Raw eggs in frosting?

I love buttercream frosting and have a recipe from a famous New York bakery. However, it calls for using raw eggs. I am a little concerned about doing this due to the risk of salmonella. However, I can remember the pleasure of eating cake batter as a child. Of course, it had raw eggs mixed in and I never got sick. I think I am just going to throw caution to the wind and make myself a cake with buttercream frosting. (There, look! You've all talked me into it and I haven't even read your replies yet! )

Here are some recipes that don't contain eggs.

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1830...227199,00.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1918...241195,00.html

http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,186,...236199,00.html

My homemade mayonnaise is made with raw egg yolks and I don't worry about it. It's an awesome mayonnaise but will not keep more than a couple days in the fridge if I have leftovers from my potato salad.

I love real buttercream frosting - you can't get it anymore at bakeries. They all use this powdered stuff now.

I've never used eggs in butter cream frostings. I always make the Cook's Illustrated recipe though... it is super yummy!!

There are pasteurized eggs available but I don't think I've seen them. You may want to check the stores around your area to see if they have any.

Heck, I STILL eat cake batter and cookie dough. In fact, my cakes are usually half the size of what they should be by the time are done! Scrape the bowl clean?? That's what my finger is for after the cake is in the oven!

Buttercream frosting is one of my favorites, along with 7 minute icing (I think that's what it's called). That one you only use the egg whites and whip it up until you get peaks and it's like eating sweet air. My mom was great at making both of them. But you either have to refridgerate what you don't eat....or eat the whole thing in one day! (normally, that's what happened!).

I don't worry about stuff like that too much. There are SO many things you can get from whatever you eat, both homemade and processed, if I worried about it I would starve to death! I figure I ate mud pies growing up so I could survive that, I can survive anything!

Originally Posted by calico2222

Heck, I STILL eat cake batter and cookie dough. In fact, my cakes are usually half the size of what they should be by the time are done! Scrape the bowl clean?? That's what my finger is for after the cake is in the oven!

Click to expand...

I love your attitude! I am going to pull out that cookbook and make my cake!

I think you'll be just fine. I make homemade butter cream icing for a lot of my cakes and cookies and I've thankfully never had an issue using raw eggs.

If it's that much of a concern, just keep it in the fridge.