TikTok Says To Use Your Microwave For Even Creamier Frosting
Microwaves are arguably the original food hack when it comes to cutting down cooking time and making quick and easy meals. From students reheating leftovers before class to fast food joints like Jack in the Box using them for their chicken teriyaki bowls, microwaves are a part of our daily cooking routines, for better or worse. Some celebrity chefs swear by the humble kitchen appliance, such as Nigella Lawson, whose unusual pronunciation of the word went viral back in 2020. David Chang is also unapologetically pro-microwave when it comes to cooking, partnering with Anyday, which makes microwave-safe cookware.
One area where you might not have considered using a microwave, though, is when preparing buttercream frosting for a freshly baked cake. But according to TikTok user, artist, and cake decorator Liz Marek (@sugargeekshow), that's exactly what you should be doing if you want to create the creamiest, fluffiest frosting imaginable.
The viral TikTok frosting hack
According to this popular TikTok video, microwaving your frosting is essential in order to achieve that perfect, smooth, and silky texture. As the video shows, to follow this hack, simply add pasteurized egg whites and powdered sugar to a large bowl before whipping on high for four to five minutes. Then, add your vanilla, salt, butter, and any other ingredients, and whip on high for another eight to ten minutes. And now for the hack — remove just two cups of your frosting and microwave until it's melted, before adding it back into the mixture and setting it to a low-speed paddle attachment for five to ten more minutes.
"That looks like absolutely perfect buttercream!" TikTok user @iamjakz commented. Other users questioned how the hack was able to work, with one user suggesting, "to further break down the other butter. Whipping it for as long as she does brings it all back to room temp and solidifies the fats again." One commenter remarked that they didn't have a microwave and asked if there was an alternative method that would achieve the same results. User @mrs.madam.weasly replied, "Double boiler method maybe? Large bowl over a pot of boiling water so it doesn't hit the bottom and let the steam and heat melt the frosting."
The magic of purple food coloring
The viral video also includes another hack for achieving the perfect frosting. As a finishing touch, Liz adds purple food coloring to her microwaved frosting to make it whiter, before spreading generously onto her cake and tasting it. According to food blogger Chelsey from Chelsweets, adding purple to yellow works because of color theory. These two colors are opposites on the color wheel and cancel each other out, so adding a few drops of purple food coloring with a toothpick will color-correct and neutralize any yellow tones that dominate your frosting.
"Of course ... why do you think hair stylists use purple shampoo in silver hair. To keep it whiter. Great hack," commented a TikTok user. This step is, of course, optional, but it helps to produce a vibrant, pure white color that would be perfect for special desserts for formal occasions, like birthdays, baby showers, and most notably wedding cakes.