I’m confused too as I have been preoccupied with a lot of turmoil around my house.


So re-read everything. I see two causes for the Swiss meringue buttercream failure: incorrect amount of ingredients and incorrect beating of egg whites.


Ingredients amounts:


Ingredients vary in weight. For example:


1 cup of sugar weighs 7 oz or 200 g.

1 cup of flour weighs 4.25oz or 120 g.

1 cup of powdered sugar weighs 4 oz or 113 g.

1 cup of butter weighs 8 oz or 226 g.


The basic ingredients used in Swiss meringue buttercream weigh the following:

1 large egg white weighs approx 1.07 oz or 30 g

1 stick butter weighs 4 oz or 113 g

1 cup sugar weighs 7 oz or 200 g.


The recipe you used came out to the following weights:

7 egg whites = approx. 7.5 oz or 210 g

2 cups sugar = 14 or 400 g

2 1/2 sticks butter = 10 oz or 254 g



The ratios for Swiss meringue buttercream BY WEIGHT, not volume:

1 part egg whites

2 parts sugar

3 parts butter


The ratios you used:

1 part egg whites

1.90 sugar

1.20 parts butter.


While the amount of sugar you used was less than 2 parts, it was still enough to work. You can use +/- 10% - 15% of an ingredient on most recipes without any problems. When you get move beyond +/- 10% - 15%, the recipe will destabilize.


And that’s what happened with your recipe. The butter was far beyond the +/-10% - 15%. For the amount of egg whites you used, you needed 5 1/2 sticks of butter or 630 g. You were short 3 sticks of butter.


Beating:

Beating is separated into three phases: meringue, butter addition, and emulsification.


Phase 1: Meringue 3-5 minutes depending on mixer speed and amount of egg whites. If you beat your egg whites for 10 minutes, they were over-beaten. Over beaten egg whites will collapse.


Phase 2: Butter addition approximately 5 minutes depending on temperature of butter and amount of butter.


Phase 3: Emulsification approximately 8 - 10 minutes. Emulsification is the suspension of two ingredients that do not normally mix well together. In this case, fat into water (egg whites and butter both contain lots of water).


Here’s a basic Swiss meringue buttercream. This makes enough for 12- 14 cupcakes; frost and fill 7” round layer cake; or frost 8” round layer cake that has a separate filling.


Swiss Meringue Buttercream


Equipment:

Heatproof bowl that fits over a saucepan (pic below)

Saucepan

Electric mixer

Instant read thermometer

Food scale or measuring cups

Measuring spoon


5 large egg whites (150 g)

1 1/2 cups sugar (300 g)

1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar (total 5/8 teaspoon)

4 sticks unsalted butter (450 g) with butterfat 83%*


Cut butter into 2” cubes. Leave butter out to warm to 70°. Butter should be soft enough to give when gently pressed. But it should not be greasy looking or soft like whipped cream.


Place 3” of water in a saucepan pan. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to simmer.


Place egg whites and sugar in heatproof bowl. Whisk to combine.


Place bowl over saucepan and whisk slowly and continuously.


Heat egg whites to 160°. Remove from heat and begin beating immediately on medium high.


After one minute, add cream of tartar to egg whites. Eggs should be foamy and translucent (pic below).


Continue beating to stiff peaks (see pics in post above). This will take approximately 5 minutes on medium high speed.


While beating, add butter one cube at a time. Allow each cube to blend in before adding the next cube of butter. This will take about 5 minutes.


IMPORTANT NOTE: when butter is added to meringue, it will soften to a soup like consistency. This is normal. Emulsification is the next step. After the mixture is emulsified, it will thicken into a big fluffy mass.


After all the butter is added, reduce the mixer speed to low.


Continue beating on low until mixture forms a thick creamy mass. This will take 8 - 10 minutes.


The total beating time is 16 - 20 minutes:



===========
Set bowl on top of a pan of simmering water

Best egg whites until just foamy and still translucent, then add cream of tartar