French Buttercream Frosting

Total Time: 30 mins Preparation Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 8 ounces sugar
• 2 ounces water
• 3 ounces egg yolks
• 10 ounces butter, softened
• 3/4 teaspoon vanilla
• 3 ounces sweet chocolate or 1 1/2 ounces unsweetened chocolate (optional)

Recipe

• 1 combine the sugar and water in a saucepan.
• 2 bring to a boil while stirring to dissolve the sugar.
• 3 continue to boil until the syrup reaches a temperature of 240 degrees f (115 c) while the syrup is boiling, beat the yolks with a wire whip or the whip attachment of a mixer until they are thick and light in color.
• 4 as soon as the syrup reaches 240 f, pour it very slowly (in a thin stream) into the beaten yolks while whipping constantly.
• 5 continue to beat until the mixture is completely cool and the yolks are very thick and light.
• 6 whip in the butter a little at a time.
• 7 add it just as fast as it can be absorbed by the mixture.
• 8 beat in the vanilla.
• 9 if the icing is too soft, refrigerate it until it is firm enough to spread.
• 10 chocolate: melt 3 oz sweet chocolate and cool slightly (chocolate must not be too cool or it will solidify before completely blending with the buttercream).
• 11 blend with about one quarter of the buttercream, then blend this mixture into the rest.
• 12 for very sweet buttercreams, use 1 1/2 oz unsweetened chocolate instead of the sweet chocolate.