This is not only my first posting here, but my first anywhere! I am making a wedding cake for Saturday. Yesterday I made 2 batches of Rose’s While Chocolate Cream Cheese frosting for a cake serving 150 (I want to have PLENTY). It is just a little too soft. Piped, it sag as soon as it hits room temperature. I used a combo of Valrhona Ivoire and Green and Black’s.  I am thinking of adding more white chocolate. Any ideas?

Welcome jjbwts - sorry I don’t have a lot of experience with this buttercream (it’s not one of my favorites).  I did want to welcome you to the forum though.  I’m sure someone who has more experience with this particular recipe will chime in with some good advice.

I hope you’ll post photos of the cake!

Don’t have the CB in front of me, but isn’t there a note in this recipe about adjusting it for higher temps?  That said, anytime I’ve used this it hasn’t been so soft that the piping was lost, so I suspect another problem—what type of cream cheese are you using?

I used regular Philidelphia on one batch, and Whole Foods 360 brand on the other. Both were the same. I looked up the cocoa butter content for Valrhona it’s 37%, for Green and Black’s it says 30% cocoa content, which I assume means cocoa butter content. I think I read anything over 30% is good.  I don’t think heat is a factor, it was cool in my kitchen yesterday ( around 75).  There is note saying a friend of Rose’s decreased the butter by half for a wedding in Atlanta. I would in effect be doing the same thing by adding more chocolate, right?

jjbwts - 19 October 2009 05:02 PM

I used regular Philidelphia on one batch, and Whole Foods 360 brand on the other. Both were the same. I looked up the cocoa butter content for Valrhona it’s 37%, for Green and Black’s it says 30% cocoa content, which I assume means cocoa butter content. I think I read anything over 30% is good.  I don’t think heat is a factor, it was cool in my kitchen yesterday ( around 75).  There is note saying a friend of Rose’s decreased the butter by half for a wedding in Atlanta. I would in effect be doing the same thing by adding more chocolate, right?

You would be decreasing the butter, but not the fat content. I am of the opinion that this buttercream isn’t really meant for layer cakes. Try decreasing the butter, but leaving the white chocolate the same.

I’ve used this buttercream a lot…and it is very temperature sensitive.  I usually set up two pastry bags with the same tip…keep one in the fridge and use the other.  It pipes very nicely at the right temperature, with beautiful detail. I keep the finished cake in the fridge and take it out a couple of hours before serving.  I’ve never done a wedding cake with it, however.

Rose often pairs this buttercream with cakes that are to be chilled, oil cakes and cheesecake.  And in RHC she says that if it is too soft, to chill it.  Shirley Corriher reduces the butter to make it more heat-stable, but I don’t think you’re going to get something that will stand up for hours like mousseline.

wow. I wish I would have know of this blog 3 months ago! You guys are great. I think I have a game plan: Add more white chocolate; chill the cake layers prior to assembly(Rose’s white cake); keep the fillings on the thin side (Rose’s raspberry conserve and lemon curd); keep the frosting on the thin side; chill the assembled cake-over night; put on the ribbons and flowers while the cake is cold; hope for the best! Luckily it’s a 1 pm wedding so the cake will not have to sit out more than a few hours, and it’s not supposed to get above 72 degrees in Santa Cruz this weekend! Keep your fingers crossed and I’ll let you know how it turns out. Every adventuresome baker has to do their first wedding cake sometime, right?

JJ, I just replied to your question about this buttercream in a different thread and suggested another option you might want to consider.

Here you go: http://www.realbakingwithrose.com/index_ee.php/forums/viewthread/1209/#14945

Yes, reduce the butter.  ALSO, be sure to melt the white chocolate only as indicated, if you apply excessive heat it will loose consistency (will loose its temper aka never get solid again).  I have used this on wedding cakes to up to 75oF

Bill - 20 October 2009 08:12 AM

I’ve used this buttercream a lot…and it is very temperature sensitive.  I usually set up two pastry bags with the same tip…keep one in the fridge and use the other.  It pipes very nicely at the right temperature, with beautiful detail. I keep the finished cake in the fridge and take it out a couple of hours before serving.  I’ve never done a wedding cake with it, however.

I just did this as well on Rose’s Chocolate cake (what a dreamy combo!), cut the butter in half and it made all the difference ( I did all the butter for a cake in August, here in the South that is not too smart, but the taste was great!).  I did put both cakes in the ‘fridge after crumb coating; it helps for the cake to be cold as well (~30 min).

Going to make a caramel cage for an apple spice cake this week, we’ll see how that does…