Baking Project

Steam buttercream

November 28, 2008 By: Yasmin Category: Cake decorating techniques

I’m sure most of you have heard the term “steam buttercream”. Everyone seems to be talking about it, now. I’m not a fan of buttercream, obviously I’m more into fondant. But curiosity kills the cat, I attended a class to see what the hype was all about. Seriously, I think the word “steam” is quite misleading. More appropriate would be sort of, “melted or poured buttercream”. Here are some pictures using the “steam buttercream” technique.

First you have to make sure all the cake edges are not sharp. So, we need to trim and make it slightly curvy. This will allow the buttercream to flow down smoothly.

For the buttercream, you could use any recipe. But avoid any meringue or egg based recipe, and also whip cream. It is best to prepare more than needed, coz you need a lot to ensure it covers all sides of the cake. Boil some water in a huge wok. Put the buttercream in a plastic container (not steel as it would be too hot). I don’t like the idea of putting the very thin plastic into hot boiling water, any other altenative, anyone ? Anyway, hold the cointainer above the water, and dip the bottom a few times into the water. All the while, you need to stir the buttercream. Keep stirring until the buttercream is softened to a pouring consistency. It would take probably about 3 minutes. But to a person who doesn’t exercise like me, my hands started cramping after a few seconds of the constant stirring .. Never allow the buttercream to get too hot, if it starts getting oily, remove from heat and mix well again.

Place the cake on top of a wire in a big tray (see the picture above). Now you have to be quick. Start pouring on the edges. Then pour all the balance in the middle on top of the cake. Immediately after this, you have to shake, shake, shake the cake (kasi gegar same dia..). Then all the buttercream will flow down. Never tilt the cake. The pouring technique needs practice, as you can see below, not all of the cake surface is covered and the top is not so smooth.

Just leave the cake for a few minutes and the buttercream will hardened. You are left with a beautiful smooth finish. You could actually patch any uncovered area using a spatula, as usual. But try not to touch the top of the cake or you’ll ruined the smooth buttercream. The cake is ready to be decorated in any way you like.

The balance of the buttercream can be kept in the fridge and recycled. But make sure any cake crumbs are removed first. I like this technique, but first I have to ensure I have a maid, who will do the cleaning up ! Good luck to you.

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Salam, I am the author of the book Kraf Gula published by Utusan Publications. Teaching cake decorating classes during the weekend and also accepting fondant cake orders for all occasions. Email - minbakingproject@gmail.com. Hp 013-3399243.  Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

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31 Responses to “ Steam buttercream ”

1. # 1 Azizah Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 10:14 am

   Waaaa, so beautiful. Thank you so much for the well explained info. You’ve revealed the “mystery”….and for sure it’s something worth trying. Probably not as good as what you’ve done.

2. # 2 AQis@Taiping Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 10:32 am

   wahhhh…menarik tu k min….mmg dah lama nk blaja nih…but x kesempatan plakk..ni blaja kat pastry pro ke nih????

3. # 3 Anne Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 1:10 pm

   Hi Min!

   Thanks for uncovering this mystery. This is something I’ve been wanting to find out properly for a long time! It sounded like a shortcut to a smooth finish but you are right – it ain’t fun cleanin it up!

4. # 4 rani Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 8:21 pm

   wehoooooo…..tqvm k.min!!! info yang sangat bermakna!!! tqvm for sharing!!!

5. # 5 Kak Ida Says:
   November 28th, 2008 at 10:34 pm

   Hi Min..

   Thank you for sharing, cantek but I think susah juga ya.
   Anotherway can we use double boil I think the process is
   the same don’t you think so…agree with you fondant is
   better…thanks again Min.

6. # 6 inn Says:
   November 29th, 2008 at 9:17 am

   tq so much kak min, love u lahhh!!

7. # 7 wiz Says:
   November 29th, 2008 at 11:50 am

   I did try once but never could gegar the cake properly he he he. I am like you a fondant person. But thanks so much for sharing.

8. # 8 boxhousestudio Says:
   November 30th, 2008 at 8:25 pm

   Assalamualaikum min..

   thank you for the pictures above

   1. pasal plastik nipis tu kan..apa kata guna plastik brand tupperware, beli yang bentuk separuh bulat

   2. kalu ada pembantu memang best..kerja-kerja penyiapan dan pembersihan boleh depa selesaikan..memang my idaman juga ..he he

   3. steam buttercream memang misleading bahasanya….selalu baca dlm blog, fp dan dengar kawan-kawan cerita dan rajin juga tengok recipe steam buttercream wilton….padanle kek kawin dua tiga tingkat tu licin …tentu depa pakai method camgini

   4. thank you min…lagi bertambah faham akak bila min kata kita kena kemaskan tepi-tepi kek sebelum tuangkan buttercream tu…oh ya pour masa tengah panas-panas tu ke?…yg takut tu kacau-kacau kacau takut pecah minyak pula…..yg pasti tak cuba tak tau…nanti boxhousestudio call min kalu tak tahu k…mmm

   salam baking
   boxhousestudio

9. # 9 Min Says:
   November 30th, 2008 at 11:23 pm

   Salam Kak, kita kena pour masa tgh panas, masa buttercream tu lembut, kalau berminyak, alihkan dari air tu, kacau sampai hilang minyaknye. Tuang kat tepi semua bahagian kek dulu, pas tu tuang semua balance kat atas, tengah je. And then, gegar.. thanks Kak !

10. # 10 Linda Says:
    December 1st, 2008 at 10:19 am

    wow Kak Min… mmg teringin sgt nk belajar method yg ni… mcm tu rupenye… tp Linda sokong laaa part yg akak ckp kurang sesuai gna bekas plastik utk lembutkan buttercream tu… xde tindak balas ker antara bekas plastik tu dgn buttercream erkk… linda pn nk cuba lah blk nnti… nnti Linda bgtau akak feedback nye erkk… heheh

11. # 11 ida isk Says:
    December 1st, 2008 at 5:23 pm

    Salam min, kita bab nak mengemas tu yang angkat bendera tu..heheee

12. # 12 Daalia Says:
    December 3rd, 2008 at 7:11 am

    Salam Min … remember me .. ? Hey, tak di sangka I met Min the Baking project owner at the steam buttercream class….. realy nice to know you dear… I have been admiring your fondant and sugarpaste work all this while, cuma tak tinggal jejak jek….

    Yup.. gegar jangan tak gegar Min kek tu after tuang the steam buttercream… i tak sempat lagi nak post the steam buttercream class entry kat blog and my FP…. ( http://mazlia.fotopages.com )

    ok dear, hope our paths cross again … take care and all the best in your baking projects …

    Daaia
    USJ Subang Kaya

13. # 13 Min Says:
    December 3rd, 2008 at 11:39 am

    Hi Daalia (cun betul gambar kat bloglog tu !) Yes, nice to meet you too, nanti free I melawat your blog and fp ye. Ermm, bila ye nak jumpa lagi ? Jumpa di alam siber je la. Thanks very much.

14. # 14 Thilaga Says:
    December 3rd, 2008 at 2:20 pm

    hi yasmin…when i bake butter cake or any cake…the cake tak naiklah…if naik pun then penyek
    i seeyour cake so padat…the taste of my cakes has improved but the texture…burnt at the sides and bottom, tak naik and so on

15. # 15 anna Says:
    December 4th, 2008 at 9:56 pm

    kak min, me did try this method but i tend to use spatula to smooth the surface =P which is very very wrong. tp tu la…mmg this method senang cuma banyak kerja …

16. # 16 lynnhassan Says:
    December 5th, 2008 at 2:44 pm

    pernah cuba , but i don’t like this method, because after double boil, or bc jadi oily dan nak makan pun segan, fikirkan kolestrol…

17. # 17 aimi a.k.a kamalina Says:
    December 9th, 2008 at 11:01 pm

    salam kak min… selalu dtg sini tapi tak pernah tinggal jejak.. anyway, thanks so much for d info… saya mmg tak try sgt method ni tapi tak tau macamana… bila ada pics ni semua, baru blh bayangkan….

    ps: kak min takde plan nak buat kelas fodant kat pahang ke??

18. # 18 Min Says:
    December 11th, 2008 at 8:37 am

    Hi Thilaga, call me la 013-3399243.

    thanks Anna and Lynn. Lynn, projek tu amacam ?

    Aimi, tq. Kelas kat Pahang, nanti la, Aimi carikan student, kalau cukup org, boleh la ke sana.. anything email me ya.

19. # 19 diba Says:
    December 18th, 2008 at 11:07 am

    Salam Kak Min…

    I tried this method twice..

    *Yg 1st tu smooth, tapi gatai tangan melepa icing tu bila dia dah cantik tersebar.. Trus ada garisan2 bekas pisau…terus tukar ala2 ‘matte’ kalo tak cantik je dia shining..huhuhuu… Nak adjust dah tak boleh sbb cepat membeku icing tu..This one i used kak Misleha’s recipe.

    * 2nd lak, i used creamwell+ susu tin.. ( nak cepat la kunun)MINYAK sangat2.. Api jaga bebaik2 pun kuar minyak.. dah la buat banyak.. mmg buang terus.. hehe… Bukan boleh guna sebarang buttercream rupanya..

    Any tips mcmana nak remove the cake to cakeboard after tuang the buttercream ? Tak rosak ke? Yg saya try aritu tuang atas cake board. mmg sememeh abis.. hehehe

    And, leftover buttercream tu boleh recycle ke? sbb dia beku semacam. Boleh berapa kali panaskan the buttercream tu yer?

    thanks kak min..

20. # 20 Linda Says:
    December 20th, 2008 at 12:39 pm

    Salam Kak Min,

    Linda dh try your method ni.

    - But I didn’t use bekas plastik or besi. I use corningware. Agak ok jugak resultnye. It just corning ware tu agak berat… heheh… tp best jugak sbb corningware tu kan panasnye lama sket. So, Linda just double boil kejap and angkat. Then trus kacau jek.
    - Tp Linda tuang atas cake board. Tu yg jenuh tu. Sbb kna lap blk bhg tepinye…
    - Overall I like this method. Linda gna recipe Kak Anis yg gna liquid glucose.
    - Agak2 recipe yg akak bg kt class tu sesuai tak utk this method?
    - Ni result nye. Linda tuang atas cake. http://littlegemz.blogspot.com/2008/12/orders-by-wani.html

21. # 21 Min Says:
    December 21st, 2008 at 8:20 pm

    Diba, rasanye takde tip, just pakai spatula atau scrapper besar utk angkat kek tu dari bawah. Comot sikit takpe, sebab nanti kita akan pipe border bawah kek tu jugak. Leftover tu boleh recycle. Cuma pastikan takde byk crumbs / kek dlm tu. Berapa kali panaskan, tak sure pulak. Simpan dlm fridge the balance, janji sampai tak expire dah le.

    Linda, nampak cantik gak kek Linda tu, jadi la kan pakai teknik ni. Resepi yg akak ajar tu, akak tak pernah try lagi buat. So tak boleh nak komen lagi. Sebabnye akak tak selalu buat kek buttercream, more on fondant cakes. Thanks.

22. # 22 Mathi Says:
    January 23rd, 2009 at 5:34 pm

    A very nice cake. I love to work with buttercream and your info is very useful. Thanx for sharing.

23. # 23 fatimz Says:
    February 18th, 2009 at 11:47 am

    Salam KAk Min,

    now i know d rite method of making the melt buttercream, but just to save my time, take a short cut n put in the oven, for 1-2 mins, must keep an eye coz it gets melt very fast than double boiler. i like this method cos mostly my cust prefers buttercream. simple n fast. not to mention the cleaning part.. hehehhehe…

24. # 24 eda Says:
    March 19th, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    salam kak min…..lama tul eda tak tinggal jejak umah akak ni….asyik ngintai je….hehehheh….tq diatas info yg berguna…..barulah eda faham camner cara nak buat steam buttercream ni……sblm ni blurr habis…..

25. # 25 moon Says:
    March 20th, 2009 at 9:11 pm

    Salam… Kak min nak tanya skit…

    saya ada terima tempahan cupcakes coklat… and then ini first time saya buat yang terbanyak sebanyak 250 pcs… dan first time org jauh order kat saya… tak la jauh sangat, org seremban juga… tapi yang musykilnye… sampai di seremban, cupcakes berkulat… Boleh saya tahu apa puncanya???

26. # 26 Min Says:
    March 23rd, 2009 at 6:32 am

    Salam Eda, lamanye tak dgr cerita.. akak pun dah tak sempat nak menyinggah blog korang semua. Maklum lah, full time housewife ni. (takde bibik lagi). thanks melawat ye.

    Moon, salam dik, akak pun tak sure why berkulat. Mungkin boleh tanya kat Bakingproject group why. Mungkin berpeluh ke ? dgn cuaca lembab kita sekarng ni. Atau buat awal sgt ?

27. # 27 chef asma Says:
    March 23rd, 2009 at 2:47 pm

    As salam Min… salam perkenalan… ye… steamed butter cream tu senang jer…. saya pun ada masukkan gambar dalam http://chefasma.fotopages.com/ … guna jer resepi asal butter cream… yang nampak cantik dan berkilat tue .. disebabkan gula dan butter … apabila kita double boil .. guna wap… mmg nampak cantik…. ok… gud luck….

28. # 28 fizah Says:
    April 24th, 2009 at 10:38 am

    salam..hi min..steam buttercream ni boley apply to dummy cake x?cmne ek?n brape lame steam buttercream ni boley tahan?perlu letak dlm fridge x?sbb takot bile kuarkan dr fridge, cake akan jd melekit..need ur advice.thnx k!

29. # 29 Min Says:
    April 25th, 2009 at 9:42 am

    Salam Chef, nice blog, kirim salam kat Kak June ye.

    Fizah, tak pernah pulak akak try on dummy cake. Tak sure akan jadi ke tak. Sebab icing tu panas sikit, and permukaan cake dummy tak smooth. Mungkin kena buat tebal sikit. Tapi kalau buat byk layer pun tak jadi style ni. Tak yah letak dlm fridge, dia akan mengeras sendiri kat luar. Berapa lama tahan, mcm buttercream biasa. Tq.

30. # 30 rusita Says:
    May 19th, 2009 at 8:15 pm

    salam kak min,

    boleh ita dapatkan resepi steam buttercream?? terima kasih kerana membantu

31. # 31 Baking Project | Decorating a chocolate sponge cake Says:
    May 20th, 2009 at 9:41 am

    [...] the iced cake on top of a wire rack, with a pan beneath. Same method as Steam buttercream, remember [...]

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