RuthWells

Just for clarity, I am referring to meringues on pies, not the slow baked meringues. I find that fresh whites whip up nicer, and on the occasions that I've used frozen whites, I've found that they leak. (Like on a lemon meringue pie). Plus, honestly, it's a mental thing also, the thought of eating meringue that was made from frozen whites just doesn't appeal to me very much. At least in a buttercream they're all mixed in, and the same goes for cakes or whatever other uses they will be used for. ← Ah, so we're really talking about whether frozen whites weep more than fresh when used as a meringue topping? I use a cooked-syrup meringue (using brown sugar - yum!) for lemon meringue pie, so I can't speak to the weeping issue. As for the mental part -- you're on your own!

Curiosity -- why the fresh for the meringue. I know there are advantages of using "old" whites for some things and "fresh" for others and not using frozen for some things. ← I use frozen whites for meringues all the time with no ill effect -- I'll be interested to hear feedback from everyone on this question.

Nertz! I'm sorry to hear your news. Hopefully as this window closes, another door is preparing to open for you.

Don't give up on Italian buttercream! I haven't tried the FC recipe yet, but the one from The Cake Bible is very reliable, pipeable, and much more delicious than butter and 10x sugar. I have a picture in the What's for Dessert thread of a cake covered in flowers piped from Italian buttercream, if you want to see it in action.

Hi Chris, I would hesitate to mix fondant with whipped cream for, and I have no idea what piped buttercream would look like on top of whipped cream. I'm guessing buttercream is going to be too heavy and do bad things to the whipped cream. However, you could stablize the whipped cream with some gelatin and achieve some simple piped decorations with the whipped cream itself -- certainly shell borders and the like, maybe even simple flowers. I always like the simplicity of fresh berries or nuts with whipped cream -- or chocolate curls, even.

Hi Wendy, You didn't mention it in this post, but I was wondering whether you'd had a chance to try the Whimsical Bakehouse recipes, and if so, what you thought of them?

Ling, your new project sounds amazing, and I'm BEYOND jealous!! Please keep us posted -- maybe this calls for a blog where you can record pix and results of your creations?!

Thanks, Abra. Your new avatar looks delicious!

Wow, Patrick -- that's a work of art. Bravo! (When are you serving? I'll be there.......)

Ditto that! Ruth, that's awesome, a true work of art. ← Thanks, Patrick!

Thanks, Ling!

Thanks! It was a labor of love.

I made a birthday cake for my grandmother, who just turned 88. Three layers of lemon ginger cream cheese pound cake, filled with lemon curd (top layer) and ginger bavarian (bottom layer). Icing and decorations are all mousseline buttercream from The Cake Bible.

I don't know whether it would need refrigeration, but I've been meaning to attempt a Dobos torte for a while......... lots of caramel there!

Brilliant. It's the simple little trivial things that really make a difference sometimes!

Gorgeous as always, Patrick. I'm intrigued by the rounded top edges of your pave -- did you bevel it before glazing, or use some other trick?

More ideas: traditional shortbread and non-traditional French macarons.

Only eight? Are you feeling okay? Edit -- I just saw your second post -- phew, you had me worried!

Oooooh, what fun! Are you opening a tea room? I think I would enjoy a mix of very traditional pastries with some way-out-there selections (if you think your market would tolerate them). For the traditional side, I would think cream puffs, eclairs, mini lemon meringue tarts, something gooey with pecans (maybe tassies?), a gorgeous mini fruit tart (either mixed fruits or all strawberry), perfect little chocolate truffles........ For the non-traditional side, I would think using exotic fruits like kumkwats, persimmons, and star fruit would be fun and visually exciting. And certainly something like an Earl Grey madeleine (I think there's a recipe in Paris Sweets) would be appropriate! I'll post more as I think of them.

Yup, definitely sounds like too much liquid was added. I usually stick to maybe 1TBS max of liqueur or vanilla and never have a problem. I also find that her guidelines with regard to curds and added chocolate are reliable. If you're adding a liqueur AND a curd or puree, I would start with the puree and watch the emulsification carefully while gradually adding additional liquids. I'm afraid I won't be much help re: your 12" tiers, as I don't bake on that scale very often! But I would think that it would still be somewhat chilled when you arrive (4 hours, right?) and you could either stack your tiers that night (nothing will spoil) or refrige everything until the next morning. What time of day will the cake be served? You may prefer to assemble everything the night before to reduce hassle on the day of the wedding...... Sounds like a fun project!

Hi Lauren, I love the Mousseline buttercream and use it often, to cover entire cakes as well as for piped decorations. I never have a problem with it seeming unstable, which makes me think you may have had a problem with the recipe. Did you add the full amount of optional flavoring that she suggests -- I think she says up to 2 fluid ounces? I have never been able to add that much liquid without the emulsification starting to get funky, so that's one possibility. As for transporting a cake iced with this buttercream, I agree with Sarensho. Chilling the cake down hard is the key. In fact, if you're driving 4 hours, I'd freeze the iced, decorated cake overnight and let it slowly thaw during the drive. Just be sure to have it well boxed so that any condensation will form on the box rather than on the cake itself.

Congrats, Marmish! Once you have experienced true buttercream, there is no turning back. The glob in the bottom of the bowl suggests that the sugar syrup was a bit overcooked -- either it came off the heat too late, or it got added to the meringue so slowly that the carryover cooking went too far. The pyrex measuring cup (sprayed with a bit of Pam) is a good tool to prevent the carryover cooking. As for adding the syrup, I have never cared for RLB's stop-n-start method. I simply leave the beater running and carefully pour from the pyrex in a thin stream between the beater and the side of the bowl. It takes a somewhat steady hand and a wee bit of practice, but results are great.

Right -- I knew that PVC is not food-safe when heated, but good idea to note that again. Acetate strips are another great idea. Thanks!

D'oh! Why didn't it occur to me to grease the molds?! Thanks so much!

I want to play with my new plated dessert cookbook, but don't want to spend a small fortune on ring molds in all sizes. Can I use clean food cans, tops and bottoms cut off, as a sub? My main concern is with unmolded mousses and the like, as most cans have ridges on the sides. Does anyone have any experience with this? Would PVC pipe lengths be a better choice? Or would it be harder to unmold from PVC as it is less heat-conductive than metal? Thanks in advance.