1 ½ cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar ½ cup water ½  cup egg whites 3 sticks unsalted butter; softened ¼ teaspoon fine salt orange and yellow food coloring candy thermometer Tangerine syrup: ½ cup tangerine juice ½ cup Meyer lemon juice (or ¾ tangerine and ¼ lemon if you can’t find Meyers) This will make enough buttercream for an 8-inch layer cake. Don’t double it if you’re making the small cake. I still had some leftover from the lavender macarons, so I don’t have pictures of every stage. I will add them next time I make buttercream. Sorry! Boil tangerine and Meyer lemon juice until it’s reduced down to ¼ cup. Mix 1 ½ cups sugar with water in a small, heavy saucepan. Add in the tangerine syrup. Cook over high heat until syrup reaches 238 degrees F on a candy thermometer (soft ball stage). Watch it closely when you’re getting to 200; it’s fast at the end. While syrup is cooking, beat egg whites until firming up. Add 1 tablespoon sugar and beat until stiff, but not dry. With mixer on low, stream syrup into the egg whites. (Caution here! The syrup is really hot. Make sure you don’t … Continue reading →