My buttercream split while frosting cupcakes at my sister's baby shower last Saturday

I was in her cramped kitchen in Phoenix trying to pipe rosettes on 48 cupcakes when my buttercream suddenly looked like scrambled eggs, probably because the butter was too cold from the fridge. I read online that microwaving 10 seconds and whipping on high could save it, so I tried that and it came back together after about 3 minutes of mixing. Has anyone else had their frosting go grainy and fixed it with just a heat gun or bowl of warm water?

2 comments

2 Comments

cooper.max14d ago

Yeah the "scrambled eggs" thing is exactly what I've seen too when the butter is straight from the fridge. I've had luck with that microwave trick but you gotta be careful not to overheat it or you'll end up with soup. Heating the bowl with a warm water bath works better for me honestly, just run hot water over your metal mixing bowl for like 10 seconds then dry it off and whip again. Also if you're in a hot place like Phoenix it might actually be from the butter getting too warm while you were piping, not too cold. I'd say next time let your butter sit out for a good hour before you start, and keep a damp paper towel under your piping bag to stop it from sweating.

seth_martinez2114d ago

Has anyone tried tossing their butter in the mixer on low for a sec before adding sugar? I do that sometimes when I'm impatient and it seems to help even it out without making it too soft for piping. Learned that trick after a batch of cookies turned into flat disks cause my butter was basically melted.