Macaron filled with lavender ermine buttercream
This lavender ermine buttercream is super velvety smooth, light and has a refreshing flavor. The perfect filling for this macaron recipe.
Ermine buttercream is in a sense the exquisite buttercream that doesn’t get near the amount of applause it deserves. This buttercream is a less sweet buttercream that is egg free and perfectly pipeable. It is made by using a starch as a thickening agent and uses a large amount of milk, which is perfect to infuse flavors from anything you like, including spices and herbs. This is the reason why I really love this buttercream!
Macarons filled with buttercream truly give you the best of both worlds. That chewy but light textured shell that is filled with this super silky homemade lavender ermine buttercream that will taste just like a trip to the south of France!
This Lavender Ermine Buttercream Macaron Is..
- Luscious
- Ultra Creamy
- Perfect for macarons but also cupcakes, cakes and others
- Made with dried lavender
Table of Contents
Ingredients Needed
- Egg whites
- Granulated Sugar
- Powdered Egg Whites
- Powdered Sugar
- Almond Flour
- Whole Milk
- Granulated Sugar
- Unsalted Butter
- Lavender Flowers
- Cornstarch
- Salt
How to Make
Mise-en-place
- Start by preheating the oven to 300 degrees F.
- Wipe the silicone baking mat with vinegar, and then print templates if you need.
- Weigh all the ingredients.
Dry Ingredients
- Start by combining the egg white powder in a bowl with the granulated sugar. This will prevent the egg white powder from clumping. You can always do this recipe without the egg white powder, you could use ⅛th of a teaspoon of cream of tartar instead.
- Next, sift the almond flour and powdered sugar two times.
Prepare the French meringue
- With a stand mixer use a whisk and whip the egg whites on medium until foamy.
- Add in the granulated sugar/egg white powder mixture slowly.. Mix on medium-slow until glossy stiff peaks form.
Macaronage
- Add half of the meringue into the almond flour and powdered sugar mixture.
- Next add in the food coloring.
- Fold with a spatula to mix until incorporated.
- Then add in the rest of the meringue.
- You want the batter to become glossy and fall off the spatula like ribbons.
Piping and Baking
- I used a round tip Wilton 12, and a pastry bag.
- Pipe circles onto the tray, then allow the macarons to rest until a skin develops on the batter.
- Bake as directed.
- Let the macarons cool before removing from the baking surface.
Lavender Ermine Ganache
- In a small saucepan you will heat the milk to create a gentle boil, add the dried lavender.
- Let it infuse for 10 minutes. This will provide a nice lavender flavor.
- Strain the milk to remove the lavender. Pour the milk into the saucepan and add sugar, salt, and cornstarch. Mix until smooth.
- Bring to a boil and allow it to thicken. Strain into a bowl of a mixer.
- Chill as directed and beat with a paddle attachment, then add butter until emulsified.
Learn about whipped ganache and trouble shooting here.
Filling
- I used a star tip (4B, or 1M) and then placed the filling in the piping bag.
- Take one macaron shell and fill with buttercream, and top with the other shell.
Storing Lavender Macarons
Once filled the macarons can be stored for 48 hours in a sealed container in your refrigerator. Or feel free to freeze the macarons in a freezer-friendly container for up to 8 weeks.
FAQs
One of the biggest differences is that ermine is not near as sweet as an American buttercream. Therefore, you will find the texture of the ermine is a lot more light and fluffy, whereas American buttercream can be a lot thicker and dense. Ermine buttercream uses starch as a way to thicken the larger amounts of liquid that it contains, and is therefore suitable for infusing flavors from herbs and spices.
Yes, this variety of buttercream is softer and lighter than a traditional American buttercream. But this frosting makes the pipe really nice. So give it a try.
As long as you buy food grade dried lavender, yes it is edible. Now, make sure to use a little as dried lavender is pretty potent in terms of flavor and fragrance. It is about three times as strong as fresh lavender.
Macaron Recipe Ideas
- French Rose Buttercream Macarons
- Raspberry German Macarons
- Dark Chocolate Macarons
- Fruity Pebble Macarons
Print Your Recipe Here
Lavender Ermine buttercream Macaron
Ingredients
Macaron recipe (French method):
- 100 g egg whites
- 90 g granulated sugar
- 4 g powdered egg whites
- 130 g powdered sugar
- 130 g almond flour
Ermine Buttercream Recipe:
- 150 g whole milk
- 150 g granulated sugar
- 150 g unsalted butter softened
- 1 tbsp dried lavender flowers extra grade
- 15 g cornstarch
- – Pinch of salt
Instructions
Mise-en-place:
- Pre-heat oven to 300F
- Wipe with vinegar the silicon mats, bowls and baking trays. Print templates if using.
- Weight all the ingredients in separate bowls
- The egg whites can be directly taken from the fridge and do not require aging.
Prepare dry ingredients:
- Add egg white powder to the bowl containing the granulated sugar and mix well.
- If the almond flour is not super fine, I recommend doing 2-3 pulses in a food processor. Only do this for short amounts of time.
- Sift the almond flour and powdered sugar. Do this two times.
- Note: keep all the containers covered with lids.
Prepare the French Meringue:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk, whip egg whites on medium speed until foamy/frothy.
- Gradually add the granulated sugar/ powdered egg white mixture, continue whipping on medium speed until glossy stiff peaks
Macaronage:
- Add half of the meringue to the almond flour / powdered sugar mixture.
- Add gel food coloring
- Fold gently with a spatula until the dry ingredients are incorporated
- Add the remaining meringue
- Fold gently until the batter becomes glossy and falls off the spatula like ribbons.
Piping:
- Fit a round tip (e.g., Wilton 12) in a pastry bag, place the bag inside a tall measuring cup or a deli container, wrap the bag in the edges of the cup to keep it open
- Pour the macaron batter into the pastry, remove from the cup
- Pipe circles onto the tray with silicon mat or pre-printed template under a piece of parchment
Resting and baking:
- Let the piped macarons rest on the kitchen counter until a skin is developed, you will be able to gently touch them without batter sticking to the fingers.
- Once the skin is formed, place inside the oven, bake at 275-300F (this will depend on your location and other factors like humidity) for 15-18min.
- Use an oven thermometer to make sure the oven is not too hot.
- Let the macarons cool before removing from the baking surface
Filling macarons
- Fit a small tip, I recommend tips like 4B, 1M for nice piping designs, inside a pastry bag. Place inside a tall measuring cup or deli container.
- Pour the ganache inside the bag
- Take 1 macaron shell, pipe the ganache in the center
- Take another macaron shell and sandwich the filling. The best ratio of macaron to filling is 2:1
Ermine Buttercream Recipe:
- In a small saucepan, heat milk to a gentle boil with the lavender flowers. Turn off the heat and let steep for 10 minutes.
- Strain the lavender flowers.
- Pour the milk back into the saucepan, add sugar, salt and cornstarch, whisk until smooth.
- Bring to a boil, it should thicken, strain into the bowl of a mixer and chill.
- Beat mixture with paddle attachment until smooth.
- Gradually incorporate butter until smooth and emulsified.
Notes
