# Is Italian Meringue Buttercream supposed to taste like...butter?



## ichigo (Sep 3, 2011)

Haha, what a silly question, right? I mean it is buttercream after all.  It's got a pound of butter in there, what should I expect??

It's just that all of the reviews described the recipe as being mellow and heavenly, less rich than Swiss BC, and way more refined than then the typical sugar-laced Crisco topping American-Me might be used to. Some people say they could even eat bowls of the stuff sans cake.  So when I made my very first batch today and tasted it, I got quite a shock.  Did I do something wrong perhaps? 

If it's fair to ask a second question, can anyone recommend a recipe that would make a good cream filling for a chiffon cake roll? The IMBC recipe was just one step in my quest for the perfect filling for this cake.  My mother used to make it with fresh whipped cream but I need something self-stable or freeze-and-thawable, with the intention of shipping to relatives for the holidays. 

Thanks!


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

You don't say what disappointed you about it.  Did it not taste buttery? 

About the filling, i would use a meringue buttercream, a white chocolate cream cheese buttercream or a ganache (cream melted with chocolate and then cooled and whipped).  It can stay out of the fridge a couple of days because the sugar and all in the chocolate preserve it.


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## ichigo (Sep 3, 2011)

Hi, thanks for the reply!  Yep, it tasted buttery, too buttery for my tastebuds.  If I had to be specific, the taste and texture reminded me of eating butter-flavored silicone caulking...   I still think perhaps I did something wrong and it's not supposed to be like this.

Thanks for the alternate suggestions!  My chiffon is a really light melt-in-your-mouth sponge, contains no butter.  I feel like the buttercreams and possibly even the ganache would be too heavy and overpowering though.

Edit: It's a day later now and I've thawed a bit from the fridge and tasted again.  It's mellowed a lot since yesterday.  But one thing I can't seem to get past is the texture being incredibly greasy.  It felt so yesterday and still does today.  Is that normal for IMBC?


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

I don't kniow how much meringue you used, but  i think a pound of butter would be enough to fill five cakes!

Try it with MUCH less butter.  You can stop at any moment, keep adding the room temp butter to the meringue until it tastes how you like it.  It should not be so greasy.


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## ichigo (Sep 3, 2011)

I used this recipe here: 



 which uses 5 egg whites and a pound of butter.

Here is a pic of my results

:

The awful greenish-grey color is the result of my iPhone, but the super shiny/glossy thick result is definitely accurate. I'll take your advice and try it again, adding butter only until it tastes good TO ME. Thanks!


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## siduri (Aug 13, 2006)

yeah, it does look too yellow (where it's not green /img/vbsmilies/smilies/smile.gif) and probably some like it like that but i would find it too greasy. Since the meringue can stand on its own and not deflate, you can add as little butter as you like.


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## kathryn smith (Jun 19, 2012)

I know this is an old thread, but I've had this happen myself, and the problem was very simple:  I used salted butter instead of unsalted butter.  Using salted butter makes the frosting taste like the pound of butter you put in it to the exclusion of all else, while unsalted butter gives a buttery undertone but doesn't overwhelm.


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## nicco61 (Jul 28, 2012)

Italian buttercream should taste like whipped cream and just a bit heavier texture. Many people mistake Italian buttercream for whipped cream.


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