Beautiful Buttercream, German Buttercream

         In the past year I've encountered five different kinds of buttercream frosting. There's the American Buttercream, which is butter (or sometimes cream cheese), powdered sugar, milk or cream, and flavoring. Despite being a classic, most recipes for this frosting produce something sickeningly sweet that sucks the life out of the item it decorated. The next two buttercreams: French and Italian require a sugar syrup. Heating sugar up to 240 degrees and then slowly beating it into egg whites (Italian) or egg yolks (French). The problem with this method is that if you use a handheld mixer (I do) it's difficult to beat the syrup evenly into the egg whites, and if you don't beat it evenly you'll get rock hard chunks of sugar in your buttercream. Also, making sugar syrup requires standing next to the stove to make sure the sugar doesn't heat past the softball stage. It also requires perfect timing, so that your eggs form glossy stiff peaks, just as your sugar hits 240. Very difficult to do. So that leaves two other buttercreams: German and Swiss. Both are delicious and easier than French and Italian.
       Swiss Buttercream, like Italian buttercream this frosting is based on egg whites, buttter, and sugar. Except instead of cooking the sugar and then adding it to beaten egg whites, Swiss Buttercream is made by combining the eggs and sugar until 160 degrees, at which point all proteins coagulate and Salmonella dies. After this the mixture is beaten and butter is added. It's much easier and simpler than French or Italian methods, but equally fluffly and light.
       German Buttercream is very different from any other buttercream. It's rich like the American Buttercream, but not as sweet. It's also denser than Italian, French and Swiss frostings. It might no be as simple as the Swiss version but it is delicious and indulgent. It is my preferred buttercream. It starts with making  pastry cream, after the pastry creams is cooled, and equal amount of softened butter is added, and then the frosting is beaten until smooth. Of course the reason it's so good: fat. German Buttercream has butter, egg yolks, and whole milk in it, which is why you don't need as much of it to cover cakes and cupcakes.

German Buttercream:

• 3/4 whole milk
• 1/3 granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp. cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 egg yolks
• 2 tsp. almond extract
• 1 cup. unsalted butter (chopped into 1 tbsp. segments)

Stir milk and half of sugar together in a saucepan. Heat to just boiling.
While milk is heating, combine the rest of the sugar, cornstarch, and salt. Then add eggs.
Temper eggs with milk, then pour back into saucepan.
Heat until the cornstarch begins to thicken the cream, then keeping on heat for 30 seconds.
Remove from stove, add butter and stir until covered.
Let stand for five minutes.
Beat on low until combined. Let cool.
When cooled beat in almond extract.
Spread or pipe onto your dessert.

Chocolate Variation:

Increase milk to 1 cup, sugar to 1/2 cup, leave almond extract out. After adding butter, beat in 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder.