Chocolate Ermine “Pudding” Buttercream Recipe on Food52 (2024)

FAQs

Chocolate Ermine “Pudding” Buttercream Recipe on Food52? ›

If your buttercream ends up with a grainy texture, don't worry. There are simple steps you can take to fix it. Usually it is grainy from the sugar not dissolving into the butter properly. One easy fix is to re-whip the frosting, preferably with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until it becomes smoother.

If your buttercream ends up with a grainy texture, don't worry. There are simple steps you can take to fix it. Usually it is grainy from the sugar not dissolving into the butter properly. One easy fix is to re-whip the frosting, preferably with the paddle attachment, on medium speed until it becomes smoother.

If it's a warm day, the butter may have been too warm before mixing, causing the frosting to become less stable. Softened butter should land around 65 to 70°F for best results. Take care to cool your flour mixture completely before whipping into the butter to avoid warming the mixture as well.

This buttercream is stable enough to stack and cover cakes with but maybe avoid intricate piping with it – its fluffiness and softness doesn't lend well to extremely detailed piping tips but large round or star tips are fine. You can find our foolproof recipe for ermine frosting HERE.

Ermine Buttercream

The texture and flavor are light and fluffy, with a mild sweetness and buttery flavor. Interestingly, although it seems more lightweight, it is also one of the strongest in temperature and pressure stability out of all the buttercreams I tested in this article.

Ermine buttercream

Pros: Very smooth and simple to make. It's a great compromise if AMBC is too sweet and gritty for you, but meringue-based buttercream seems too difficult to make or you want to avoid eggs in your frosting. It holds up well in warm conditions, pipes easily and can be used under fondant.

If you've completed the recipe and your mix still looks a little lumpy or grainy, mix a bit more until it becomes smooth. You can over-whip it, though so watch for that. Overwhipping can cause the butter to soften too much; to avoid that chill it in the fridge.

Troubleshooting: If the frosting feels dense, stiff, greasy, or curdled, it is likely too cold; to warm, briefly set over a pan of steaming water, just until you see the edges melting slightly, then re-whip.

Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the most standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is incredibly smooth, making it an extremely popular choice for icing cakes.

Italian Meringue Buttercream is the most difficult buttercream to make. If you are familiar with Italian meringue, you'll understand that it involves boiling sugar and then whisking egg whites into this piping hot syrup. Because of the high temperatures involved, we only recommend it to the more advanced cake artists.

Is Ermine buttercream good for piping? ›

If you're used to other types of buttercream, you may notice that this frosting is looser. Don't let that deter you; it's normal and will still pipe and frost a cake just fine. Remember that it has a lower butter content than my other buttercreams, so it will feel less dense.

1. Swiss Meringue Buttercream. This is the Queen of Frosting. Imagine the melt-in-mouth texture of ice cream, just at room temperature.

Troubleshooting Ermine Frosting

When it's hotter than 70°F, the frosting softens and will appear greasy, you should refrigerate it if that is the case. Frosting curdles: There's too much moisture, causing the butter to “break.” Frosting is greasy: This frosting is sensitive to heat.

Ermine frosting is made from a cooked milk and flour paste. It's also known as milk frosting, flour frosting, flour buttercream, and American buttercream—though it's not to be confused with the sugary, egg-based frosting of the same name.

Take 1/4 of the buttercream out and microwave it until it melts into a liquid and is no longer gritty (or heat it in a Bain Marie aka double boiler). Pour the liquid buttercream back into the rest and whip it up. The heat should melt those residual sugar crystals.

A bit more time than American Buttercream, but still fairly easy to make. Pros: Doesn't involve the use of a candy thermometer or eggs. Cons: Uses flour, so not gluten free. Can be very soft, and doesn't hold up well to piping decorations, and heat.

Too thick: If you over-whip the frosting, it will appear chunky and curdled. While my fix isn't perfect, it will certainly help—by hand, stir in more liquid heavy cream 1 Tablespoon at a time until the frosting smooths out again.