Having switched to Roses recipe for buttercream that does not use powdered sugar, I have been VERY pleased with the taste and texture (no more gritt!) but only have one real problem; the buttercream is not what I would call white.  More of a very off-white to full on butter color.  My question is if this is normal, and if so, how does it hold food coloring for decorating?  Is there a way to get it more white (like snow) or is that the price we pay for frosting that is actually good?

Hello fourarchangels,

  Welcome to the forum. I don’t know which one of Rose’s buttercream recipes you have been using, but I make her mousseline buttercream (pg 244 in TCB). I have made a few others, one of which was a chocolate version, so it wasn’t supposed to be white, but I’ve also made the classic buttercream and neoclassic buttercream and had the same issue with color. This is why I’ve made the mousseline as my “go to” buttercream now (plus it tastes absolutely wonderful!). I think the main reason is because the mousseline recipe uses egg whites, while the classic and neoclassic recipes use egg yolks (I could be wrong about this, though). Also, I use Darigold brand butter. There may be better brands available, but what I like about this brand is that it is a very pale yellow (compared to other brands available in my area), so it doesn’t provide a strong yellow color to the finished buttercream. I’ve found that when I make this buttercream it has a very, very pale ivory tint to it, but I have had no problems at all with coloring it with any type of dye/coloring agent. It’s also worth noting I omit the liqueur when I make this. Another nice thing about this particular buttercream it that it works great for piping. It’s soft, but yet still stiff enough for piping work if you plan on doing any. There are a few other buttercream recipes in TCB that use egg whites instead of egg yolks, but I haven’t made them, so I can’t comment on how white they turn out, how they taste, or how well they work for piping. There might be a recipe or two in RHC, but I still don’t have a copy of that yet, so maybe someone who does can recommend a recipe or two from that book for you to try. Good luck and I hope you find a buttercream you like.

MP

Thank you and that helps!  I have not yet tried the buttercream you mentioned but will make it next from your suggestion.  guess I have driven around it due to having never heard of it before but it sounds ideal from your description.

You’ll never have a frosting that includes butter be completely white.

CharlesT - 28 December 2012 12:53 PM

You’ll never have a frosting that includes butter be completely white.

That’s an excellent point. I should have mentioned this in my original post.

I’m glad this helped, fourarchangels. I don’t know what colors you plan on using, but I thought I would also mention that if you plan on using blue, then it may start out a very light green at first. That was my experience making one of my cakes with light blue mousseline bc. I was a little concerned when I saw it turn light green at first. However, if you add enough blue coloring to it, it will be blue. Even if you want a light blue, adding enough for the frosting to be blue instead of light green is possible. Just add a little at a time until you get the shade of blue you want. If you add too much blue coloring just add a little more of your uncolored frosting and that will help. I haven’t had any problems with coloring agents with any other colors. Good luck!

MP

I have added the Wilton White with very good success. Takes quite a bit, but add it at the end; doesn’t change the taste.