Want to make your own Italian Buttercream Icing right at home? Buddy customized this recipe from one he used at The Culinary Institure of America and was shown to him by a group of students for whom he did a demonstration.

Italian Buttercream

Ingredients:

• 8 extra-large egg whites
• 2 cups sugar
• ½ cup water
• 3 cups (6 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, but into small cubes
• 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

1. Put the whites in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whip attachment.
2. Put 1½ cups of the sugar and the water in a heavy saucepan and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring with a wooden spoon to dissolve the sugar. Continue to cook, without stirring, and bring to the softball stage (240°F).
3. Meanwhile, whip the whites at high speed until soft peaks form, approximately 5 minutes. With the motor running, add the remaining ½ cup sugar gradually, continuing to whip until medium peaks form.
4. When the sugar reaches 240°F, with the motor running, pour it into the egg whites, very slowly, in a thin stream, to avoid cooking the eggs. Raise the speed to high, and continue to whip until the mixture has cooled to room temperature, 10 to 15 minutes.
5. Stopping the motor between additions, add the butter in 5 increments, scraping the bowl with a rubber spatula before adding each addition of butter.
6. With the motor running, add the vanilla, and whip just until itis blended. 

Yeild:

About 7 cups