Also known as the boiled milk/flour buttercream, ermine buttercream is unique in that it consists of two additional ingredients-- yes, you've guessed it! Milk and flour. These are cooked together with sugar to form a thick gloopy porridge that is then cooled and added to creamed butter. Definitely not typical ingredients you find in buttercream, but after hearing fellow bakers rave about the buttercream's good stability and taste (especially in hot, humid Singapore), I decided to give it a try.
Overall, I must say I am super impressed! The buttercream whipped up nicely, forming a fluffy pale yellow buttercream with a unique matt finish (albeit slightly more bubbly than my regular go-to recipe, but that should be easily resolved using a stand mixer with a paddle attachment). Taste wise, ermine buttercream reminds me of a cross between whipped cream frosting and american buttercream, and rather similar to the buttercream used by neighbourhood HDB bakeries and the famous Polar swiss rolls-- not too sweet, and super nostalgic. It might just become my new favourite buttercream, but I'll wait to hear my sister's verdict first~
I used it for piping little rosettes as well as making a simple transfer painting, and it worked like a charm for both. And this is the finished product! Made in support of my talented friend who has just opened up her very own blog shop selling cute stickers here.
The following recipe has been adapted from here.
Ingredients: (sufficient to generously frost an 8 inch cake and an additional 8-10 cupcakes, so yes this recipe is rather large!)
350g granulated sugar
85g plain flour
450g milk
500g unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla
Method:
Toast flour on medium heat in a saucepan for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly to ensure that the flour does not burn.
Add sugar and milk and whisk to combine.
Cook until a thick gloopy porridge is formed, and the mixture starts simmering slightly.
Transfer mixture to a large dish to cool, and use a piece of cling wrap to touch the surface so it is not exposed to air.
Let it cool completely.
Using a mixer, whip the butter until light and creamy. The time it will take depends on the temperature of the butter but room temperature butter normally whips up a bit faster.
Add cooled cooked flour/milk mixture to the butter slowly (about two tablespoon at a time), mixing between additions. If you find that the cooked flour/milk mixture is a bit lumpy, you can pass it through a sieve directly into the whipped butter.
Add vanilla to taste and mix until the desired consistency is reached.
As always, enjoy and happy baking! Let me know what you think, I would love to hear from you (:
Carina
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