Bonnie Butter Cake With Italian Meringue Buttercream Frosting Recipes

Steps:

• Place the egg whites and sugar into a metal bowl and set over a pan filled with about 2 inches of simmering water. Heat, stirring frequently, until the temperature of the egg whites reaches 140 degrees. They will feel very hot to the touch.
• Transfer the heated egg whites and sugar to a large mixing bowl or stand mixer. Mix at high speed (or as high as you can go without egg flying out of the bowl) until they have reached their maximum volume, 5 to 10 minutes. Mix on medium or medium-high speed while pinching off small pieces of butter and throwing them in. Mix in vanilla if using. The buttercream may look like it is breaking down, but keep on mixing and it will come back together.

Steps:

• Place the egg whites and 1/3 cup of the sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on medium-high speed until the egg whites reach the soft peak stage.
• Meanwhile, pour the remaining sugar and 1/3 cup water in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Attach a candy thermometer to the side of the pan and bring to the soft-ball stage, without stirring, 240 degrees F.
• The egg whites and syrup should be ready at about the same time. If one is ready before the other then you can remove the pan from the heat or stop whipping for a few minutes.
• Continue to whip the egg whites on medium-high speed and slowly drizzle in the hot syrup, aiming the syrup between the side of the bowl and the beaters. Continue to whip until both the bottom of the bowl and the mixture are cool, 10 to 15 minutes. The mixture should be thick and will form firm peaks at this point. Beat in the salt. At this point you have an Italian meringue.
• While still beating on medium-high, add the butter, a few pieces at a time. As the butter is added, the buttercream may appear to thin out some, but it will thicken into firm peaks once all of the butter is added. Beat in the vanilla extract. If the buttercream is still too loose, beat on high speed until thickened.
• Use right away or refrigerate in an airtight container overnight. The buttercream may need to be beaten slightly to smooth out before using.

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. While waiting, grease and flour a 13x9 inch pan. You can also use two 9 inch pans or three 8 inch pans if you prefer a layer cake.
• Start with the cake ingredients. In a large mixing bowl, mix the sugar, butter, eggs and vanilla on low speed until the mixture begins to get fluffy. This usually takes two or three minutes if your butter is nice and soft.
• Beat the mixture on high speed (the highest your mixer will go!) for five minutes, scraping the sides of the bowl to ensure complete mixing. This step is very important; do not skip it to save time! It will make all the difference in the fluffiness of the cake. The mixture should be pale and resemble cheesecake filling by the time you are finished mixing.
• Beat in the flour, baking powder, salt and milk alternately on low speed. The mixture will thicken considerably as more flour is added. This is great for giving those arm muscles a workout!
• Add the rum or rum flavoring and give the mixture a final mix on low speed. You can add a little more rum if you're so inclined, but too much will ruin the consistency of the cake. Save it for the glaze or get yourself a drink!
• Pour the mixture into your pan(s).
• Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. For 13x9 pans this is approximately 45-50 minutes; for layers this is approximately 30-35 minutes.
• Let the cake cool while you make the glaze.
• Heat the butter in a small saucepan over low heat until it is fully melted.
• Slowly add the rum or rum flavoring and the powdered sugar. Make sure you take the time to dissolve the sugar, it can take a few minutes to fully melt. The glaze should thicken considerably by the time the last of the sugar is added. You can add more rum than the amount listed if you're so inclined, but too much will cause consistency problems.
• If the glaze is too thick, add hot water one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. For this cake I prefer leaving it on the thicker side (1-2 tablespoons of water at the most) but it is a matter of personal taste.
• Add the nutmeg and cinnamon. These spices are optional, but they add a lot of character to the glaze and give it a flavor similar to a hot buttered rum - yum! Add more if you like this combination, the amounts listed are conservative for what my family in particular enjoys!
• Let the glaze cool for a minute or two and then pour it over the top of the cooled cake. Use a spatula or spoon to help make sure the cake gets fully covered if the glaze is on the thicker side. To really make sure the glaze gets into the cake, you can poke holes in the top of the cake with a fork before pouring - this will help the cake soak up the glaze.
• Let the cake sit for at least half an hour before serving. This will give the glaze time to harden up a little and become more like a smooth frosting than a wet glaze.
• Serve and enjoy! You can sprinkle a little extra nutmeg and cinnamon over the top for presentation, but I've found that the taste of the cake requires no bells and whistles to get attention! It may look and feel simple, but this is deceptive once you get a taste of what you've made.

Steps:

• Pour egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment; beat on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar, increase speed to medium-high, and beat until stiff peaks form.
• Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook until syrup reads 240 degrees F (115 degrees C) on a candy thermometer or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when placed on a flat surface.
• Increase mixer speed to high and pour syrup in a slow and steady stream down the side of the bowl, beating until meringue is no longer steaming, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in butter one cube at a time until buttercream reaches a soft and spreadable consistency, 3 to 5 minutes. Beat in vanilla extract.

Steps:

• 1. Set a timer for 7 minutes and pour the egg whites into the kitchen mixer with the whisk attachment. Do not start the timer yet.
• 2. Put the sugar and water into a pan. Bring it to a boil on medium-high and then start the timer.
• 3. When the sugar syrup has been boiling for 5 minutes, start the kitchen mixer on full speed and whisk the egg whites for the remaining 2 minutes. When the timer is up the sugar syrup is done about (240 degrees).
• 4. With the mixer still going on high speed slowly pour the hot sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl.
• 5. When all sugar syrup has been added it should look really set up, thick and full. Switch to paddle attachment to incorporate air. Set the timer for 10 minutes and beat on high speed. After 10 minutes you should have a lovely thick meringue.
• 6. Add the butter. Start the mixer on high speed and with a butter knife, cut pieces of the butter and add it to the meringue. When all the butter is added it won't take long for the mixture to turn into a nice smooth buttercream. This will take a few minutes. Be patient as it will turn into a smooth creamy finish.
• 7. After the butter is combined, slow down the mixer and add the vanilla extract. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula and start the mixer again to make sure it's well mixed.