In The Kitchen - French Buttercream

A few years ago (in 2008 to be exact) I found a recipe for French Buttercream icing. But until Christmas this year, I never had a reason to make it. Little man is on a "special diet," which we all try to follow; so I couldn't use just any old can of frosting for Jesus' Birthday Cake. So, out comes my recipe...

Hang on a second... 

Let me dust it off...

Awwww, here we go....

Ingredients:

10 egg whites

15 ounces sugar

2 1/2 lbs unsalted butter, at room temperature.

Whip egg whites slowly in mixer until foamy. Increase the mixer speed, and slowly begin adding the sugar, until it is completely incorporated. Increase the mixer speed even more, and whip until the mixture is shiny and stiff. 

Doesn't that look appetizing. 

Turn the mixer on medium, and begin adding the butter a little at a time. Once all the butter is in, turn the mixer on high and let it go. 

Almost done!

The buttercream will take about 10-15 minutes to form. You'll know it's done when you hear the motor of the mixer start to slow. 

Also, it will be smooth and consistent...not a lumpy mess like the above to pictures.

All done!

I know you are just dying to stick your finger in the bowl to taste it. 

It's yummy, but don't eat to much by itself; I definitely felt a little sick after licking the whip and spatula.

Let me warn you now....you will have A LOT of icing. I probably could have just halved the recipe, because I really didn't need that much; but you can store it in an air tight container for 1 to 2 weeks. 

Now, on to coloring. 

Place some of the icing in a separate bowl. I only used it for writing on the cake, so I didn't use that much. 

We don't use store food coloring here at Country Farm Place because Little Man is very sensitive to artificial coloring. So, I thawed 14 frozen organic raspberries in a small bowl, and used the juice to dye the icing. 

I was going for red, but it came out as a rosy pink, which is fine too. 

I stored the colored icing in a plastic bag so I could pipe it on the cake. I'm not all fancy over here with piping bags and what not. 

The bag in the back is colored with blueberries and blackberries. You can't really tell by the picture, but it is a light purple color. 

By the way, that container is all the icing I had left, after I frosted my cake; and it is still sitting in my refrigerator. I guess I'll be make a few more cakes in the next week...

Thought I'd throw in the cake all done.

Not all that amazing looking, it's not like I'm vying for a chance to be the next Top Chef. But it tasted good, and to me, that is all that matters. 

If you wanted to know, I cheated, and used a Cherrybrook Kitchen yellow cake mix. It as an all natural baking mix; and peanut, egg, dairy, and nut free. Great for people with allergies! 

This recipe is courtesy of Food Network and Duff Goldman.

Let me know if you make it and how it turns out. 

Happy Baking!