Buttercream ( バタークリーム ) Recipe

Photo: Lara Missina

TRADITIONAL JAPANESE RECIPE: Japanese Buttercream is pretty much like European and American buttercream. Soft butter is mixed into a sweet meringue with flavoring such as vanilla or liqueur.

The best part? This recipe makes a great base for so many different flavor variations too! So, let’s get started.

Buttercream is not very popular in Japan but still used from time to time, that may be because Japanese people tend to like lighter and less sweet cakes, and they think buttercream cakes are overly sweet and heavy.

A lot of Japanese people keep a buttercream cake in the fridge and try to eat it as is. However, the cream is super hard when cold, and that can be less tasty. You should never keep the buttercream outside the fridge though, so the best option is to make it only when you need it.

One good thing about buttercream is it is easy to flavor. By adding chocolate, fruit jam, or simply liqueur, you can make a variety of flavored cream for your cakes. This is the basic buttercream, so play around, expreriment.

Skill Level:	Time: 30 Minutes
Price:	Makes: 1 Cup

Ingredients:

Directions:

01 - In a large bowl, whisk Egg Whites and Sugar.

02 - At this point place the bowl over a pot with water simmering over low heat. Whisk constantly until hot ( about 60C / 140F ).

03 - Set the mixture on a stand mixer and whip until hard peaks form. This should take about 10 minutes, or until you're sure the meringue has become shiny and cool.

04 - Change the attachment to a paddle, and start adding Butter a couple of tablespoons at a time.

05 - White the machine does its job, scrape the sides and bottom every so often and keep adding Butter until all is well incorporated.

06 - Finally, while the machine is still working, add Vanilla.