Butter Cream

My friend Carrie, Emma's mother, has asked md to share the butter cream recipe I used for the cupcakes in the last post.  

200 grams egg whites - 5 egg whites
275 grams caster sugar
450 grams unsalted butter - cut into cubes 
2 tsp clear vanilla extract

1. Heat up the egg whites with the sugar until it reaches 80 C.
2. Whisk the meringue at high speed for some 8 minutes or so until the bowl is not longer hot but just slightly warm.
3. Then add the vanilla extract to the meringue and continue whisking at high speed.
4. Then add the butter cubes a little at a time until all the butter has been added and continue to whisk at high speed to make sure the butter cream does not curdle.
5. There is enough butter cream to pipe about 30 standard American cupcakes - that is those with 2 inch bottom.
6. Any leftover butter cream can be stored in an airtight container and refrigerate for a week or frozen for a month.   When you want to use the butter cream again, bring it to room temperature and beat the butter cream using a pedal attachment, like a K beater or a creaming beater, until the right consistency is achieved.  
7. If you want to use any colouring with the butter cream, you need to use paste or gel colouring and NOT liquid colouring