Chocolate French American Buttercream Food

CHOCOLATE AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Combine the butter and cocoa powder in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment (or in a large bowl if using a handheld electric mixer). Mix on low speed until combined. Add the vanilla and salt. Continue to mix on low speed, adding the sugar a cup at a time and alternating with additions of the milk. Increase the speed to medium-high and mix until smooth. Use immediately, or refrigerate in an airtight container up to 3 days. Allow to come to room temperature and mix on medium-high until smooth.

FRENCH BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Place the whole eggs and yolks in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the eggs are pale yellow and thick, about 5 minutes. (The eggs will hold an indent made with your finger for a few seconds.)
• Meanwhile, pour the sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and bring to the soft-ball stage, without stirring, 240 degrees F.
• Begin whipping the eggs again on medium-high speed and slowly drizzle in the hot syrup, aiming the syrup between the side of the bowl and the beaters. Continue to whip until both the bottom of the bowl and the mixture are cool, 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture should be thick, but will not form a peak at this point. Beat in the salt.
• While still beating on medium-high, add the butter, a few pieces at a time. As the butter is added, the buttercream may appear to thin out some, but it will thicken into firm peaks once all of the butter is added. Beat in the vanilla extract.
• Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight container overnight. The buttercream may need to be beaten again to smooth out before using.

CHOCOLATE FRENCH AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Add egg yokes to a mixing bowl with a whisk attachment.
• Heat sugar and water in a sauce pan with a candy thermometer attached to the side. Candy thermometers can be off so I always do the ice water test too, see instructions below.
• Don't stir the mixture but allow to the mixture to come to a boil then stir.
• Once mixture hits 238 F. or just below the soft ball stage remove from heat and turn on your mixer with a whisk attachment and pour the sugar into the side of the bowl with the egg yokes while it is mixing.
• Whisk until smooth and cooled down to room temperature.
• Add butter to mixture and blend until smooth.
• Add vanilla, salt, powdered sugar, cream, cocoa powder, and instant espresso powder or pero and blend until mixture is soft and fluffy.

FRENCH CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM CAKE

Steps:

• Place oven rack in centre of oven, heat to 350°F.
• Butter and flour bottoms of 2- 8 inch round cake pans, reserve.
• Beat eggs in large mixer bowl at high speed 1 minute.
• Continue beating, adding sugar very slowly, about 7 minutes.
• Melt chocolate with 3/4 cup butter.
• Drizzle warm chocolate mixture into egg mixture, beating at low speed until blended.
• Add sour cream and vanilla, beat at low speed until thoroughly blended.
• Sift together 1 1/2 cups flour, the cocoa and baking soda.
• While beating at low speed, add dry ingredients, about 1/2 cup at a time, to chocolate mixture alternating with milk, about 1/3 cup at a time.
• Stop mixer as necessary to clean sides of bowl with rubber spatula.
• Beat until well blended.
• Pour half of batter into each reserved pan, place pans in oven diagonally on same rack.
• Bake until cake tester or wooden pick inserted in centre of each cake comes out clean, 30 to 35 minutes.
• Cool cakes in pans on wire racks until just warm, remove from pans and cool completely on racks.
• Prepare Chocolate Buttercream.
• Reserve about 1/2 cup buttercream for decorative piping.
• To assemble cake, place 1 layer on serving plate, spread top evenly with 3/4 of the firm buttercream.
• Refrigerate 30 minutes.
• Place second cake layer on top of first layer.
• Frost sides, then top of cake completely with buttercream.
• Pipe reserved buttercream through pastry bag fitted with star tube in a decorative border around top of cake.
• Refrigerate cake until thoroughly chilled, serve cold.
• Cake must be stored in refrigerator.

AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Beat the butter and salt in a large bowl with a mixer on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
• Reduce the speed to low and beat in the confectioners' sugar 1 cup at a time, increasing the speed to medium high. Repeat with the remaining 4 cups. Beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in the milk and vanilla until smooth.

FRENCH MERINGUE BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Start whipping egg whites slowly in the mixer until foamy. Increase the speed of the mixer and slowly start adding the sugar until all the sugar is incorporated. Once all the sugar is in, increase the speed of the mixer even more and whip until the mixture is shiny and stiff. You now have a meringue. You know when your meringue is done when you pull out the whip, hold it horizontally, and if you have what looks a "sparrow's beak" on the end of the whip.
• Replace the whip, turn the mixer on medium and start adding the butter a bit at a time. Once all the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer on high and let mix; depending on the weather, the buttercream could take anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes to form. You will know when it has formed when you hear the motor of the mixer start to slow down and whine a little bit; also, when you first add the butter, your meringue will break down and look weird and this is what you want. When the buttercream is done, the mixture will be homogeneous, consistent, and tasty.
• Remove the buttercream from the bowl and transfer to an airtight container. Buttercream can be kept at room temperature for a few days or in the refrigerator for a 1 to 2 weeks, but always use warm buttercream when icing a cake. To warm up the buttercream, put it back in the mixer using the whip or the paddle, and apply direct heat with a propane torch you can find at any hardware store.

AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• Beat the butter in a stand mixer until it is creamy and slaps the sides of the bowl. Scrape your bowl. Mix the salt with the milk, and then add 3 tablespoons of the milk along with the vanilla extract and blend slowly until combined. Raise the speed to medium and beat to form a smooth butter mixture.
• Add half of the powdered sugar and blend on low until combined. Scrape the bowl, add the remaining sugar, set the mixer to low and blend for 2 to 3 minutes. Resist the urge to add more milk right away because the buttercream will thin out as it mixes. After mixing on low for 2 to 3 minutes you can choose to add more milk, 1 teaspoon at a time, to reach your desired consistency.
• Scrape your bowl, then set the mixture to medium-low and mix for 10 minutes. You may scrape the bowl halfway through. The frosting can be made softer with the addition of milk, 1/2 teaspoon at a time. The frosting will keep for 3 days at room temp, or 2 weeks refrigerated.
• Buttercream Variations:
• Add 1/2 cup marshmallow creme to the finished buttercream.
• Stir in a generous amount of chopped chocolate sandwich cookies for a delicious cookies-and-cream filling.
• Add up to 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter to the finished buttercream.
• Add 2 to 3 ounces of melted and cooled bittersweet baking chocolate to the finished buttercream.
• Dissolve 2 to 4 teaspoons of instant espresso powder into your vanilla extract for coffee buttercream. This also works with the melted chocolate for mocha buttercream.
• Eliminate the vanilla extract and add up to 2 teaspoons of peppermint, lemon, orange, coconut or almond extract. You may choose to add a few drops of vanilla just to round off the flavor.