How to store your buttercream
My mixture became chunky! Why did this happen? Is this right?
My mixture became soupy! Why did this happen? Is this right
]]>Once you have prepared your buttercream, you can store this in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months or the fridge for up to 2 weeks and at room temperature for a few days providing that you date and label it.
Avoid storing with strong scented or flavoured food items as the buttercream is likely to absorb any strong odours or flavours
This can happen for two reasons - the meringue mixture was too cold before you added your softened butter or your butter was too cold before you added it to your meringue mixture. It’s not right but the good news is it can be fixed!
A difference in temperature between these two things will make the combined mixture overall too cool and eventually lead to it solidifying more than it should. Don’t worry - this is not a complete disaster… just keep beating the mixture until it comes together.
If it doesn’t come together, warm up the side of the bowl, with a heat gun of a blow torch. If you don’t have either of these things, place small amount of the combined mixture into a microwaveable bowl and heat for 10 seconds/until a bit runny and then pour back into the mix to beat until the mixture becomes glossy and fluffy.
This has happened for the opposite reason of the above problem! Your mixture is soupy because either the meringue mixture was still warm before you added your softened butter.
A combination of the two things being warm will make the combined mixture overall too warm eventually leading to it liquefying more than it should. Don’t worry - this is not a complete disaster either. Just stop the mixer and cover the bowl before placing it into the fridge for half an hour to cool.
Once it's at a much cooler temperature, return to the mixer to mix on medium speed until the buttercream forms.
]]>I’m not usually fussed about domes developing on the top of my cakes as usually I just trim them off when I am torting (cutting the cake into layers).
But if you are concerned about this, I understand this happens to cakes for a few reasons:
Your oven is too hot - It’s for this reason you should have an oven thermometer to make sure you are using a tool that is independent from your oven to check the real temperature that your oven is giving off. You should adjust the oven temperature in tandem with your thermometer.
You have overmixed your batter - You should only mix your cake batter until you can see that the flour has been adequately combined with the rest of the mixture and stop mixing once this has happened.
Your cake needs some insulation - As cakes start the cooking process from the outside and bake inwards, the centre of the cake is the last part to cook. Baking strips can assist with even baking as they create a layer of insulation between the heat of the oven and the sides of the cakes. I suggest utilising Wilton Bake Even Strips and applying these to the outside of your cake tins before you place them in the oven. You can do this between steps 8 and 9 in the recipe above.
Let’s face it - nobody wants to eat charcoal. If your cake has genuinely turned black and stiff and your kitchen smells like a bonfire, your cake is probably beyond repair and should be thrown away. Trying to salvage it would be a waste of time and trying to decorate and disguise the burnt colour won’t fix the taste. (Anybody who might actually eat a burnt cake would also probably feel a bit sick afterwards)
Burning a cake is a common occurrence when you are just getting to know your oven or using a new one. All you can do from here is start again and pay close attention to the temperature you bake at and the temperature you set the oven to (and don’t skip measuring the temperature with an oven thermometer!)
If just a few areas have become a bit darker than you would like, it’s likely that the cake can be saved by just trimming the sides with a serrated knife (bread knife) and removing the burnt edges.
Cakes should be moist and fluffy to touch, so if you have a dry cake something has gone wrong.
Check your measurements of dry ingredients. Too much flour will overpower the wet ingredients and leave your cake dry. On the flipside, this can also happen if you didn’t add enough butter or eggs, so make sure you keep a close eye on the recipe and follow it precisely.
Always whip out your oven thermometer to use it to measure the temperature of your oven prior to placing your cake batter in.
Over-baking your cake (keeping it in the oven too long) will also result in a dry cake, so make sure you are testing the centre of the cake with a skewer at the suggested time and taking the cake out of the oven as soon as the skewer comes out clean.
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