Salt in my Icing

[Tweety69bird]

Hi all,

I made RLB's Chocolate Buttercream recipe, and didn't notice that I used salted butter for it! So, now that the recipe has been iced onto the cake, I tasted it and the first taste is salt! What can I do to remedy this? Make another batch of buttercream and ice it again, hoping the flavours will meld and the salty taste will mellow? Oh, no pressure either, because the cake is for my stepmother's 50th and the party, with 80 invitees is TOMORROW! Any help will be most appreciated.

[prasantrin]

Hi all,

I made RLB's Chocolate Buttercream recipe, and didn't notice    that I used salted butter for it! So, now that the recipe has been iced onto the cake, I tasted it and the first taste is salt! What can I do to remedy this? Make another batch of buttercream and ice it again, hoping the flavours will meld and the salty taste will mellow? Oh, no pressure either, because the cake is for my stepmother's 50th and the party, with 80 invitees is TOMORROW!    Any help will be most appreciated.

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Other than the one you suggested, I can think of two other options. The first is to scrape the buttercream off the cake, and re-ice it with a new batch. The second is to have someone else taste the buttercream. It could be that because you're used to unsalted butter, you can really taste the salt. But for someone else who is used to using salted butter, s/he may not find it salty at all.

[Tweety69bird]

The second is to have someone else taste the buttercream.

Good idea, and I have a friend coming over tonight who will fit the bill. Thanks.

[Rachel Perlow]

I wouldn't wait until tonight. If it is necessary to scrape it off, it will be easier when it is freshly frosted, won't it firm up by tonight? Call a neighbor and see if they can come over right away. It will also give you more time to remake and refrost the cake, and you will do a better job because you will be less stressed for time.

I'm curious, did the recipe call for additional salt, and did you add that as well?

[Tweety69bird]

No, the recipe didn't call for salt. Unfortunately, I'm at work, so the cake will have to wait for me till I get outta here. The only ingredients in the recipe were chocolate, egg whites, butter and sugar. That's it.

[Sugarella]

For what it's worth, I use salted butter for my buttercreams because they're usually for wedding cakes or something else that requires them to be at room temp for long periods. But I don't add any additional salt, either.

Because you didn't add any extra it's not as salty as you think; you're just not used to it is all.

Edited February 10, 2006 by Sugarella (log)

[CanadianBakin']

I always use salted butter. I prefer it. I've never had someone say it's too salty.

[Tweety69bird]

I always use salted butter. I prefer it. I've never had someone say it's too salty.

Thank you for saying that! I was on the phone with my mom as I read that and she agrees also. It's probably just in my head. I feel much better now. Thanks to everyone!!

[chefette]

You should redo it

I have been teaching my cousin some pastry and she has done a really good job - very adept, last year she made a really nice ice cream cake for her son's birthday - made the ice cream herself, made the cake and filled it with a tunnel of the ice cream - very nice job, then frosted the whole thing with italian meringue buttercream that she made using salted butter - it was HORRIBLE, practically inedible.

People will smile and eat what they can manage - but trust your senses - and you say that it comes through as salt - so don't believe that it will be any different for your guests - and that is not the take away message you want them to have of your work. You want to pursue pastry more professionally - so take the professional approach here and fix it, do it right.

Edited February 10, 2006 by chefette (log)

[Sugarella]

..... using salted butter - it was HORRIBLE, practically inedible. People will smile and eat what they can manage..... 

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Just curious chefette.... do you really think a salted butter buttercream tastes that bad!! ? I know the standard for pastry is always using unsalted, and although I do prefer the taste of unsalted, my cakes are often very elaborately decorated and require many many hours out of the fridge for me to complete them. I've spent as much as 8 hours on a single tier, albeit a very large one, and they do sit out on display for hours at weddings, too.

Considering unsalted butter is only foodsafe at room temp for 4 hours or so, that time will elapse long before I'm finished working on them. What would you suggest I do to treat a buttercream to keep it foodsafe, if it is possible to use unsalted for these type of cakes?

Thanks if you can help.

[RuthWells]

Hi all,

I made RLB's Chocolate Buttercream recipe, and didn't notice    that I used salted butter for it! So, now that the recipe has been iced onto the cake, I tasted it and the first taste is salt! What can I do to remedy this? Make another batch of buttercream and ice it again, hoping the flavours will meld and the salty taste will mellow? Oh, no pressure either, because the cake is for my stepmother's 50th and the party, with 80 invitees is TOMORROW!    Any help will be most appreciated.

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I have, out of desperation, used salted butter for choc buttercreams in the past (I also use RLB). I don't mind the salt along with the chocolate, but I think it would be overwhelming in a less strongly-flavored buttercream. If you'd like to try to remedy the situation, making another batch and mixing the first batch with it would help alot. But if you're stressed or pressed for time, I wouldn't worry about it -- a little salt with chocolate isn't a bad combo!

[EllenC]

While I understand what chefette is saying, I think you need to also remember that the guests will not be tasting the buttercream alone. They will eat it with cake. That is going to alter the taste of the frosting.

I have used salted butter before in a situation where I could tell people up front that I had changed something and please tell me if you can detect what it is. 60% said they tasted no difference and 20% said they thought it was sweeter. 10% thought I added too much vanilla. Of the last 10% a few said it tasted different, but they weren't sure what it was and it tasted fine. Only a couple of people could tell there was more salt and they still said it was fine.

I think part of it also depends on what brand of butter you use. Some are more salty than others. Definitely have someone else taste it before you freak out. It may well be nothing to worry about.

[Tweety69bird]

I want to thank you all again for the great replies. It's so nice to get answers that are all across the board, and to know that I'm not alone. Stopped freaking out for now, and the plan is to see what my friend thinks and go from there. At least I'll be sure to have the ingredients on hand to make another batch of icing.

[Tracy K.]

Butter's taste can actually differ from manufacturer to manufacturer, the diet of the cows, the time of year the milk was produced, etc. etc. Even some butter labeled unsalted will have a slight amount of salt in it. Milk on it's own contains sodium naturally, most of it in the cream anyway.

I've made a lot of cakes for special occasions/weddings in a former life as a caterer. Please don't trash your cake...I think it would be very hard to get your frosting off to the point where you only leave a crumb coat, as the cake itself will have absorbed some of the moisture of the icing. For me, too much work and hassle. My favorite part of cake-craft/sugarcraft was when the cake was totally destroyed and eaten; so, "Let them eat cake."

[Tweety69bird]

Well, it seems that all is going to be all right with my cake. My friend tasted it and I asked her to be completely honest, without having told her what my concern was. The first word out of her mouth to describe the icing was SWEET!!!! So, after her review, I explained the issue and she tasted again, looking for salt this time, and still said it was great, so I left the cake as is.

There are going to be many more choices for dessert along with the cake, as my stepmother is a chocolaholic, and my gift to her is this chocolate dessert buffet, so if the guests do happen to find the icing salty, they can have something else.

Thank you to everyone again!!

[Rachel Perlow]

So, how did it go last night? Got any pictures of the cake and/or your chocolate dessert buffet?

[Tweety69bird]

It went really well! She was totally surprised!! I will be uploading pics later on today, and will post. Thanks for asking!!

[Tweety69bird]

OK, here is a picture of the cake:

It was 3 chocolate layers. For the filling, I made a mix of nutella, milk chocolate and pailette feulletine (you know what I mean...) and spread it on a cookie sheet to harden, and then whizzed it up in my food processor and mixed that into dark chocolate gananche. The icing on top that started this thread is RLB's Classic Egg White Chocolate Buttercream and then milk chocolate gananche to do trim. The flowers were done with Magyfleur, which are brass 'molds' that you freeze and then dip into chocolate. They make such a fantastic impression, I love using them. The 50 was done on a fondant base that I rolled and let harden and then a very helpful friend of mine coloured it in for me with edible and non-toxic markers.

And here is a picture of the buffet table with all the stuff I made... and all the fruit that my dad cut up.

The pictures are looking very small to me, but I won't be able to modify them for a while...