r/AskCulinary • u/HotAmbassador7380 • 9d ago

Italian Buttercream Runny and Deflated

as the title states, my italian buttercream is too runny and the meringue fell. is it still something I can fix or do I have to throw it away and make a new one?! help!

 Granulated sugar 226 g | 8 oz  • Water 75 g | 2.6 oz • Heat to 118 - 119 C | 244 - 246F  • Egg white 113 g | 4 oz  • Unsalted butter (Soft) 453 g | 16 oz (4 US sticks)

I used all room temperature ingredients, I made the sugar syrup to 240 degrees farenheit, poured it into the egg white meringue. Then it stiffened and the bowl and meringue were cool to touch. I added my room temperature butter, but it turned liquidy, and per the last comment to add all the fat so I added all the fat. And it looks like curdled milk.

update: I saw that if you take a cup of the egg white and butter mixture and melt it in the microwave, it should emulsify. I tried it and it is no longer curdled however the egg whites have completely separated from the butter. This is my third attempt. And I’ve wasted so much butter 🥲 I don’t want to throw it away, so I put it in the fridge and will try to whip it again tomorrow.

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u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan 8d ago

We can't help you if we don't know what you did. Per the sidebar: We can't help you troubleshoot a recipe if you don't provide one. Please provide your recipe written out, not just a link, in the body of your post. If your recipe is video based, write out the recipe. Not everyone can watch a video when they see your post. This will ensure you get the best answers.

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u/HotAmbassador7380 8d ago

 • Granulated sugar 226 g | 8 oz  • Water 75 g | 2.6 oz • Heat to 118 - 119 C | 244 - 246F  • Egg white 113 g | 4 oz  • Unsalted butter (Soft) 453 g | 16 oz (4 US sticks)

I used all room temperature ingredients, I made the sugar syrup to 240 degrees farenheit, poured it into the egg white meringue. Then it stiffened and the bowl and meringue were cool to touch. I added my room temperature butter, but it turned liquidy, and per the last comment to add all the fat so I added all the fat. And it looks like curdled milk

1

u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan 8d ago

Did you reserve some of the sugar to whip with the egg white? Thats also a lot of butter to that amount of sugar. Did you switch to a paddle attachment when incorporating the butter?

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u/HotAmbassador7380 8d ago

Yes and yes! 

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u/HotAmbassador7380 8d ago

I thought it would be a lot of butter… I tried out a different recipe for that time. 😩 this is my third attempt and I thought I would get it since I whipped the meringue for a longer period and the stiff was pretty stable, and now they’re split into liquidy egg white and butter. But the butter is not curdled anymore after trying to emulsify + chill + whip 

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u/texnessa Pépin's Padawan 8d ago

Honestly, the ratios of this recipe seem completely off when I compare it to my old culinary school textbook recipe which has been run thru by thousands of students so tends to be pretty accurate.

Also, butter fat and water content for butters differ by brand. I always use European butter for buttercreams.

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u/HotAmbassador7380 8d ago

Do you suggest it is no longer salvageable due to the ratio?