Italian Chocolate Meringue Butter Cream

This is a very stable filling, considered a stiff or hard filling. It is made with a cooked sugar method where it is heated to 240-245 degrees.

Formula*:
Italian meringue
8 oz. (100%) Sugar
2 oz. (25%) Water
4 oz. (50%) Egg whites

12 oz. (150%) Butter, soft and cubed (large marshmallow size)
2 oz. (25%) Emulsified shortening (or additional butter)
0.08 oz. (1/2t) (1%) Lemon juice**
0.12 oz. (3/4t) (1.5%) Vanilla extract

Chocolate paste****.

16 oz. Oil

2 lbs cocoa

*This formula is modified from Gisslen, Professional Baking, Ed. 5, Pg. 426
** Can substitute with lime juice or cream of tartar
***This yields enough for 40ish cakes, it is a 2:1 ratio. Adjust according to what you think you will use.

MOP: Italian chocolate meringue butter cream
In sauce pan combine sugar and water, mix until incorporated. Turn heat on high and stir over heat until it reaches 240 degrees Fahrenheit. You can either test for doneness with your thermometer or by making a soft ball with your fingers, make sure your hands are clean!
To do this place your hands in ice water until its cold and then dip your fingers in the sugar and immediately dip your fingers back in the ice water. Press your fingers together to make a ball out of the sugar. If a soft ball forms in your fingers it is at 240 degrees.
While that is heating up add your egg whites and lemon juice together into your mixers bowl. Do not combine these two while scaling if you are going to leave out for a while, the acid in the lemon will start to cook the egg whites. When your sugar mixture starts to boil start mixing your egg whites with a whisk attachment. Start on low speed and increase to high until egg whites are foamy.

This butter cream needs to still be
scraped down to incorporate the
butter and the cocoa paste

When egg whites are foamy decrease speed. When sugar is done remove from heat. Drizzle sugar into the egg whites on a low speed. When the sugar stops dripping increase the speed of the mixer to high. Feel the bottom of the mixing bowl, when the heat has cooled down (like a baby's bottle temperature) start to add the softened butter in portion by portion. Continue mixing until it stiffens up, should look like frosting... thick and choppy. Turn off speed and add the cocoa paste (about 2 tablespoon, see below for MOP on making paste). Mix until it looks like a uniform frosting without butter or cocoa lumps. Do not over mix, it should still feel smooth and spreadable.

Note: If making an Italian Meringue you do all the steps but adding the butter.

MOP: Chocolate paste
Add half of oil to a sauce pan. Heat until this becomes smokey hot. Add all of the cocoa to the saucepan, stir in.
Remove from heat when a paste starts to form, if you need to add more oil to make a paste then add the remaining 1/4th of the oil until paste is formed. Return to heat and add the remaining oil.
Remove from heat when its a thick liquid state, set aside (best over your preheated oven) until you are going to use it.