We all scream for buttercream
September 25, 2017 8:22 PM Subscribe
Short version: I have a mountain of not-ready-for-prime-time buttercream that I need help repurposing.
This weekend I made a lemon-lavender pound cake with lemon buttercream for a friend's birthday. Actually, I made buttercream twice: the first go-round, I used some superfine baker's sugar, but it didn't fully dissolve, and the result had a gritty texture that I couldn't live with. So I whipped up another batch that turned out nice and fluffy and delicious, with icing sugar the way the good (recipe) book says. The result was a hit, everyone lived happily ever after.
Except that I now find myself with nearly a pound of slightly grainy lemon buttercream on hand, and no idea what to do with it.
I don't really want to bake another cake if I can avoid it, since most of my friends have various dietary restrictions and can't have dairy or flour or eggs or some combination thereof, and the ones who can, well, just had lemon-lavender pound cake with non-gritty buttercream. This really isn't fit for company; meanwhile, I'm trying to lose my stress-gained weight of the last year, and don't want to make something I have to consume quickly myself before it goes bad.
Are there any creative ideas for what to do with this mountain of lemony sand-cream? Can I turn it into something else? Freeze it? Or do I just have to dump it out and consider it a lesson learned on the importance of sticking to the right ingredients when baking? All reasonable(ish) suggestions welcome; also open to amusement from unreasonable ones.
This weekend I made a lemon-lavender pound cake with lemon buttercream for a friend's birthday. Actually, I made buttercream twice: the first go-round, I used some superfine baker's sugar, but it didn't fully dissolve, and the result had a gritty texture that I couldn't live with. So I whipped up another batch that turned out nice and fluffy and delicious, with icing sugar the way the good (recipe) book says. The result was a hit, everyone lived happily ever after.
Except that I now find myself with nearly a pound of slightly grainy lemon buttercream on hand, and no idea what to do with it.
I don't really want to bake another cake if I can avoid it, since most of my friends have various dietary restrictions and can't have dairy or flour or eggs or some combination thereof, and the ones who can, well, just had lemon-lavender pound cake with non-gritty buttercream. This really isn't fit for company; meanwhile, I'm trying to lose my stress-gained weight of the last year, and don't want to make something I have to consume quickly myself before it goes bad.
Are there any creative ideas for what to do with this mountain of lemony sand-cream? Can I turn it into something else? Freeze it? Or do I just have to dump it out and consider it a lesson learned on the importance of sticking to the right ingredients when baking? All reasonable(ish) suggestions welcome; also open to amusement from unreasonable ones.
Best answer: Freeze it, for up to three months. More ideas in the link's comments section.
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:55 PM on September 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by Iris Gambol at 8:55 PM on September 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Well, you could warm it up to room temperature, whip it up in a bowl, add a few eggs until the consistency is right, add some flour with baking powder and a touch of salt, and then you'll have cake batter. Bake it in shallow pans until it's done, then freeze or share it.
posted by amtho at 8:56 PM on September 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by amtho at 8:56 PM on September 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
Oh, and frozen buttercream transfer images are a thing, if you know you have a themed cake to be baked in the next few months. Tutorial (one of many online).
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:01 PM on September 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by Iris Gambol at 9:01 PM on September 25, 2017 [2 favorites]
2nding freezing for now and then turning it into cake mix the next time a cake is called for
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:38 PM on September 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by koahiatamadl at 11:38 PM on September 25, 2017 [1 favorite]
Ever been interested in improving your piping skills? Perfect opportunity to practice!
posted by kadia_a at 1:45 AM on September 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
posted by kadia_a at 1:45 AM on September 26, 2017 [1 favorite]
Slather it on Graham crackers and gorge yourself. That's what I do with leftover frosting.
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:25 AM on September 26, 2017
posted by Green Eyed Monster at 7:25 AM on September 26, 2017
Best answer: It has butter and sugar in it. Find a recipe for lemon cookies or lemon-poppyseed bread and use the frosting as the butter and sugar. Freeze most of them so you don't overindulge.
posted by theora55 at 7:27 AM on September 26, 2017
posted by theora55 at 7:27 AM on September 26, 2017
Sugar or ginger cookies. I had a high school teacher who made famously great ginger molasses cookies and her secret was exactly this: putting leftover buttercream in them.
posted by clavicle at 11:57 AM on September 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
posted by clavicle at 11:57 AM on September 26, 2017 [2 favorites]
This thread is closed to new comments.
Also, yes, I believe you can freeze buttercream, so it can live to be eaten another day.
posted by Miko at 8:51 PM on September 25, 2017 [4 favorites]