Adding Manjar/Dulce de Leche to Buttercream Icing

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Quick question, oh great and knowledgable bakers out there. I'd like to flavour an Italian Meringue Buttercream icing with Manjar / Dulce de Leche / Arequipe. I'm certain it's possible, but I'd like to know if anybody out there has done it, and at which point in the process you added the Manjar, and how much Manjar you think I can get away with (I'd like the flavour to be quite strong) without compromising the icing texture.

This is for three tiered christening cakes; the cake inside is apple spice with walnuts and raisins, and under normal circumstances I'd just cover them with Manjar and that would be it, but the customer has requested gum-paste decorations and I know from prior disasters that Manjar is too moist for that work. (And yes, I'll post pictures of the cakes when they're done and decorated.)

[JeanneCake]

I had a client many years ago who brought me canned dulce de leche from Argentina to use in their wedding cake; I warmed it slightly so it was a little more fluid and then added it to the finished buttercream. Because I was doing layered cakes, I could also spread the warm(er) dulce de leche on the cake layer before putting the layer of buttercream on (our cakes are three layers of cake and two layers of filling; they're about 4 inches tall). I don't remember the brand (and it might have been in a jar, it's been at least three or four years) but it worked fine. There is a point where you can add too much and the icing breaks but you have to go slowly. I remember she brought 3 or 4 jars or cans, and I used them all.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Faboo - that's exactly what I needed to know. Thanks, Jeanne! About how much warm DDL were you adding to the buttercream?

ETA - I should probably say that I make buttercream about 8 cups / 10 egg whites at a time....

Edited August 9, 2012 by Panaderia Canadiense (log)

[pastrygirl]

I make caramel italian meringue butter cream with a more liquid caramel (equal parts by weight sugar and cream), and I add a good amount. For 150 g whites, 200 g sugar, and 450 g butter, I add at least 300-400 g caramel sauce. The recipe says 300 g, but in reality I just stream it into the mixer after all of the butter has been incorporated and until it tastes good, usually 1-1/2 to 2 cups. It doesn't add that much liquid, it is mostly sugar and fat after all - dulce de leche even more so.

Does adding the DDL warm compromise the icing? You could probably thin it with a little rum or something and add it at room temp.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

I've added warm flavours before to IMBC with no ill effects - so long as they're between 20 and 30 C they don't seem to compromise the structure of the icing any. For flavours that must be added very hot, I generally incorporate them into the syrup. Hence my question about when to add DDL, because it works at a great range of temperatures.

[JeanneCake]

I remember zapping it in the microwave for a few seconds, just to loosen it; I was afraid it might not incorporate smoothly because it was pretty thick from the container, like peanut butter. Just like Pastrygirl, I don't have to do that to caramel when I make caramel buttercream (the caramel is more like sweetened condensed milk in terms of consistency). Add it until you get the taste you want

[jmacnaughtan]

It might be easier to make it like a crème anglaise buttercream, just get your dulce de leche to an anglaise consistency, whip it and add the butter gradually, then incorporate the meringue.

There should be enough natural emulsifiers in the ddl for it to work. I use this technique to make fruit buttercreams, and it works fine.

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Thanks to all of you!

I did this last night with about 4 oz of manjar heated to 25 C so I could get it out of the tub, added at the end of the process (when I'd normally be putting in vanilla or other essence-based flavours). It worked beautifully, has a strong manjar flavour (partially due to my using panela for the syrup base, which lends a nice note of burnt caramel), and has held its sculpted shape on the cakes very well. Plus I had to really restrain myself from eating it by the spoonful!

jmacnaughtan - I've always had a horrible time with crème anglaise; the eggs either scramble or fail to emulsify. However I'm a big fan of syrup meringues, and the yolks I leave behind never go to waste anyhow. (It would be impossible given the amount of bread I produce).

[SylviaLovegren]

You promised pictures!

[Panaderia Canadiense]

Cut me a little slack - I've just gotten up! I was at that event until about 5 pm, and then I had to make wedding cake samples (see the cake wreck thread for more on how that went....) This is the first moment I've had to show you what the cakes actually ended up as. The clients were more than impressed.

[stuartlikesstrudel]

Well, it looks fantastic and even just from pictures I think i can say I'd join you in eating it by the spoonful... looks like a perfect consistency!