Kaye's Buttercream

There is no escaping the fact that this is buttercream at its purest. If you are among the naysayers that claim they don't like buttercream, hold off on your judgment until you try my mom's delicious buttercream atop your next cake.

Although this buttercream can be tinted it is not ideal when you want to mix bright or rich colors, as the food coloring tends to bead up and does not combine fully with the buttercream. The high butter content also creates a subtle yellow tone to the buttercream which can mute some colors, making them less bright or pure.

Kaye's buttercream can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3days and in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. To use the chilled buttercream, bring it to room temperature and beat at medium speed in the bowl of an electric mixer until smooth and creamy. To speed up this process you can lightly reheat the buttercream, in its mixing bowl, over a hot water bath, before beating.

In a small saucepan, bring to a boil:

1/2 cup water
2 1/4 cups sugar

Use a clean pastry brush and cold water to wash down any sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan as the water heats. When the sugar comes to a boil set a timer for 7 minutes, and let boil.

After 5 minutes, in the bowl of an electric mixer, begin to whip at high speed:

1 cup egg whites (about 12 large egg whites)

Whip until stiff. They should be done when the timer goes off.

With the mixer on high speed, slowly beat the sugar syrup into the egg whites, pouring the syrup to the side of the bowl to avoid the whip.

Continue to beat until the bowl is cool to the touch, about 10 minutes. Slowly add:

1 1/2 pounds (6 sticks) unsalted butter at room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces

When the buttercream begins to jump out of the bowl reduce the speed low.

Mix in at low speed:

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Beat until light and fluffy. At some points the mixture might look curdled. Just keep beating; it will become smooth again.

Yield: 8 cups