Welcome to the Cake Decorators Q&A
frosting in supermarket cakes
Hi everyone was just wondering how to make the frosting they use in supermarket cakes, i thought it was buttercream but was told its actually vanilla frosting which i thought where the same, but when i follow a recipe it never tastes like the cream in their cakes?? TIA xx
I’m not sure if it’s exactly the same but have come across a recipe in one of my cake magazines which does seem to resemble the supermarket buttercreams although maybe not exactly as it’s a long time since I bought one. It’s called Swiss Meringue Buttercream. You can always give it a try and see what you think! I do have various other frosting recipes but they are more for toppings as they harden so think they will not be the same. Hope this helps.
To make 1kg of butterceam you need:-
8 large egg whites
400g granulated sugar
550g unsalted butter
1 tbsp vanilla extract
- Make sure eggs and butter are left out prior to making so they are at room temp.
- Fill saucepan with water until it’s a few centimetres deep and bring it to a simmer.
- Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in a heatproof bowl and place over pan of simmering water, supported by the edges of the pan. Don’t let water get inside the bowl or let it boil.
- It says to attach a sugar thermometer but obviously if you don’t have one then you can’t. Keep whisking the egg whites and sugar (if using thermometer) till it reaches 140 f or 60 c or if not using thermometer till mixture feels completely smooth between your fingers.
- Transfer to an electric mixer and whisk it on a med-high setting until it’s a thick and glossy meringue. This should take 8 to 10 mins.
- When the bowl has cooled down, swap your whisk for a beater attachment and add one cube of butter at a time, beating each one on a medium-low speed until it’s mixed in well. Continue process until all butter is fully combined. A HOT BOWL WILL CAUSE BUTTER TO MELT AND THE MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM WON’T WORK.
- The mixture will deflate a little at first and may even start to look a bit curddled, but it isn’t – keep beating until the buttercream thickens up again.
- Add vanilla extract and beat the mixture well for another min or two until it looks glossy and thick again.
Commercially made butter creams are some what different to what we produce at home because they contain all sorts of preservatives and emulsifiers to extend their shelf life. Some contain flour and oil as in the Betty Crocker range. The recipe JulesBrin has posted is for French butter cream, it tastes and feels fabulous and worth the effort. It pipes really well too and doesn’t crust over like traditional butter cream and doesn’t collapse either. There are other variations, if you google Swiss butter cream, Italian butter cream and American frosting, which is usually used for covering the cake with. (Just thought I’d throw my two pennies worth in!).
