Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe (SMBC)

HOW TO MAKE SWISS MERINGUE BUTTER CREAM (SMBC)

A little while ago we went in search of a very light and extremely creamy butter cream recipe to develop a new Eton Mess cupcake flavour, requested by a customer as part of their wedding cupcake order.

Eton Mess is typically made with fresh cream, crushed meringue and strawberries but as the cupcakes would be kept out of refrigeration for over 2 hours, using a fresh dairy product was not an option.

With 150 wedding guests to cater for it was very important that the buttercream recipe was 100% food safe for all guests, including any vulnerable guests such as pregnant women, the elderly and the young that may be in attendance and that is when we came across the Swiss meringue buttercream recipe.

Made with sugar, butter and egg whites, SMBC was the very light, extremely creamy and most importantly safe butter cream recipe we were looking for.

SMBC is very similar to, but slightly denser than Italian Meringue Butter Cream (IMBC). The advantage of SMBC is it’s slightly easier to make and the egg whites are heated to 160.c during the process, which is the temperature that salmonella bacteria are killed at, making it 100% food safe and ideal for our purpose.

Here's some photos of the cupcakes set up at the wedding venue, followed by the recipe we used below.

SMBC Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 4 Egg Whites
• 225g Caster Sugar
• 1/4 tsp Cream of Tartar
• 450g Unsalted Butter (softened)

METHOD

Place the egg whites, sugar and cream of tartar in a bowl and place over a pan of simmering water. Bring the ingredients together, whisking intermittently whilst the mixture warms. 

After around 5 – 7 minutes your mixture should reach 160 degrees Fahrenheit. This is the all important temperature that Salmonella bacteria are killed.

Once the mixture has reached the desired temperature, carefully pour the syrup into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and place on a high setting. After a few minutes the mixture will begin to transform into a white foam consistency and after 6 – 8 minutes the meringue mixture will form stiff white peaks.

Turn the mixer down to a medium/high speed and add a small amount of the softened butter at a time until it is all fully combined. If your butter cream starts to look a little bit curdled, turn up the speed of the mixer to bring together.

You should now have a light and creamy, versatile butter cream perfect for mixing in your required flavour. For a vanilla butter cream I add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and for a light and creamy lemon butter cream I add 2 heaped tablespoons of luxurious lemon curd.

Bows, Rose and Pearls Cupcake Class

During this 4 hour class you will learn how to decorate 12 cupcakes in the stunning Bows, Rose and Pearls class design. Spend the afternoon creating gorgeous open roses, pretty bows and perfectly domed cupcake designs.

BOWS SWIRLS AND PEARLS

The Bows, Rose and Pearls cupcake decorating class is a fondant sugar paste based class. You will be taught how to use a variety of tools and cutters to make delicate decorations including the beautiful open rose, rolled roses, moulded cameos and the hand made gorgeous blousey bow.  You will learn how to emboss sugar paste and create perfectly smooth domed topped cupcakes.

Although the class concentrates on the cupcake decorating a short introductory talk is given at the start of the class on how to bake and prepare the perfect cupcake ready for decorating. This information, full of informative hints and tips and the recipes we have used for the class, is also provided on a fact sheet for you to take away at the end of the workshop.

All ingredients and equipment to create the class designs are supplied for use for the duration of the class, including an apron to protect your clothes. Once you have booked your class space, all you need to do is turn up!

Complimentary tea, coffee and biscuits will be served during the class.

Maximum class size: 12 students        

At the end of the class there will be a small shop with a selection of equipment for sale including recommended cutters, nozzles and tool sets, should you wish to recreate any of the class designs at home.

---

Oreo Chocolate Cake Recipe

CHOCOLATE OREO CAKE WITH CREAM CHEESE BUTTER CREAM FROSTING

For my sons birthday this year I made a Chocolate Oreo Cake based on his favourite biscuit.

I couldn’t find an existing Oreo cake recipe I was completely satisfied with, so I decided to adapt a Mary Berry chocolate fudge cake recipe to suit my needs and make up my own cream cheese buttercream biscuit filling.

There is always potential for disaster when adapting and experimenting with new recipes, but I am pleased to say that this cake was a huge success!

Now I’m not going to lie to you! This cake is naughty but as my son would say ‘OMG!!!’ It is incredibly nice!

Ingredients

FOR THE CAKE

• 50 g (2 oz) sifted cocoa powder
• 6 tablespoons boiling water
• 3 Large Eggs
• 50 ml (2 fl oz) milk
• 175 g (6 oz) self-raising flour
• 1 rounded teaspoon baking powder
• 100 g (4 oz) softened butter
• 275 g (10 oz) caster sugar
• 6 Oreo cookies

FOR THE FROSTING

• 200g Full Fat Cream Cheese
•  175g Butter
• 500g Icing Sugar
• 12 – 14 Oreo Cookies

FOR THE DECORATION

• Mini Oreo Cookies 

Method

1 Pre-heat the oven to 180°C/Fan 160°C/Gas 4. Line two 20 cm (8 in) sandwich tins with baking parchment.

2 Blend the cocoa and boiling water in a large bowl. Add the eggs, milk, softened butter and caster sugar and mix with an electric hand mixer. Fold in the sifted flour and baking powder and mix until the mixture has become a smooth batter. Divide the cake mix equally between the prepared tins and level the surface.

3 Roughly crush 6 Oreo biscuits in your hands one at a time and sprinkle onto the top of the cake mix sat in the tins. Push the pieces of biscuit down into the cake mix but do not submerge.

4 Bake in the pre-heated oven for about 30–35 minutes or until well risen and the tops of the cakes spring back when lightly pressed with a finger. Leave to cool in the tins for a few minutes then turn out on to a wire rack to cool. Handle carefully so as not to disturb the pieces of biscuit.

5 To make the frosting, using a hand mixer, beat together the cream cheese and softened butter until smooth. Sift the icing sugar into the mixture and whisk until combined. Mix on a high speed until light and fluffy with a white apperance.

6 Place 12 – 14 Oreos into a strong sandwich bag and secure the top of the bag. Crush the Oreos with a rolling pin or spoon until they form your required sized crumbs and pour into the bowl of frosting and mix.

7 Once your cakes have cooled, remove any remaining baking parchment and place one cake onto a cake plate, Oreo side up. Add a generous layer of cream cheese Oreo frosting to the bottom cake and sandwich the cakes together, again Oreo side up. Spread another generous layer of frosting over the top of the cake and decorate with mini Oreo biscuits.

Top Tips

Remember, when using a cream cheese frosting, this cake should either be kept in the fridge and consumed within 5 days or consumed within 2 days if kept out of the fridge.

If you do refrigerate the cake, it is best enjoyed once brought back to room temperature.

To save the Oreo biscuits going too soft, I prefer to make and add the frosting just before serving.

If you would prefer not to use cream cheese, you can replace this with an extra 75g of butter and 3 tbsp of milk, and 2 tsp of vanilla extract.