Classic Chocolate Buttercream

When I try to think of my “signature dish” the first thing that always comes to mind is my chocolate cake with chocolate buttercream.  I absolutely love chocolate cake and I have developed what I think is the most perfect chocolate cake imaginable.  It’s light, fluffy, and moist with a really good flavor.   The “crack cake” is what one of my girlfriends calls it because it’s so addictive.  A coworker asked me for the cake and buttercream recipe so I thought I would make it.  Now I am sorry I am not going to divulge my secrets to the interwebs for the cake but I will tell you how to make the buttercream.

I use Rose Levy Beranbaum’s Classic buttercream recipe from the Cake Bible.  This buttercream does take some work, and would be a pain without a stand mixer, but it is totally worth it.  It is very light and fluffy and not overly sweet.  A lot of people have the idea that the so sweet your teeth hurt icing on a grocery store cake is buttercream, but they are oh so wrong, and as soon as they have this they realize what they’ve been missing.  This is uber fattening, because well it’s basically just butter and sugar, but just ignore that for a minute.  Go ahead and add an extra mile to your run tomorrow just from reading this recipe.

6 large egg yolks

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup water

2 cups unsalted butter, must be softened

6 oz bittersweet chocolate, melted and cooled

Have ready a greased 1-cup heatproof glass measuring cup.

In a bowl beat the yolks with an electric mixer until light in color.  Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan (preferably nonstick) and heat, stirring constantly, until the sugar dissolves and the syrup is boiling.  Stop stirring and boil to the soft-ball stage (238 F).  Immediately transfer the syrup to the glass measuring cup to stop the cooking.

If using an electric hand-held mixer, beat the syrup into the yolks in a steady stream.  Don't allow the syrup to fall on the beaters or they will spin onto the sides of the bowl.  If using a stand mixer, pour a small amount of syrup over the yolks with the mixer turned off.  Immediately beat at high speed for 5 seconds.  Continue with the remaining syrup.  For the last addition, use a rubber scraper to remove the syrup clinging on the measuring cup.  Continue beating until competely cool.

Gradually beat in the butter followed by the cooled melted chocolate.  

A few tips

• The butter must be softened so let it sit on the counter for about an hour, do not put it in the microwave, melted butter and softened butter are not the same thing.  If the butter needs a little help softening and you are in a rush, hold it in your hands to soften it with your body heat. 
• Do not stir the sugar after the syrup comes to a boil or it will crystallize.
• This can be stored in an airtight container for 6 hours at room temperature, 1 week refrigerated, and 8 months frozen.
• If you store it let it come back to room temperature before using.  You can rebeat if necessary to restore the texture but do not rebeat chilled buttercream or it will curdle.
• When you separate the egg yolks and whites you can freeze the whites in a plastic bag for later.  Use in an omelet or in an egg white chocolate buttercream for a more airy and richer chocolate buttercream, I'll tell you how to make that another day.

You can use the basic recipe to make any flavored buttercream.  Instead of chocolate add 2-4 tbs vanilla extract for vanilla buttercream, 1/2 cup raspberry sauce for raspberry buttercream, or replace the water with freshly squeezed lemon juice and finish with 1/4 tsp lemon extract for a lemon buttercream.  Once you get the technique down you can do pretty much anything with this.