Meringue Buttercream Icing

Photo: flickr user Cake Girl by Hyeyoung Kim

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups Water

5 lrg Egg whites

1 pch Cream of tartar

1 pound Cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces

1 teaspoon Vanilla extract

Preparation

1. In sm. saucepan over med. heat, bring sugar and 1/3 C water to a boil.

Boil until syrup reaches soft-ball stage (238 deg. on a candy thermometer).

2. In the bowl of an electric mixer, use the whisk attachment to beat egg whites on low speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and beat on med. high speed until stiff but not dry.

3. With the mixer running, pour the sugar syrup into egg whites in a steady stream and beat on high speed until steam is no longer visible, about 3 minutes. Beat in butter, piece by piece. Add vanilla and beat for 3 to 5 minutes, until frosting is smooth and spreadable. If it looks curdled at any point during the beating process, keep beating to smooth it out. If it becomes too soft for piping, stir over ice water to stiffen. (This buttercream holds its shape particularly well, making it good for decorating.)

/CAKES