Yeah! That too Swiss Meringue Buttercream!
OK, I'm sure I don't need to make it plainer that I got the coolest, lightest buttercream! It was fab :) When I saw this month's challenge by Morven, I thought "oh wow! the buttercream has come back to haunt me again," which was followed by a frantic mail to the very helpful Helen. Apart from other questions that I bugged her with, I wanted to know if you can make this particular buttercream with churned butter, because that's the only kind of unsalted butter I have access to. Helen had a simple answer, "you will have to try!" And try I did, once again. I have made this one twice earlier, but both the times I had been too nervous, too sure of failure, too sure that churned butter just wasn't the right kind of butter! The moment it started looking curdly or runny I would start trying all sorts of fixes to get it right. But this time I just kept a cool head, didn't even keep looking at the recipe, when I started adding the butter by spoonfuls to the super shiny white marshmallow cream, it did look slightly curdly and runny, but I just kept beating it with the paddle attachment, and suddenly it all came together in the lightest mass possible, I was on cloud nine!
No coconut. :( That's because I had been oh so sure that there was some desicated coconut in the fridge. As you can see, it just wasn't there.
OK, I'm sure I don't need to make it plainer that I got the coolest, lightest buttercream! It was fab :) When I saw this month's challenge by Morven, I thought "oh wow! the buttercream has come back to haunt me again," which was followed by a frantic mail to the very helpful Helen. Apart from other questions that I bugged her with, I wanted to know if you can make this particular buttercream with churned butter, because that's the only kind of unsalted butter I have access to. Helen had a simple answer, "you will have to try!" And try I did, once again. I have made this one twice earlier, but both the times I had been too nervous, too sure of failure, too sure that churned butter just wasn't the right kind of butter! The moment it started looking curdly or runny I would start trying all sorts of fixes to get it right. But this time I just kept a cool head, didn't even keep looking at the recipe, when I started adding the butter by spoonfuls to the super shiny white marshmallow cream, it did look slightly curdly and runny, but I just kept beating it with the paddle attachment, and suddenly it all came together in the lightest mass possible, I was on cloud nine!
This was followed by another quick mail to Helen! This time with the picture of the success, to which she said a very apt thing: 'Recipes are like animals, they know when you are nervous.'
I haven't even talked about the cake! What can I say... My mom said that we'd never need to buy a cake anymore, to which my Dad said, 'Even if we do, where will we get one as good as this!' That about sums it up! Though the cake was slightly on the sweeter side, I guess that was because I didn't have preserves and used some homemade guava jelly. Oh by the way, during the cooling I mishandled it and managed to break one of them, but you cant see it in the finished product!
I haven't even talked about the cake! What can I say... My mom said that we'd never need to buy a cake anymore, to which my Dad said, 'Even if we do, where will we get one as good as this!' That about sums it up! Though the cake was slightly on the sweeter side, I guess that was because I didn't have preserves and used some homemade guava jelly. Oh by the way, during the cooling I mishandled it and managed to break one of them, but you cant see it in the finished product!
The super shiny marshmallow cream.
The super fluffy buttercream! yeah!
The recipe and the yield.
That looks lopsided... (well it was actually) :)
No coconut. :( That's because I had been oh so sure that there was some desicated coconut in the fridge. As you can see, it just wasn't there.
Do check out the host Morven's blog for the recipe (it might not be up yet though) and the other Daring Bakers for more Perfect Party cakes!
Note: Since I didn't have cake flour, I used the microwave plus cornflour technique.
Note: Since I didn't have cake flour, I used the microwave plus cornflour technique.
