A few attempts with normal buttercream and having those buttercream completely failed me by disintegrating into a gooey mess esp. in my tropical weather, a few weeks back, I embarked on the search for the perfect buttercream. Little did I know that I would find it here.  But not without trepidation.  I combed this forum thoroughly and read through my TCB a few hundreds time, dare I gather enough courage to make it.  AND I DID SUCCEED!  Taking notes very carefully, this is the route I thought I would go:

1.  I boil all the sugar and water. 

2.  Taking cue from Hector (thank you Hector!) I already frozen my egg whites, I thaw and cleave it and while still looking like a soup of fish scales, I beat it to soft peaks then I add the cream of tartar.

3.  My egg whites turn stiff peak, I stopped beating.  As you guys said it, the whites can wait. 

4.  I turn my full attention to my sugar syrup, closely monitoring with a new acquired digital thermometer.

5.  When the sugar syrup is ready, I pour in 3 batches, beating well after each batch on high speed.

6.  While it is beating beautifully, I monitor my thawing butter so that it’s perfect at 65F and I add one spoonful at a time into the egg whites.

7.  Needless to say, it went all soupy.  Just when I was about to add the last butter, something magical happened - the soupy mess just came together and ta-daa - my mousseline magic!

8.  Not really expecting it to ‘come together’ on my first time (sorry, my expectation was quite low actually..) I had only one flavouring option - 2 tsp of vanilla extract and my gosh!  I will never go back to ‘normal buttercream’ ever again.

Thanks to you; Patrincia, Bill, Jeanne, everyone who ever went down the mousseline route!

Love and hugs,
bonnie

LOL good job. Was your heart beating fast before you saw it come together? Mine always does.

Congratulations! That’s the most difficult of the Cake Bible buttercreams, and you did it!  I think Rose calls it “thrilling”, but I agree with a few bloggers who have called it “nervewracking”.  The more you do it, though, the easier it gets.  And if you have a mixer that will handle the volume of the hot-sugar syrup meringue, you can double the recipe.  I find a double batch will generally supply me for three cakes (3 cups each).

Congratulations Bonnie! .  Now that you’ve successfully made it, there’s no reason to ever use the other stuff.  So glad to hear you liked my favorite vanilla variation too!

Yeah!  Good for you.

Bonnie, u made my day!  Thx for writing this summary, the cues are textbook perfect.  Woody tested my fish scale method and it works!  He says is a good way to cool the meringue, specially when making a very large batch.  If you make a small batch and your weather is cool (not my case for neither!), you don’t need to use my fish scale method -)

Bonnie, you should have seen the smile on my face when I read your post. I was so happy for you and could totally identify. I think we’ve all experienced that surge of joy, when it actually works. “I DID IT,” you said. Yep. And now, you know you can do anything!

You don’t know that? Well, you’re about to find out, because it’s clear. You’ve got the bug!!!

Congratulations Bonnie!!! You should be very proud of yourself.

Hi Everyone!

Thanks so much for your encouragement and tips!! 

A bit of background on how I came to discover then made the mousseline buttercream.  I made cupcakes for my office potluck with a swirl of “normal buttercream” (ewww… I can’t help but to feel certain disdain for ‘normal buttercream’ now that I found my mousseline!!) and decorated some fondant flowers on it.  At the potluck some 3 hours later, the swirl looked kind of melted and soft while the flowers has soaked up all the oil and moist.  It was a mess and I nearly cried!  I started searching frantically for a sturdy buttercream that would withstand high temperature and also fondant friendly.  It was then I found there is hope yet in the form of a mysterious cooked buttercream … I bought my first copy of Rose’s TCB and found this forum.

Yesterday right after I made my mousseline, I put a tall dollop of it on a test cupcake and piled on some fondant flowers.  My kitchen was very warm my digital thermometer registered 87.5F when I waved it in the air.  I went to bed, apprehensive of what I would find in the morning.  SURPRISE!!!  The mousseline was still standing tall and the fondant flowers did not show signs of being oily and turning soft.  HAPPY HAPPY SURPRISE!!  Bear in mind, all this while I never have had an occasion where my buttercream steadily hold up and where my fondant flowers did not look oily to the point of yuccks! 

The Magical Mousseline is indeed magical.  I think I have said enough…

And Yes, I have happily caught the bug!

Bonnie

Bonnie I’m so thrilled to hear of your success! How wonderful!! I knew you were very apprehensive about trying it, but am so glad you finally did it. And no matter how many times I’ve made mousseline, I still get excited and have a great sense of satisfaction when it all comes together and emulsifies at the end. And best of all, it’s magic for our weather.

That’s really impressive. I’m going to have to make a cake and try out a mousseline.

Hi rboehme,

I have made it twice since and it is the best buttercream.  I made extra and freeze them for future use.  The second time when adding the butter, I hardly see any curdling .. the butter just blend right in.  The quintessential thing is to bring the temperature of the butter and the whites together at the same temperature.  Not much thinning on the batter at all.  Even they both are not at the same temperature there should be no problem too!

Hi Bonnie,
Greetings from a fellow Malaysian here!

I have a copy of the Cake Bible on the way and intend to make a batch of this buttercream.
Still finding my way around this forum. Can you please elaborate on the part where you used frozen eggwhites, what are the reasons for doing so?
Since temperature is apparently a very important component of this recipe, may I know which brand of thermometer you use and where can I purchase it?
Mind telling me the brand of butter you used as well?

Sorry for all the questions.
Thanks in advance.

Irene

OH MY!!! This is AMAZING!!!

After reading what you have done I have this urge to do it for my son’s 1st birthday cake! Till now I have no idea what to use for the buttercream, but thanks I am going to try this weekend!

I have frozen egg whites left after making golden butter cream cake. But I have added 1/2tsp in the egg white when I keep in freezer. Will this sugar egg white works?

This should work, just deduct the sugar already in the whites from the amount added to the soft peak whites in the recipe.  And while yolks need sugar for freezing, whites do not.  Good luck, and try not to get too freaked out at the curdling!

Oh really?! White do not need sugar for freezing? I thought I read wrongly in TCB but I read again and again to confirm cos I have 8egg whites to be freeze. If white don’t need sugar to freeze then I will gladly not add the sugar in. But will it become sticky as mention in TCB when thaw?