Lemon Drop Buttercream

I’ve formulated a Swiss meringue recipe that uses crushed lemon drop candies to add flavor and body to the buttercream. I added my butter and whipped the meringue buttercream to a fluffy goodness, but felt that it needed a bit more depth of flavor. A touch of pure vanilla extract gave the buttercream a more developed favor that lingered just a second longer. The flavor of the lemon drop buttercream is noticeably different than Swiss buttercream flavored with lemon zest or extract. It is vibrant, with a pleasant sour note and a creamy candy hint from the candies. It’s important to note that you should shop around for a high quality lemon candy that is delicious all on its on. Before I found name brand sour lemon candies, I sampled some generic brands which were less then stellar. If you are inspired to use this method to create a variety of candy flavored buttercreams, simply look for hard candies without gelatin and stabilizers. You’ll want a candy that provides a pleasant flavor and color, that crushes and dissolves easily into the egg whites. Most naturally flavored hard fruit candies would work well; a gummy fruit candy would not.

5 from 1 reviews

Lemon Drop Swiss Buttercream

 

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Dan: Dan

Ingredients

• 12 ounces finely crushed sour lemon hard candies
• 4 ounces granulated white sugar
• 8 ounces egg whites
• 2 tablespoons water
• 16 ounces unsalted butter, softened
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Method
2. Combine the crushed candies, granulated sugar, egg whites and water in a metal bowl
3. Heat the mixture over a pan of simmering water, whisking frequently to dissolve the sugar and
4. candy
5. The egg white mixture should register around 160*F when measured on a candy thermometer
6. Pour the egg white mixture into the bowl of your stand mixer, fitted with the whip attachment
7. Whip the meringue on medium high speed until it forms medium/stiff peaks and is cool to the
8. touch, 15-20 minutes
9. Add half of the softened butter and whip to combine
10. Add the remaining butter, lemon juice and vanilla and whip until smooth and fluffy
11. Scrape the bowl and whip and give the buttercream one final mix
12. Yields 2.5 pounds of buttercream

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