The Art Of Buttercream.


Have you Tried to make your own frosting yet? No???! What are you waiting for!? The difference between home made and storebought buttercream are like night and day. I can't make buttercream, you say in your head. I am no baker. HAH! I bet my right foot that YOU can make a killer buttercream, AND do it in less time than it takes to drag your lil' ones out of the house and to the grocer to but that sludge in a tub! Have faith. You will kick yourself once you realize how easy it is!

The first thing you need is a standard recipe. There are many variations out there. Some use milk, some heavy cream, heck, some even use liquer! It is all preference. Here is the recipe that I always use. I like it because it is stable, reliable and best of all, EASY!

Vanilla Buttercream:
2 sticks of butter (room temp)
4-5 cups of sifted powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1-2tbsp Light cream

Thats it. Thats all you need to make your cousin Tanya jealous that everyone likes YOUR cake better than hers. There are a few simple steps that you should follow to make the best ol' buttercream this side of the Connecticut river.

• Place your butter in the mixer (or bowl with a hand mixer!) and beat until smooth and light. Usually about 2-4 minutes.
• Add sifted (make sure you sift it or people will be laughing at your lovely frosting bumps!) powdered sugar. Start with four cups and turn your mixer on VERY slowly or you will look like you just powdered your nose.
• Add vanilla and light cream. Now you can slowly turn the speed up and beat until light and fluffy. This is the part where you decide what concistency you prefer. If you like a smooth, silky buttercream, this should do it for you. If you are like me and like a stiffer, more fluffy buttercream (good for icing cakes) you will want to add that other cup of powdered sugar and beat until incorporated.

Thats it. How easy is that? The best part is, there aren't those odd ingredients that you would never find at someones house. Now, lick the paddle and pat yourself on the back! (Not at the same time, that could be messy)

My mom had been asking me for about a month for some Eclairs. I finally got to making them for her and I though, what a great thing to show people how to make! A lot of people are intimidated by French pastry making. You shouldn't be! If you take your time, read through your directions first, and measure everything then you should do just fine! I have confidence in you! I didn't take many pictures because these are one of those recipes you need two hands for! Let's get into it, no?

The basic Eclair dough you will need is called pâte a choux ( paht-ah-shoo) (Bless you!) I will post the recipe I use, which is very simple to remember. It is a 1-1-1-1 ratio.

• 1 cup of water
• 1 stick of butter
• 1 cup of flour
• 1 cup of eggs (aprox. 4 large)

First things first. Get everything in place that you will need, because once you start cooking, you can't really stop to grab something. You will need:





• A pot with a 2-3 cup depth
• a wooden spoon (yes, it should be wooden!)
• a stand mixer or hand mixer (stand mixer is easier)
• sheet pans
• a pastry bag fitted with a #10 decorating tip ( a coupler will suffice)

Ok, now that we have all of our Mise en place ( French for "putting in place") let's get started! I like to cut my butter up before adding it to the water.

 Bring the water and butter to a simmer over high heat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the flour and stir rapidly. The flour will absorb the water quickly and a dough will form and pull away from the sides. Keep stirring to continue cooking the flour and cook off some of the water, another minute or two. Transfer the paste to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or to a bowl if you're using a hand mixer. Let it stand for a few minutes so you don't cook your eggs in the next step!

Add the eggs one at a time mixing rapidly until each is combined into the paste. The paste will go from shiny to furry, slippery to sticky as the egg is incorporated. The pâte a choux can be cooked immediately at this point or refrigerated for up to a day until ready to use.

Spoon or pipe it onto a baking sheet (see above, remember to press the peaks down with a moistened finger, they can burn) and bake in a hot oven (425 for 10 minutes, 350 for another half hour or so, is ideal) for cream puffs, profiteroles and gougeres.

After they are baked, I poke the ends to release the steam. I use a toothpick or a narrow cake tester. Don't worry, no one will notice! I do this so they do not become soggy or droopy due to excess steam being trapped inside the puff.

As they are cooling, I like to make the pastry cream. I would love to sit here and tell you that I make a luxurious french cream that takes forever to create on the stove, but I don't. I cheat. This is the one time where your mom was wrong when she told you that cheaters never prosper. I use a simple instant pudding mix, but instead of making the pudding variation make the pie variation ( instead of 2 cups of milk, use 1 3/4 c) There are so many flavors of puddings that your Eclair creations are endless! I typically just use a French Vanilla.

Now that they are cooled we can fill them! I stir my pudding mix before use to make it lump free and easier to pipe or spread. Sometimes i like to pipe the cream, other times I just cut my Eclairs and spread the cream. If you are going to pipe them, Wilton makes a great tip, it's called a Bismark #230. Here is the link

After the Eclairs have been filled, I let them rest while I make the Ganache. Ah, Ganache..... The word alone strikes fear in many. Be not afraid, I shall guide you! It's the easiest frosting you could ever make and I know you will giggle at yourself when you see how easy it is! Here is the recipe I use:

• 12 oz. Chocolate ( semi sweet or dark is best)  chopped
• 1 cup heavy cream

Place chocolate pieces in a large bowl. Heat heavy cream on medium high until it comes to a boil. Remove from heat and immediately pour cream over chocolate and stir until completely mixed and glossy. Allow ganache to cool slightly.

Now that was easy, wasn't it? Ok, I'll give you a minute to stop giggling.

Now that we have contained ourselves, let's dip these babies! I just grab the eclairs gently on the sides and dip until they are half submerged. I then gently and slowly start lifting at one end and give it a little wiggle to get the excess off. Then it goes back on the sheet pan to set, or in my mouth, because I am impatient and there is nothing quite like a freshly home made Eclair. Nothing.

You can make quite a variety of Eclair with the basic Choux recipe! Have fun with it, create and enjoy!



 



 

Hi everyone! My name is Jenny and I bake! I am starting this blog so that I can show other people how I make what I enjoy, right out of my own kitchen, with things you may have around your home this very minute! I hope that everyone enjoys this and takes some time to try out a few things!