To make a classic Italian buttercream, you have to cook a sugar syrup to a specific temperature, and that requires a candy thermometer. Pastry chef Katherine Eastman Seeley has simplified the classic technique by using corn syrup in addition to sugar, so no candy thermometer is needed. In this video tip, Fine Cooking 's test kitchen manager, Jennifer Armentrout, demonstrates Katherine's technique.
See also the related video, Frosting a Layer Cake.