We want to thank everyone for the continuous support all these years. We’ve enjoyed sharing what we know in baking to help you in your kitchen and to present to your family and friends, as well as your clients, good tasting goodies. Enjoy the holiday season! Merry Christmas!

Q: Why is it that when I make a certain icing, it comes out curdled or looking separated? The icing that I use is buttercream. What goes wrong during the process? (Natalia of Quezon City)

Jun Jun: When making buttercream, there are different temperatures involved, especially when your butter is cold coming straight from the chiller. The ingredients have to temper first and then be combined in the same temperature to bind them. This will make your icing smooth, silky, and glossy. Just continue the mixing process, and it will result in a better-looking icing. Make sure though that you are using a flat or a paddle attachment when adding the butter or any fat required in the recipe.  

Adoree: When making buttercream, softened butter should always be used. If you use chilled butter, you will surely end up with a mixture that separates. This is due to the extreme difference in the temperatures of your butter and the buttercream base. The next time this happens, leave the mixture out for a while to give the mixture time to warm up a little. Then put it back in the mixer and continue to beat until smooth.

Q: Merry Christmas, Jun Jun and Adoree. I hope you can answer this soon. My carrot cake frosting made with cream cheese looks a bit yellow in color. Where did I make a mistake? (Ashley of San Juan)

Jun Jun: Did you put butter in your icing? This is the culprit that gives the yellow tinge to most carrot cakes. Lessen the amount of butter you use, and use more cream cheese. However, this will make your cake a bit more expensive. You can also use shortening so you get a whiter look for your cake. When it comes to taste and texture though, it’s a bit different due to shortening not melting at body temperature. I suggest a pure cream cheese icing if you are making it for your family.

Adoree: Ashley, what brand of cream cheese did you use? Let me just remind you that local brands have a more yellowish tinge. The amount of butter added may also be the culprit.

Q: Merry Christmas, Jun Jun and Adoree. Going back to your carrot cake, why is my icing texture a bit grainy? (Josie of Makati)

Jun Jun: Carrot cakes usually have a cream cheese frosting made of confectioner’s sugar. This type of sugar has some cornstarch in it, which gives a grainy texture since cornstarch doesn’t readily melt at body temperature.  

Adoree: For cream cheese frosting that uses confectioner’s sugar, be sure to sift the confectioner’s sugar first to remove lumps that may give the frosting a grainy consistency. Also, be sure to beat the frosting well to let the sugar to dissolve into the cream cheese.

Q: Why do I get some spotting and mapping in my white frosting – boiled icing and water is dripping where this happens? Please explain and give suggestions on how I can remedy this. Thank you for all your help, love you both! (Maricel of Quezon City)

Jun Jun: Your boiled icing recipe is not that stable since the sugar present in it will slowly absorb the water present in its surroundings. This is a common problem in our country since there is a lot of moisture present in our air. Add a little invert sugar like corn syrup or glucose in your recipe; this will prolong the stability of your icing, but sooner or later it will still start ‘weeping’.

Adoree: Boiled icing or meringue usually ‘weeps’ after some time. To prevent this from happening, add a little cooked slurry into the meringue. To prepare the slurry, just combine one part cornstarch with one part water; bring the mixture to a boil then add this as you beat your egg whites and sugar.

Q: Happy holidays to you, Jun Jun and Adoree. I am Cecilia of Bataan and would like to ask you why some of my cake mixtures come out lumpy and not smooth. Is there a particular method I can follow?

Jun Jun: That’s a bit difficult to answer since you were not very specific with what type of cake mixture you are making. But I have an idea as to what you are asking. You should be careful when adding flour to any of your mixtures. You have to do it slowly so that it can be incorporated better. Also, when making cheesecake, it is better to add eggs or any other liquid slowly, meaning, wait for some of the mixture to be absorbed first before adding more. This will yield a smoother and cleaner batter.

Adoree: Hi Cecilia. For cake batters, it is always beneficial to sift the dry ingredients first to remove any lumps, so that when you mix the dry and the wet ingredients, they will instantly combine and turn into a smooth batter.

Questions for us? Email us at mbdining@gmail.com.