Oh man am I excited to share this recipe!!!
I think that candy corn is under used in fall treats so I set out to uncover a unique way to use it in my baking. I had the idea to create a candy corn buttercream but wasn’t exactly sure where to start. I’m a fan of American buttercream but I knew that the sweet flavor of candy corn wouldn’t shine in an American buttercream recipe.
Swiss meringue buttercream has alot going for it, including it’s ability to showcase flavors. You see, Swiss meringue buttercream usually contains less sugar than American buttercream and it is also heated during preparation. Because of this you don’t usually run into the problem of having a gritty or grainy icing (unless you rush the cooking process.)
At first thought I wanted to treat candy corn like a white chocolate chip, but I realized that candy corn contains no fat; it’s basically sugar! I wrote out my favorite recipe for swiss meringue buttercream (thats 1 part egg whites: two parts granulated sugar: two parts soft butter) and adjusted to include candy corn as 75% of the weight of the sugar.
The first batch was delicious, but I wanted even more flavor. I increased the amount of candy corn, which still allowed me to achieve a stable meringue and also added some honey, the traditional flavor in candy corn.
Some final touches included a splash of vanilla and a small amount of shortening for it’s emulsifiers. I feel that it made a smoother buttercream considering the addition of candy corn into the meringue, but feel free to add more butter in place of the shortening. Finally, a small amount of water added alongside the egg whites seemed to help all of the candy corn dissolve without overheating the mixture.
There you have it! My recipe for candy corn Swiss buttercream that yields a silky smooth and delicately flavored icing, perfect for frosting, filling or piping!
- 8 ounces egg whites, fresh or pasteurized
- 2 tablespoons water
- 4 ounces granulated sugar
- 18 ounces candy corn, roughly chopped (fresher is better!)
- 16 ounces unsalted butter, softened
- 1 ounce shortening
- pinch salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons honey
- Place a medium saucepan filled with an inch of water on the stove and bring to a slow boil
- In a clean mixing bowl combine the egg whites, sugar and candy corn. Place over the boiling water
- Whisk the egg white mixture frequently until the sugar and candy corn has dissolved completely
- The mixture should read 160* F on a thermometer. This could take about 10 minutes
- Pour the egg white mixture into a clean mixer bowl fitted with the whisk attachment
- Whip on high for about 5 minutes, then adjust to medium high speed and continue mixing until the meringue is light, glossy and holds medium peaks. The bowl should feel barley warm. This could take another 10 minutes
- At this point if your bowl still feels warm, place the bowl and the beater in the refrigerator and let it rest for 5-10 minutes until the bowl feels cool
- Place the meringue back on the mixer and add the butter, shortening and pinch of salt all at once
- Turn the mixer to medium speed and blend about 30 seconds then scrape the bowl
- Add the vanilla and honey and whip the mixture on medium high until combined and fluffy
- Enjoy!
Ok this might sound might sound like a dumb question. Though I need to know. 🙁 How many eggs do i use to get 8 OZ of egg whites?
Hey Laurel! Good question. An egg white from a large egg weighs about 1-1.2 oz. I would use 7 eggs whites from large eggs to get 8 oz of egg whites by weight. Enjoy the recipe! ~Dan
Hi Dan,
Does this really take a pound of butter? The video looks like a half a pound.
Hey Carl! In the video I did make half a recipe, it just depends how much buttercream you need.