S
21

I finally figured out why my buttercream kept breaking and it's a simple temperature thing

I see so many posts here about grainy, curdled buttercream, and in my experience, nine times out of ten it's because the butter was too cold or the room was too warm. I used to just keep adding powdered sugar to try and fix it, which made a super sweet mess. Has anyone else had luck with the 'cool the bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes' trick to save a batch?
3 comments

Log in to join the discussion

Log In
3 Comments
seth683
seth68322d ago
Yeah, that part about adding more powdered sugar making a sweet mess is so true. I read a blog once that said the butter's temperature is the most important thing, more than the brand or anything. They said if it's too cold, you get lumps, and if it's too warm, it turns to soup. Cooling the bowl has saved me a few times, but sometimes I just have to start over.
8
masonm70
masonm7022d ago
Actually, the butter temp thing is a bit overblown. The real trick is the mixing time. If you cream the butter and sugar long enough, it sort of fixes a lot of temperature sins. I've made decent frosting with butter straight from the fridge, I just had to beat it for a solid ten minutes until it was pale and fluffy. The soup problem is usually from not letting the butter soften on its own, people try to microwave it and that's a death sentence.
4
blake691
blake69111d ago
I always thought the mixing time was the big thing like masonm70 said, but my last batch proved me wrong. I had to do the fridge trick seth683 mentioned and it worked perfectly. Does warming the butter back up after it seizes ever work for you?
6