Hello all. My name is Barbara. I am an amateur baker who operates a bakery out of a renovated barn on my land in Texas.

Question:
This will come off silly but how *buttery* is this buttercream supposed to taste?
I think I have been conditioned so long w/the commercial shortening buttercream that I almost didn’t know what to do when I tasted this. It was so good but so very different.
It was silky, smooth but tasted more like butter than sugar. Should this be? Have I done it correctly.

I love how it refrigerates. You assume it’s so silky it couldn’t hold up and then it does! Anyhow, I appreciate you telling me if it’s truly supposed to be wicked buttery or if I added too much.

Thanks all.

Barbara

Welcome Barbara.  Did make your neoclassic buttercream with salted or unsalted butter?  I suspect you may have used salted butter, which would definitely result in a “wicked buttery” flavor.

You know what? I feel foolish…I used half salted because it was all I could get my hands on and I assumed it wouldn’t make *too* much a difference. Guess I was wrong. Well, it did taste decent with the chocolate cake so now I know, I just hope the customer is okay with it…

So, does the salt enhance the flavor or what?

Thanks a lot guys.

The problem with salted butter is there are no industry standards for the amount of salt used, so one brand can be drastically saltier than another.  Also, salt is added as a preservative, which means unsalted butter is generally fresher.

Patrincia, you are a genious detective.  UNSALTED please.

Barbara,

All of Rose’s recipes assume you are using unsalted butter (for the reasons Patrincia gives).  The correct flours are also extremely important, and by all means consider weighing your ingredients if you are not already doing so. 

Rose’s buttercreams are not meant to be overly sweet, they’re wonderful!  But don’t worry, even without the proper butter yours was probably still worlds better than the shortening/powdered sugar variety!

Best,
Julie

Hi Barbara, welcome! I have another idea or two to throw in the discussion. Sometimes when folks tell me that they find the classic, neoclassic or silk meringue bc awfully buttery, it turns out they are actually reacting to the “eggyness.” That is, the flavour and texture created by the egg yolks. They find an Italian meringue style bc like Rose’s mousseline more to their taste, often commenting on how light it is! Lots of butter in all of them, of course, but perception is everything when it comes to food.

Another factor is temperature. Room temp has a nice mouthfeel and good flavour release on the tastebuds, whereas chilled can sometimes get the reaction that the frosting is a little too buttery for a person’s liking.

I best your frosting was delicious. I’m a long-time unsalted butter user, but a friend served me a mocha roll she made with salted butter. The salty-sweet flavor was very appealing. I’ve been playing with adding an extra touch of salt to recipes that call for unsalted butter and have liked the results. Caramels and chocolates with a touch of salt are trendy, right?

Cathy

I too will add a pinch of salt to enhance the overall flavors.

I guess I’ll chime in, too

The buttercream I use most often is Mousseline buttercream (regular, not neoclassic).  I’ve gotten complaints about it being “too buttery” also.  I’ve adjusted the recipe to use either 25% or 33% more sugar syrup than the “standard” TCB formula.  Everyone I’ve had comments from seems to prefer the sweeter variety.

For 25% sweeter, I add 75g sugar to the egg whites and make the syrup with 70g water and 175g sugar.

For 33% sweeter, I add 85g sugar to the whites and use 85g water and 187g sugar for the syrup (this is the formula I use almost exclusively).

Follow the recipe as you would for making “regular sweet.”  I’ve made both and they handle just like the straight recipe for flavoring additions and piping.

I know a lot of recipes add a touch of salt to increase the sweetness of things, and it might be useful to add a pinch, but I’d still use unsalted butter and add salt on your own.

i add some extra vanilla and it comes out perfectly.

jen

Thanks a lot guys. All this advice will really help the next time. Btw, the people still LOVED it and I was only the one that knew it was a little *off*.

Also, I have been looking at your guys’ cakes & they are just superb! You guys are an inspiration for a major amateur country girl…