Rant: that time my buttercream split just as I was piping it for a birthday cake

I had spent 2 hours on a 3-tier birthday cake for my sister, and right when I started piping the final rosettes on top, the buttercream went grainy and separated - turns out my kitchen was too warm because the AC broke that morning, has anyone else had a whole bake go wrong because of a dumb temperature issue?

2 comments

2 Comments

emma_smith18d agoMost Upvoted

Room temperature is the one thing that'll wreck buttercream faster than anything else. Pop a bowl of cold water under your mixing bowl while you beat it to bring the temp down fast. Next time throw a bag of frozen peas under your stand mixer bowl when it's hot out. Also try swapping some of the butter for shortening, it's way more stable in warm kitchens and nobody can taste the difference once it's flavored.

pat_hart18d ago

Might have to try that frozen peas trick, though I can already see my wife asking why there's a bag of peas under the mixer. She gives me enough grief about my baking experiments as it is, @emma_smith. Actually did the cold water bowl trick last weekend and it saved a batch of swiss meringue that was about to turn into a soupy mess, so I owe you one for that tip.