Caramel Buttercream

[chefette]

Caramel Buttercream

This is a french buttercream (using a pate a bombe - egg yolk - base). It involved making a caramel syrup. Difficult to execute without a stand mixer.

Caramel Syrup

450g sugar

100g water

120g water (to add to hot sugar)

Buttercream

400g sugar

80g water

5 large egg yolks (plus enough whites to weigh 120g)

1 large egg (50g)

1/4 tsp salt

750g cold butter (cubed)

30g Champagne Cognac

200-400g caramel syrup (to taste)

extra butter for emergency response

Make a caramel syrup

- Pour sugar in a small saucepan and add the water without stirring. This should be plenty of water to moisten all the sugar and create a ‘wet sand’

- Cover and cook over high heat until sugar is boiling

- Remove cover and cook to dark caramel (in my test it timed out to about 13 minutes on the stove)

- Turn off heat and add 120g water just a little at a time an wait for the volcano action to subside after each addition

- stir and let cool

Make the buttercream

- place egg yolks, and egg in a mixing bowl and whip with whisk attachment until light and frothy while you cook the sugar

- Place the 400g sugar in a small saucepan and add the 80 g water without stirring. This will moisten the sugar to 'wet sand'

- cover and cook until sugar comes to a boil.

- remove cover and cook to firm ball (120 degrees C)

- add the salt to the eggs

- while the eggs are whipping on high speed, add the sugar in a stream in the space between the bowl edge and the whisk - ensure you do not hit the whisk as that will throw the sugar to the sides of the bowl where it will form beads and will not be integrated to the eggs

- continue whipping until the base of the bowl is only slightly warm to the touch - (this is a matter of practice and season - it varies depending on the ambient temperature and the butter temperature. )

- start tossing in the butter cubes - starting with the coldest cubes. It may be necessary to soften some of the butter at the end so that it incorporates well

- continue whipping until you achieve a nice consistent fluffy mixture

- add caramel syrup and cognac to taste

- if the buttercream gets too soft - add standby emergency butter (start with 50g)

( RG1267 )