Christmas Baking
Whole Egg Buttercream: Hot Egg Foam Meets Cold Butter for a Silky Filling With No Cooling Wait
A silky, stable whole-egg buttercream for Christmas cakes, roulades and cookies. Cold butter is beaten into hot egg foam, so there is no waiting for it to cool.
Instructions
Set up a water bath: bring a small amount of water to a simmer in a saucepan.
Crack 2 whole eggs into a stainless steel (or glass) heatproof bowl and add the sifted powdered sugar.
Set the bowl over the steam (the bottom must not touch the water). Immediately start whisking with a hand mixer on high speed.
Whisk nonstop for 5 to 10 minutes. The mixture should heat up and thicken into a very thick, pale foam that holds soft peaks. For food safety, it should reach 160°F (71°C) on an instant-read thermometer.
Take the bowl off the heat right away.
Key step: While the foam is still hot, start beating in the butter on medium speed. The butter must be completely cold, cut into small cubes or shavings.
Add it gradually. The cold butter quickly cools the hot foam, and the mixer brings the two together into a perfect emulsion.
Keep beating until the buttercream is smooth, fluffy and fully combined. It is ready to use right away.
- Cold butter trick: no need to wait for the foam to cool. Heat the egg mixture to 160°F (71°C) for food safety.
- Storage: up to 5–7 days in a sealed container in the fridge.
- Variations: add 2 tablespoons cocoa, or 1 teaspoon instant coffee dissolved in 1 teaspoon rum, or 1 cup (100 g) ground walnuts.