You’ve heard about it, you’ve had it, you’ve probably gotten it all over your face after taking a bite out of a cupcake. But what exactly is buttercream?
By definition, buttercream is a type of frosting made by creaming together sugar and butter . Buttercream is typically (and most easily) made in a stand mixer, but can be whipped up with a hand mixer or a whisk. But there is complexity behind that sweet, simple base; here are the five main varieties.
Also known as simple buttercream, American buttercream is the sweetest and easiest type of buttercream to whip up. All you have to do is beat butter until it’s light and fluffy, then mix in powdered sugar (a 1:2 ratio is a safe bet), maybe some vanilla, and a splash of milk or cream. After a couple minutes, the frosting will come together — thick and creamy, making it easy to pipe out detailed shapes and patterns. Pastry chef Paola Velez created a great beginner’s American buttercream with some minor alterations to the traditional version; she combines the butter with a small spoonful of vegetable shortening to make the frosting even more stable. Grace Parisi flavors her classic buttercream recipe with melted white chocolate, which she beats directly into the butter before adding the remaining ingredients.
Italian Buttercream
The most stable of the buttercreams, Italian buttercream is made from a meringue made bystreaming hot sugar syrup into egg whites as they’re being whisked. You keep whisking until the meringue is completely cool, then gradually mix in small cubes of butter, one at a time. Continue to mix, mix, mix, adding vanilla, salt, and any other flavorings you like until the frosting is soft, shiny, and white. Although Italian buttercream is extremely light, it’s stable enough to hold its shape through warm weather. Check out this traditional recipe from Margaret Braun, or Paola’s recipe, which introduces citric acid and lemon zest for a bit of tang.
Similar to Italian, Swiss buttercream is made from meringue. But rather than pouring syrup into the egg whites, when you make Swiss buttercream, you whisk the egg whites and sugar together directly over a double boiler for a more gentle, gradual heat source. A lot of pastry chefs will also add a stabilizing agent, like cream of tartar, to guarantee that the frosting is strong enough to form stiff peaks. The warm egg white and sugar gets poured into a stand mixer, where it’s whipped until silky-smooth. You then follow the same formula as the Italian buttercream, gradually mixing in small cubes of butter, followed by salt, vanilla, or add-ins like Sasha Piligan’s blueberry-coriander jam or Tom Douglas’ hazelnut praline paste.
German Buttercream
The German variety of buttercream starts with a custard, meaning a thick mixture of whole eggs (or egg yolks), sugar, cornstarch, and warm milk and sugar. You let that custard cool before combining it to whipped, fluffy butter. Then comes the vanilla and salt. Because of the egg yolks, this frosting will be lighter, more yellow in color, and almost ice cream-like than the others.
French Buttercream
Arguably the most complicated buttercream there is, French buttercream starts with an egg yolk foam, or pâte à bombe. This process takes hot sugar syrup and pours it over whipped egg yolks. It’s then poured into a stand mixer or bowl, and whisked on high speed until thick and fluffy. Then, you know the drill — you’ll gradually add butter cubes, vanilla, and salt. This frosting is light, decadently rich, and, like German buttercream, has a subtle yellow hue.
Compared to other types of buttercream, American buttercream has fewer ingredients, and is quicker and easier to make. It is also sweeter because of the high amount of sugar. Because it does not have an egg or cooked base, it is more stable and melts less easily in warm temperatures.
, flour buttercream, and German buttercream all fall into the first category.French, Italian and Swiss buttercream all fall into the second category. The beaten-butter method is easiest, so let's start with that.
There are three types of buttercreams that are most often used: American Buttercream, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and Italian Meringue Buttercream. There are a few other types of buttercream that are less commonly used like French Buttercream, German Buttercream, and a very new style of buttercream called G.G.
Also more simply known as Swiss Buttercream, this buttercream is popular amongst the professionals. It is more difficult and time-consuming to create than American Buttercream, but it's silky smooth and light texture makes it worth the extra effort.
This is considered one of the very difficult methods for making buttercream because the sugar syrup must be cooked to a specific temperature and then, while piping hot, poured into the whipped egg whites.
The most stable of the buttercreams, Italian buttercream is made from a meringue made bystreaming hot sugar syrup into egg whites as they're being whisked.
Butter and flavorings are beaten into the meringue to create the buttercream. Because of its stiff meringue base, the frosting holds up well, will not crust and is great for piping cupcakes and decorating cakes.
Base: Powdered sugar, cream, and vanilla extract. American buttercream is deliciously creamy, super sweet, and incredibly fluffy, and by far the easiest buttercream to master.
Soft and fluffy, this buttercream is great for filling layers or frosting cakes. Hints & Tips: Since Swiss buttercream is so soft, it's better used for frosting cakes rather than piping or decorating.
The goal for your buttercream should be a smooth, silky, easily spreadable consistency. It's this amazing consistency that makes smoothing out your buttercream while decorating so much easier.
Swiss meringue buttercream is less sweet and is made primarily of granulated sugar, egg whites, and butter. Unlike American buttercream, Swiss doesn't crust or harden and (as you've seen above) the technique for making Swiss meringue is quite different.
If the frosting has not reached your desired thickness after chilling, add a few tablespoons of sifted powdered sugar to help your buttercream stiffen.
Both the Italian and Swiss buttercream follow a similar process. These buttercreams are the most reliable to withstand warm temperatures; that said, you should do your best to keep your frosted baked good in a relatively cool place for as long as possible before serving.
The best way to distinguish frosting from buttercream is through the ingredients. While both contain powdered sugar, fat, flavouring and sometimes milk or water, frosting does not contain any butter whatsoever. Instead, frosting is usually made with shortening or cream cheese.
Swiss meringue buttercream frosting is very similar to Italian meringue buttercream in that they both use egg whites. Swiss is preferred by many bakers because it doesn't use the hot sugar syrup and the egg whites are heated to 160 F in a double boiler to remove any salmonella risk.
But did you know there are seven main types of icing? Buttercream, flat, foam, fondant, fudge, royal, glazes, and cream cheese are the eight basic types of frosting. To learn more about these unique frosting options that you may or may not have tasted, keep on reading!
Address: Apt. 994 8891 Orval Hill, Brittnyburgh, AZ 41023-0398
Phone: +26417467956738
Job: District Marketing Strategist
Hobby: Embroidery, Bodybuilding, Motor sports, Amateur radio, Wood carving, Whittling, Air sports
Introduction: My name is Prof. An Powlowski, I am a charming, helpful, attractive, good, graceful, thoughtful, vast person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
We notice you're using an ad blocker
Without advertising income, we can't keep making this site awesome for you.
