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Original poster

American/expat mumsnetters - frosting query

20 replies

acnebride · 18/10/2004 15:47

Hi American-based mn'ers, thanks for looking at this.

My mother is doing a cake for her 75th birthday on Sunday (guilt, but honestly she prefers to do it herself). She wants to use what she would call American frosting, i.e. with cooked egg. Is it OK to make it tomorrow (Tuesday)? How long can it keep, basically?

OP posts:

KateandtheGirls · 18/10/2004 15:56

I have to say I have no idea, sorry. From my experience, Americans use ready made frosting.

Let me have a quick look and see if I can find any info and I'll be back.

colinsmommy · 18/10/2004 16:02

Never made frosting with eggs in it acnebride (doesn't sound good at all), but when I looked it up on baking911.com it said that cakes with frostings with eggs in them should be stored in the refrigerator for no more than 2-3 days.

KateandtheGirls · 18/10/2004 16:04

I couldn't really find anything on a quick look. Here's a site about frosting made with egg whites, but it doesn't say anything about how far in advance you can make it.

5 days seems like a bit of a long time to me. I'd be dubious about keeping it that long. Maybe she can freeze it?

Original poster

acnebride · 18/10/2004 16:12

Yeah, when I was typing out the post it seemed a bit of a long time. Anyone know if you can freeze frosting? It sounds feasible.

OP posts:

colinsmommy · 18/10/2004 16:17

scroll down to the cake section for freezing tips

expatkat · 19/10/2004 11:45

I'm with kateandthegirls, acnebride. Americans tend to use ready-made frosting. I only started making real frosting (aka icing?) here in the UK, out of necessity. My experience with home-made icing is that the egg white is optional (or so a chef told me) as the egg just makes it "nicer." But Americans are also pretty paranoid about using raw eggs (& we're horrified that eggs in supermarkets over here aren't refrigerated! ) so, while I'm sure the frosting you're talking about exists, it'd more likely be used by Martha Stewart domestic goddess types, not so much the hoi polloi like me. Sorry I'm not able to help, but hope you got what you needed from the other posts.

I hope it turns out fab & that your mum enjoys her party !

august24 · 19/10/2004 11:57

I guess I am one of those Martha Stewart types , I was born and breed in the USA and I never use the canned stuff and always make fresh frosting. I would strongly suggest you take a look on her website(marthastewart.com) The only recipe I can think that your mom is talking about is 7 minute frosting, one where you would use corn syrup and egg whites.

expatkat · 19/10/2004 12:30

do you use egg whites in yours, august? Do you find they are required in most recipes for frosting, or just in that one that you mentioned?

I've been reborn and now LOVE making my own frostings. . .but I usually omit the egg whites (having been told its OK to do so).

I should correct my post and say "a lot" of Americans use ready-made frosting; I don't know if it's "most."

Corbin · 23/10/2004 08:11

I too am american but never use ready-made I am however, shocked that eggs aren't refrigerated at the market!

Anyway, here are my favorite recipes. White mountain frosting is billowing, soft and bright white. The buttercream is silky and rich.

White Mountain:

3/4 cup sugar
1/2 tsp cream of tartar
pinch of salt
2 egg whites
1/4 cup cold water
2 tsp vanilla extract

mix sugar, cream of tartar, salt, egg whites and water in the top of a double-boiler over simmering water. Beat with a whisk (electric hand beater sprays it all over the walls) until frostng stands in peaks, from 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat and keep beating for a few minutes to stiffen it a little more. It should stand in a peak when it's done. Beat n vanilla. This makes about 4 cups frosting.

Butter cream:

2 egg yolks
3/4 cup confectioners sugar
2 tsp vanilla
8 tablespoons sweet butter
pinch of salt

Combine egg yolks, sugar and salt in a mixing bowl,and beat for several minutes until very pale and thick. Add four tablespoons butter and beat until smooth. Add vanilla, then add remaining butter one tablespoon at a time, beating after each addition.

It's very good if you beat in 2 tsp of grated lemon/orange zest, or 2 tsp instant coffee powder, or 1 square melted bittersweet chocolate, or best of all, 2 tablespoons grand marnier, Contreau or Amaretto.

YUM!

zebra · 23/10/2004 08:47

Americans refridgerate everything, I find. Fruit, drinks, butter, flour, chocolate, the lot. All in there. I take great delight in running our family of 5 on an under-counter fridge & no freezer, whilst my step-mum can't manage on anyting less than a huge upright & upright freezer.

My step-mum never cooks, btw!

august24 · 23/10/2004 08:49

expatkat, sometimes I use egg whites and sometimes I don't. At home I have a lot of diverse friends, many of whom are "foodies" so they don't mind. If it for a kids party, then I tend not to, but one recipe takes a hot sugar mixture that you mix in to the eggs, so I honestly feel that the eggs have to cook some what(iyswim)

bI feel defensive when "Americans" are talked about on mumsnet, there was one thread about texas maybe, and it talked about how people shot guns at their BBQs, and I know no one who owns a gun. I feel that if I came on here and talked about what I think of the "English" people who live in my neighborhood(like the ones who gate crash my daughter's school fair, smash windows, and we can't make a classs list because parent's don't want other parents turning up at their house to fight) people would of course tell me that those are a small section of people who live in London(which is the truth)The USA is such a big country it is hard to say what "most" Americans do.

Corbin · 25/10/2004 02:22

I'm not trying to be irritating, really. Doesn't your butter go rancid when it isn't kept chilled? Eggs spoil quickly? Do you refrigerate mayonnaise? I think it's the same thing as salad cream. What about things like cheese?

I'm just honestly curious

colinsmommy · 25/10/2004 02:38

Thanks for the frosting recipes. They look very yummy. Now maybe I'll see if I can "translate" a fairy-cake recipe, since I have the buttercream to go with it. Where are you located, Corbin?

Ameriscot2004 · 25/10/2004 07:21

"I'm not trying to be irritating, really. Doesn't your butter go rancid when it isn't kept chilled? Eggs spoil quickly? Do you refrigerate mayonnaise? I think it's the same thing as salad cream. What about things like cheese? "

Of that list, mayonnaise is the only thing that I would keep permanently in the fridge.

Eggs don't need to be refrigerated for many days after laying (which is why the supermarkets keep the out). They have a natural protective film on them that lasts for a while. It's spoiled once you chill the eggs, so once in the fridge, that's where you need to keep them.

I leave the butter that we have on the go out of the fridge. That way, I can spread it. It will not go rancid in a few days. Cheese tastes better when it is at room temperature, so although it is generally stored in the fridge, it is good to take it out a few hours before eating.

I never quite understood the American obsession with bulk buying food. When you do this, you really have to be careful with storage. It's much easier just to buy what you can eat in a reasonable length of time, otherwise you end up tossing more and there go the bulk savings.

Original poster

acnebride · 25/10/2004 09:16

Other things going on on this thread now, but just to say that I got advice from one of the threads saying that frosting using eggs should be made an absolute maximum of 5 days beforehand. She was originally thinking of doing it 6 days in advance, but as a result of the advice did it 2 days in advance instead. She was v grateful for the advice! Her recipe was originally from the Constance Spry cookery book.

The party was great but I asked her if she enjoyed it and she just said 'as much as I ever enjoy parties' she's just not that sociable a person. What a fabulous cook though. In fact, I'm going to start another thread...

OP posts:

Corbin · 25/10/2004 20:11

Interesting, I didn't know that about eggs! I suppose since they are in a cold case here there's not choice anymore

Hmm..I don't know why we buy so much in bulk, really. Somehow, I feel more secure that way. When dh was laid off last year, I didn't have to buy more than milk and fruit for almost 3 months, so it was nice since we didn't have much money. It must be really nice to have the extra space in the kitchen instead of a big old fridge!

Bride, I'm in USA, Seattle.

Corbin · 25/10/2004 20:12

Sorry Colin!

colinsmommy · 25/10/2004 20:13

Oh I'm so excited. Another American in America.

Original poster

acnebride · 25/10/2004 20:17

Ooh, Seattle! Sorry, excited because Betty Macdonald is one of my favourite authors and i never made it to Washington on my one and only trip to America.

OP posts:

californiagirl · 25/10/2004 21:27

It's worth remembering that England is cold compared to much of the US, and often less heated. Leaving the butter out so it's spreadable is one thing -- but where I grew up in the summer it would just turn into a puddle. Admittedly we put stuff into the refrigerator even in the winter when we did not heat the house enough to need to,but that was partly to keep the habit up as souring a whole thing of milk in one morning gets tiresome fast.

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