Brown Sugar Buttercream

Even if you don’t plan to eat this frosting, you absolutely must make it at least once—just so you can see and feel the amazingly smooth texture. There is nothing gritty about this frosting in the least--it's velvety texture is a joy to work with. I used it on an apple-cinnamon cake, and the flavors went together perfectly. I think this frosting would also be delicious piped in swirls on top of zucchini cupcakes. Here’s what the author of the book I found the recipe in had to say about it: “This addictive buttercream is sweetened with brown sugar instead of granulated sugar, and the result is a creamy caramel flavor. For even deeper flavor, replace the light brown sugar with dark brown sugar.”

3 cups plus 2 tablespoons (22 ounces) packed light (or dark) brown sugar
1 cup (8 ounces) egg whites
3 cups (24 ounces; 6 sticks) unsalted butter, cubed and softened
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

In the bowl of a standing mixer, thoroughly whisk together the brown sugar and egg whites.

Set the bowl over a pot of boiling water. Whisking constantly, heat the mixture until all the sugar crystals have dissolved and the mixture is hot. Get it as hot as you can but be careful not to cook the eggs.

Put the bowl back in the mixer fitted with a whip attachment. Beat on high speed until the mixture forms a stiff meringue and the bottom comes to room temperature, about 10 minutes. I nestled a few bags of frozen vegetables around the base of my mixing bowl to help bring the temperature down. It still took just over 10 minutes to get to room temperature, though.

Stop the mixer and replace the whip attachment with the paddle attachment.

Set the mixer to low speed and add the butter, a few cubes at a time. When all the butter is incorporated, turn the mixer to medium speed and mix until fluffy.

Se the mixer to low speed and add the vanilla. Once the vanilla is incorporated, scrape the bowl and continue to mix on medium speed until you have a smooth, creamy texture. If the buttercream is too liquid, refrigerate until completely cool and stiff, then rewhip.

You can use the buttercream immediately, store it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or refrigerate it an airtight container for up to 10 days.

Recipe Source: Confetti Cakes for Kids