Buttercream is a popular cake frosting that can be tailored to fit any style, aesthetic, and is a versatile choice for many wedding cakes. It is easy to flavor, color, and spread, making it a popular choice for couples. Buttercream frosting is a classic style that is easy to make and is versatile.
To make the best-ever vanilla buttercream frosting, mix butter and vanilla on medium speed until thoroughly combined. Beat on medium-high speed for 2 minutes, then increase to medium-high speed for 2 more minutes. The butter melts at 90°F to 95°F, while margarine is slightly more heat-resistant. Coconut oil liquefies at 76°F, and vegetable shortening stays solid at 115°F.
Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) is often regarded as the top choice for wedding cakes due to its light and fluffy texture, delicate flavor, and ability to beautifully hold up under humidity. The Italian Meringue buttercream is a favorite choice for wedding cake frosting, as it tastes the best, has a nice smooth texture, and holds up under humidity.
Both normal buttercream (block butter and icing sugar) and Swiss meringue buttercream are suitable for cake decorating, but SM buttercream is arguably the best for cake decorating due to its smooth clean lines. Chocolate buttercream frosting is another favorite for topping wedding cupcakes, and Swiss meringue buttercream is a beauty as well.
📹 Stable Buttercream for Wedding Cakes
Stable Buttercream for Wedding Cakes Because it is stable and sturdy for the structural demands of building a wedding cake, …
How do you keep buttercream from melting on a wedding cake?
Keep buttercream cool to prevent it from melting. Keep it cool. If it’s warm where you are, your buttercream cake will be too. As cake makers, we often try different mediums and eventually find one we like. For me, it’s buttercream. Buttercream has many pros, like being easy to use and tasting good. But there are also some problems, but we often ignore them because they scare us. They say love is blind.
Condensation, cracks, melting…three things that would scare any buttercream cake maker. Brace yourself, they do happen.
What is the best smooth buttercream for cake decorating?
Pros: Soft, smooth, not too sweet. SM buttercream is the best frosting for cake decorating because it makes clean lines.
Con: It’s annoying to make. You need time and patience for this (which I don’t usually have). This is the best buttercream. I hated this because I had to make 17 batches in a row. You’ll have to make it and decide for yourself.
What kind of frosting do most bakeries use?
1. Buttercream frosting. Buttercream frosting is made with butter. It’s the most common frosting in bakeries. Plain buttercream is also called American buttercream or simple buttercream frosting. Simple buttercream is a whipped butter frosting, while cubed butter meringue frosting has butter chunks. Flavor of buttercream: Very sweet; the sweetest of the different types of buttercream. Ivory; texture: Thick and creamy; can become grainy or greasy if mixed wrong; can become thin over time; stiff: Soft and easy to pipe; melts in warm settings and should be added to cooled sponges. Uses: Pairs well with most cake flavors. Use for sheet cakes and cupcakes. Buttercream Recipe Difficulty: Easy; few tools and ingredients needed; How to Make Buttercream Frosting. To make buttercream frosting, you need to mix butter or vegetable shortening with powdered sugar.
What frosting is used for most wedding cakes?
Some people like fondant, but others don’t. Fondant (or sugar paste) is the most popular choice for wedding cakes. It’s very popular because it’s easy to work with and comes in so many colors and designs. It looks the neatest and is the base of most designs. Fondant is great for stencilling because it goes on neater than other materials. A fondant base is perfect for a shimmer finish. Fondant is used to make ruffles, plaits, wooden planks, and more. You can make similar effects with other types of icing, but fondant looks better. If you have a specific idea, discuss it with your wedding cake designer. Why is fondant unpopular? Some people think fondant tastes bad, but this blog post shows that’s not true. 5 Wedding Cake Myths Busted.
What is the most stable buttercream for wedding cakes?
2. There are four types of buttercream: American, Italian, Swiss, and French. American buttercream is the most common. It contains just butter, icing sugar, and flavorings. Italian and Swiss buttercream are similar. Both are made with cooked egg white and butter. The way it’s made is what sets it apart. French meringue buttercream is a cooked meringue buttercream made with egg yolks or whole eggs. Each buttercream has its own pros and cons.
3. American buttercream is the most stable, followed by Italian, Swiss, and French.
4. Buttercreams are less stable in warm weather because they are softer than other coatings. Some butter in American buttercream is replaced with shortening to make it more stable.
5. It’s hard to get a white color in buttercream because of the yellow butter. Italian and Swiss buttercreams are whiter than American buttercream because they only use egg whites.
Which buttercream is better for cakes?
Swiss buttercream is soft, so use it for frosting cakes, not piping or decorating. Cool the mixture before adding butter. Try this Italian meringue buttercream for something light but durable. This frosting is sturdier than Swiss buttercream because of different ingredients. This buttercream is great for filling or frosting cakes. It takes a little extra work, but it’s worth it! This buttercream is best the day it’s made. Pasteurized eggs can be used, but they won’t whip up as well and will yield less frosting. If using pasteurized eggs, start adding hot sugar syrup when eggs reach soft peaks.
What kind of icing do professionals use?
12. Fondant. Fondant icing is a smooth, professional choice for decorating cakes. There are three types of fondant: rolled, marshmallow, and poured. They are all used for coating sponges and pastries, but the results are different. We’ll focus on rolled fondant below.
Flavor of fondant: Sugary and sweet; can be flavored; Color: White; can be colored; texture: Smooth, marshmallow-like consistency; slightly chewy. Stiff and malleable, fondant can be rolled out and shaped. Uses for fondant: Makes a clean, smooth cover for cakes. Can be molded and cut into shapes for decorations. Difficulty: Hard; requires many ingredients, equipment, and effort.
How to Make Fondant. To make rolled fondant, mix powdered sugar, corn syrup, and shortening to make a pliable paste or sheet for cakes.
Why does Bakery buttercream taste different?
It will taste different. The taste that butter gives the buttercream is really unique and the flavour of margarine and shortening is a little bit different so if youve ever tasted buttercream made with actual butter Im sure you will be able to taste the difference when its made with something else. *How do you make buttercream less sweet? Why does my buttercream taste grainy? What’s the right consistency for piping? Can I use buttercream in a hot climate? In this tutorial I answer the25 most commonly asked questions about my4 Minute Buttercream, which I use to frost and decorate all of my cakes.If I don’t answer your question, ask it in the comments or take myonline course on The Basics Of Buttercreamto learn how to make, troubleshoot, colour, store, and decorate with buttercream! *If you prefer to watch a video of this tutorial, scroll to the bottom of the page. *1. Do I need a mixer to make buttercream?I suppose you could make buttercream without a mixer. You’d have to have a lot of arm strength and also a lot of patience! I love making buttercream in my stand mixer because I can multi-task while it does all of the work for me!
Which buttercream is best for decorating a cake?
Swiss meringue buttercream is a favorite among many cake decorators because it looks good and holds its shape. If I’m not using one of my Sugarologie frostings, this is my favorite for cake decorating. Swiss meringue buttercream is made with egg whites, sugar, and butter. The egg whites and sugar are cooked and whipped into a meringue. Then, the butter is added, making a light, stable buttercream. This is difficult to make because you have to cook the egg whites with the sugar before mixing them with the butter. Italian meringue is similar to Swiss, but egg whites are whipped with a sugar syrup instead of sugar. Italian meringue is more stable than Swiss. I’ll explain this under the Italian meringue buttercream heading.
Can I use buttercream for a wedding cake?
Your wedding cake is all about you. One thing that’s popular year after year is buttercream. Buttercream wedding cakes are popular because they can be made in many different ways. Buttercream can be made in any flavor or color to suit any couple’s preferences. This makes it a popular choice that lasts. Buttercream is also delicious and always a hit. It’s reminiscent of your grandmother’s cakes and desserts. If you’re meeting with your wedding cake baker, learn about buttercream wedding cakes and our favorite ways to decorate them. Buttercream Wedding Cake FAQs; Simple Buttercream Wedding Cakes; Buttercream Wedding Cakes with Flowers; Tiered Buttercream Wedding Cakes; Buttercream Wedding Cake FAQs. What is buttercream frosting? Buttercream frosting gets its name from the large amount of butter in it. Buttercream is made by mixing powdered sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla to create a rich, sweetened cream.
What kind of buttercream do professionals use?
Swiss meringue buttercream is the standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is very smooth, so it is a popular choice for icing cakes. It has a stronger butter flavor than American buttercream, but is less sweet.
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📹 Comparing 6 Types of Buttercream- American, Swiss, Italian, French, German, & Russian
Did you know there were so many different types of buttercream? Today I’m comparing 6 different styles, which isn’t even all of …
For Russian buttercream, we here in Russia most of the time use “cooked ” condensed milk or also known as dulce di leche ( An unopened can of sweet condensed milk is usually boiled for two hours in a pan full of water ) and then the milk gets thick and caramelized and extremely delicious. It gets a nice caramel brown color. And then proceed as in the article, adding butter . Just try it!
I’m German and that was very authentic but I’ll be honest, we usually don’t make the Creme Pat ourselves, a shortcut is to use vanilla pudding instead of Creme Pat and just add the butter to that and whip it up to make Buttercream But really great article Edit for clarification: the pudding I mean is pudding powder you cook up with some milk, usually just a flavored starch powder, not instant pudding you whip up cold. it takes about 3 minutes to mix the pudding powder with milk and briefly bring to boil and stir till firm, then cool and use as any other Creme Pat or pudding. There’s a company famous for it in Germany, Dr. Oetker, lots of recipes just reference this product as an ingredient, it’s been around and used like this since the 50‘s. Obviously it’s a very lazy thing but works like a charm but feel free to make yourself pudding or Creme Pat from scratch, handmade is always best ❤️ I just wanted to point out it’s a kitchen staple hack if you are an amateur baker in Germany (or in a hurry 😉)
Everyone is commenting on the frostings, and yes, great tutorial, but I wanted to say how much I LOVE your sweater and skirt! I love the cherries and the red and white color have such a wholesome appeal!! The bowls, the patterns, the colors and the Kitchen Aid mixer… The whole place, and you, are lovely…reminds me of an 50’s Diner!
Amazing how you taught this within just a few minutes. I appreciated the consistent format you had for each kind of buttercream and the conversions you patiently repeated for volume and temperature. With you teaching, trying out all the buttercreams doesn’t seem so farfetched at all. Yours is my fave buttercream tutorial article so far ❤️ Thank you!
The German one is my favorite too – although of course I’m biased cause that’s the type I grew up with. We often make it with just a simple vanilla pudding instead of the crème pâtissière. Simply make a pudding with 1 package of vanilla pudding mix (or a good chocolate one), 400 ml milk (bit less than 1 and 3/4 cups) and 3 tbsps sugar. It’s lighter than the American one and suitable for vegetarians who don’t eat eggs. Some people even make it vegan by using vegan butter and a plant based “milk”.
At home, when making cakes, I use Russian buttercream because it is the fastest. I also make flowers from it. To make it stable and durable, you need to change the proportion of ingredients to 1: 1. So for 200g of butter I add 200g of condensed milk. First, I beat the butter to a fluffy white mass at the highest speed of the mixer (it takes about 15 minutes). Then I add condensed milk at medium speed. I recommend you try it 😊 Then you don’t taste the milk that much.
Dearest Bettie! I could not get enough of this article. I love how sweet you are and how thoughtful and precise you are!! Always listing the measurements and in different units, too! This must have been so much work and I hope you’ll be happy to know that it paid off and that it was very educational and enjoyable. Lots of love 💕
I have never seen your articles before but I am glad it was in my recommended articles. I was intrigued because I thought buttercream is the same around the world but you explainded the differences and characteristics so clearly and it was easy to understand. Definetly saving that for future reference 🙂
Thank you for all the effort preparing all these buttercreams! Time consuming and expensive but so helpful. It’s difficult to find concise and comprehensive comparison articles when making something as a novice so often you’re just finding any old recipe and hoping it works out. It’s an especially nice touch that you’ve thought to mention the stability in different temperatures, that’s so awesome. Thank you!
One of the best articles I have ever seen on YouTube. Clear, concise and quick. I have heard these terms for years from the likes of Martha and Ina, but never knew the differences. Thank you so much. All I ever make is American which I love, but you have made me want to try some of the other buttercreams. Thank you again Baker Bettie!!
I don’t have the recipe handy, but the “German icing” we used in my family growing up used the canned milk which is closest to the Russian buttercream here. I especially liked your instructions to keep going when mixing some of the recipes because the written notes my mom included specifically said “it will look like you have done something wrong but keep mixing and it will become icing”
As a German I have to tell you that you have made a so-called buttercreme light. The real buttercreme, German version, consists of butter, eggs, whites and yolks, salt, sugar and real vanilla. Wisk the butter to foam. Whole eggs together with salt and sugar stirring first cold the warm over the boiling pot and go on stirring until cool again. Mix together with the butter. No milk or starch.
The first time I tried German buttercream I added raspberry juice instead of milk which gave it both flavor and color (my mother didn’t want me using artificial coloring, so I had to find another way). Since then that’s my favorite kind of buttercream but I’m really looking forward to testing some of these recipes.
The one I like is Ermine or boiled milk Frosting (has many names) it is very close to the German buttercream but doesn’t use eggs and feels simpler….but perhaps that is because I always make the boiled mixture early to let it cool (often the day before which is also when I usually make the cakes for decorating) so it just feels like less work on the day I decorate and since my brother is allergic to egg yolks this one he can still have.
Thank you so much for showing all the different buttercreams together. It’s the article we all desperately needed. My MIL used to decorate cakes and made the best American buttercream. With her method it doesn’t matter if you use real butter or vegetable shortening or a mix, all you do is after you make the buttercream according to the directions, swap out the paddle for the whisk attachment for your stand mixer. Then whip the buttercream on high for 5 minutes. That adds a lot of air and gives you this really fluffy texture. It pipes beautifully, freezes well (although it won’t be as fluffy), and it’s not as sweet and gunky as American buttercream can be. I bet the French buttercream would be delicious with melted chocolate added. I have made a Hungarian chocolate cake that has a frosting made with egg yolks and melted chocolate, and it’s so rich and creamy. The Russian buttercream would make a really delicious filling for people who love the taste of sweetened condensed milk. It would also be amazing with lemon or lime flavoring like lemon milk pie or key lime pie.
Note that German buttercream will NOT work for fondant cakes. The water within the “pudding” will melt your fondant eventually. You can use it as a cake filling, but should use a ganache or a more buttery buttercream as coating to seperate the German buttercream from the fondant. If you need the German buttercream to be lighter (for coloring it blue, for example) you can basically leave the eggyolks out. It works perfectly for me. (Just milk, sugar, starch and vanilla or another flavor, cooked as a very thick pudding. Then combine it with butter.)
Hi everyone! There seems to be some confusion in the comments about these buttercreams. The names of them are what they pastry world commonly refers to them as. It doesn’t necessarily mean it is the most commonly used type in that country. I did not invent or name any of these. These are all techniques I have learned over the years and what they are commonly called in the pastry world in the US.
This is a really great breakdown! other folks have mentioned ermine buttercream in the comments and it’s also an old-fashioned classic worth trying out. the newest kid on the buttercream block is G.G. buttercream aka Korean buttercream – it’s similar to Italian buttercream, but you use cold butter instead of room temperature butter. It pipes extremely finely and has almost a glass-like edge to it, so it’s wonderful for making icing flowers with.
I’m from Canada, the butter cream recipe I was taught is equal parts butter:lard ratio and equal parts whipping cream and cold distilled water and you can add vanilla or lemon any flavour of your choice. A basic recipe is 1.5 cup butter 1.5 cup of lard, 1/4 cup of whipping cream, 1/4 cup of of cold distilled water, teaspoon of vanilla and 500g of icing sugar (powdered sugar). Shelf life is better than most whipped toppings but my adaption is better. Our margarine and crisco shortening comes in 3cup blocks, 1 of each, 1 table spoon of vanilla, 1kg of powdered sugar, room temp water to desired consistency, can be used and adapted by adding more or less water and more or less powdered sugar to achieve fluffy/ sheen/or fondant consistency.
I’ve been making swiss meringue buttercream without actually whipping the egg whites into peaks first. Just cook the sugar and egg whites together and let it cool completely, then i whip it just a little bit to make sure the sugar and eggs whites are properly mixed, and then drop the butter in and mix until it comes together. I first saw the instruction in the Thermomix recipe database (Cookidoo) and was really skeptical that it would work, but it does. The final result is no different than if you whip the egg whites into peaks first. I’ve made mine in the Thermomix and in a regular mixer. Works well using either one.
Hey! 🙋🏻♀️🇷🇺I’m from Russia and I have a lot of familiar confectioners, So, I give you a recipe for a dense and stable cream, which is used by many confectioners in Russia: •400g cottage cheese (cream cheese) •100g of butter (82.5% fat content) •80g sifted powdered sugar Softened butter at room temperature (get it out of the refrigerator at least 3-4 hours before the start of cream preparation), mix together with sifted powdered sugar until the butter is lightened and fluffy, then add cold cottage cheese, beat for a few more minutes, try not to overdo it! If desired, you can add vanilla extract. If the cream has become too soft, put it in the freezer for 20-30 minutes in a pastry bag. Its moderately sweet cream, but perfectly delicious!! Just try Also, you can make cream for the layer of the cake, not the outer coating of the cake! •300g cottage cheese •150g whipping cream (33-35%) •70g powdered sugar. All ingredients should be very cold. Beat cream cheese with powdered sugar at medium speed of the mixer until smooth and homogeneous (do not stir for too long), leave aside. We take the whipping cream and whisk in a separate bowl until soft peaks, there is no need to whisk the cream tightly, because we will add cream to the mixed cream cheese and powder, and whisk everything together at low speed. It is important not to overdo it, because the cream may begin to delaminate. Good luck !❤
I’ve never liked American buttercream—always found it cloyingly sweet and unpleasantly crusty—and I always figured it’s because I’m not a pro baker and didn’t know how to get it silky smooth. This article gave me the epiphany that anytime I’ve liked buttercream, it just hasn’t been American buttercream. Can’t wait to try a few of these out. Thanks for the great content!
As a German I was highly confused when I ate buttercream for the first time in the USA. It was just so sweet. If you don’t have a mixer you can a fine flexible sieve to press both butter and the pastry cream (of vanilla pudding) through it. It will still come out quite airy. I made all my cakes like this as a student.
American buttercream is the same as the UK. Love the Italian meringue one if I want something else for a change. But the Russian one or condensed milk buttercream is my favourite, I melt a bar of white chocolate and mix that in which makes this perfect for icing cakes inside and out. I have made it with dark and milk also. Great article Thank you for sharing.
Hello, great article about those differentes buttercream. However, here in France, we don’t do the buttercream that way. We use egg whites like every other buttercream and there is not heating. Basically you mix egg white in your tank, you gradually add the sugar until the volume doubles. Then you stop the mixer and you had icing sugar that you previously have sifted, with a spatula.
Thank you Baker Bettie, for this great comparison article. My favorite icing is the Italian meringue, without the butter. After it is whipped cool, it pipes like a shimmering dream. Filling the cooled cupcake with a lightly sweetened creme chantilly, and piping with this meringue has always been a big hit. A few drops of food coloring and viola!
I‘ve seen a lot of comments saying that they would like to try make the German butter cream and I can only confirm that it is silky smooth and absolutely delicious. 😋 HOWEVER, please note that you CANNOT and I repeat CANNOT use it directly underneath fondant! It has way more moisture in it than any other buttercream so within only a few hours your fondant is going to melt off the cake. Trust me, I’ve learned the hard way… If you only use it to frost some plain cupcakes (maybe paired with some fruit as decorations) or as a filling INSIDE the cake you‘ll be fine, just make sure it does not come in direct contact with any fondant decorations. Also, pro tip: When done mixing, add in about 2-4 tablespoons of cocoa powder to make a delicious chocolate frosting👌🏻
Loved this article. I did a similar comparison and used my work colleagues to taste test. They loved being my guinea pigs, lol. My fav is the French. I will try the German as it looks/sounds very good. I do add about a cup of powdered sugar to any Italian or Swiss because it’s a bit too buttery. Being in Canada, we’re used to the American but many say it’s too sweet but also say Swiss and Italian are not sweet enough.
I am not sure if it is mentioned in any of the comments,but the traditional German recipes ask for potato starch,not corn starch. Going back further, it is even wheat starch While they have similar properties (they are much closer to each other than let’s say any starch compared to wheat flour), they have different thickening properties and one must change the amount to get the same level of thickening and the “transparency” is slightly different,too. For a pudding as a base it is not super important, as long as you reach the right consistency, but in a sauce or a cake you do get slight differences, whiCh may improve or slightly drop the trait you are after. Either way: I saved this article, as it is GREAT!!!!
Yep, you’ve got to eat that last one, now. I really enjoyed this and I think my fave would also be Italian. My mother used to make the standard American one, or sometimes what she called “boiled frosting.” I think that was equivalent to the Swiss one you made. Both were slathered on her standard chocolate “Crazy Cake,” a recipe from either Depression years or WWII. P.S. I love your wonderful mixing bowl collection!
Wow, what an amazing episode, Baker Betty! Brava, brava, brav4! Your 50s theme and opening were delightful, and your demonstration and instructions were top-notch. As a chef myself (though not a pastry chef), I found perusal you prepare the creams both enjoyable and informative. I can totally relate to struggling with buttercreams and icings, so your expertise is truly inspiring. And I’m totally with you on German buttercreams, but I do enjoy Swiss merengue – they’re my favorites too! Can’t wait for more fantastic content from you. Keep up the fantastic work! I am interested in learning more about royal icing and variations there of.❤🎉💯💗💐✨💝🤩☕
WOW !!! What a revelation! I know about US buttercream but I didn’t know you could mix Swiss or Italian meringue with butter or even crème pâtissière/custard or pudding with butter to make buttercream! Amazing!!! So many recipes to experiment with, thanks a lot, Bettie!!!! And I think I’ll even start with the Russian buttercream which I didn’t know it exists. If I could, I’d give you the award for best “baking” YouTube article of the year👌👏
I’ve been trying for year’s to figure out how my grandmother made her icing. She past away when I was 14 so I never got to ask her and family doesn’t know other then the thinking she used sweetened condensed milk. She made Garman style food so I clicked on ur link in hope’s that you just might show what she made… I believe she either made the Garman or Russian style you made. I’m definitely going to try them out. Thank you so much!!!! I look forward to seeing your other articles.
Have Mercy! I lovvvve your Cinderella Bowls! My mom received the Daisy set as a wedding gift from my Gram. It will come to me as I cherish them, but I own the Butterprint and Gooseberry set and have gifted the Sunflower, Spring Blossom Green I and the Autumn Harvest sets. These bowls evoke good memories. I am always drawn to them.
Thank you for this article! I always knew there was many different kinds of butter cream and was afraid to try them but now I want to try them all! I typically make American butter cream and I have a few pointers. I beat my butter for a good 10 mins to make it lighter in color (almost white) and I crease in volume. Then I add the powdered sugar, milk and (clear) flavoring. Once I’m done it’s a pale yellow but if you add a dot of violet gel food coloring and mix it up it cancels out the yellow and makes it a bright white!
This is fascinating! I remember the disappointment, this feeling of utter betrayal, when I had my first bite of American buttercream because I had no idea that it would be different from what I knew as buttercream (the German kind). I don’t think I ever tried the other countries’ versions but now I’m really curious. (Even though I just can not imagine anything being better than the German one 😉
German Chef here, sorry I’m late to the party. So for the German buttercream we would never use vanilla extract, but instead would scrape out a vanilla bean and add that to the pastry cream together with the rest of the vanilöla bean (which we would then take out before we drip it into the egg mixture). Have a great day <3
I was so excited to watch this article, it is so nice to have all these variations in one article. You are an excellent instructor, so easy to follow. You also are so thorough, you answered all my questions, before I could ask them! The demonstrations are perfect and concise. Lastly can I just say how visually attractive this article is, your adorable shirt and skirt are perfect. I am subscribing, and I know that I will love this website.
Just as an FYI, the French are somewhat particular about traditional recipes, and the one you give for French buttercream here isn’t necessarily all that traditional. Typically, French buttercream involves whole eggs, which will give you a lighter texture since you can whip more air into them. Some recipes call for whole eggs only, but the best-known encyclopedia of French patisserie (Le Larousse des desserts) uses 190 g of whole eggs and 72 g of yolks for 450 g of butter (and 250 g of sugar). The addition of salt in your version is also a distinctly American touch. Conversely, your take on German buttercream is a bit on the conservative/traditional side: some pastry shops definitely still incorporate egg, but the most wide-spread German introduction to baking (Backen macht Freude) uses only starch and no eggs to set the pastry cream component, and the ratios also differ from yours (your recipe makes about 770 g of pastry cream and then uses 570 g of butter, whereas the aforementioned introduction uses two parts pastry cream for one part butter (i.e. your 570 g of butter would be combined with 1140 g of pastry cream). Given the higher butter content in your take on German buttercream, I would expect it to be denser, at least when refrigerated. Also note that the German buttercream you’ll find in Germany will typically be even less sweet than your version (of the 1340 g your recipe makes, 200 g are sugar; again taking Backen macht Freude as a reference, 1340 g of German buttercream will usually only contain about 125 g of sugar).
Great tutorial. I was on a quest for the perfect frosting years ago and tried all of these but the German and Russian. Came across the German recipe last year, and actually bought sweetened condensed milk last week to try the Russian. Still like the variations of American best. My go to is the lofthouse house buttercream.
I had no idea there were so many types of buttercream! I have fond recollections of “whoopie pies” that someone would bring to our annual family reunions when I was a kid — I have tried a zillion recipes, and though the cake part is a cinch, the fillings are always too sweet. I also remember the filling being quite yellow, so I might start with German buttercream. Happy to have these options to try. And I also love that cardigan!
Great article. I love French buttercream for fillings and some desserts— so silky and rich. I also love Italian buttercream. I remember the first time I made it I was positive it was not going to work and it was beautiful and versatile. Great for pushing coconut or other things into it and then it slightly crusts to hold in place . Thanks for this comparison.
Thanks for this! I make a buttercream that’s very similar to German buttercream, but has no eggs and uses flour instead of cornstarch. You make a simple pudding with flour, milk, and sugar, then whip it up and add butter while it’s whisking. Some call it boiled milk frosting, ermine frosting, or boiled flour frosting! I like it because you can make it less sweet than regular buttercream, which I think is just way too sweet almost every time!
It is very rare I comment on a article but this one was so nice to watch. So organized easy to follow and divided in time sections. It was quick great detail and easy to follow with good descriptions for how each behave. Great article and I’m going to go with the Italian buttercream thanks to you helping me decide what’s good for a hotter climate. I definitely need the additional stability.
Pastry cream is so versatile. Remembering how to make a nice pastry cream or even just custard is so helpful. From there you can make chocolate/vanilla pudding, baked custard, custard tarts, filling for choux pastry, add whipping cream to make creme legere, and now we see it can make a lovely butter cream. Tysm!
Lovely article, it was so helpful to see all of the different options lined up! I’d never heard of the Russian or German versions, so I might need to try them, especially the German! I’m including one other version of BC that I first learned from Lauren Kitchens in a Craftsy class, and it’s now all I use (so delicious, easier than Italian/French/Swiss/German, but not too sweet like American!). Below I include a few different modifications I’ve made to her recipe, but she deserves credit for the basic idea, as far as I know (you can easily double, triple, etc this recipe): 1). Add to mixing bowl, whisking until combined: •1/4c/60 ml pasteurized egg whites •1/8+ tsp salt •1 tsp meringue powder (completely optional but good) 2). On low speed, a heaping cup at a time, add: •1/2 lb/227g powdered sugar (ideally it”s been sifted) 3). Scrape bowl occasionally and once mixture is even, turn speed up to med/med-high for 7-10 minutes. 4). Beating on medium, 1-2 Tbsp at a time, add: •1lb/454g/4 sticks unsalted butter at room temperature 5). Once all butter has been added, put in you flavoring. For ‘plain’ or vanilla buttercream, I add: •1+Tbsp (real) vanilla extra (yes, tablespoon, not teaspoon) •1/8 tsp almond extract (you can’t taste the almond, it just gives the flavor some dimension) 7). Adjust flavor as needed and beat mixture for another 7-10 minutes on med/med-high speed. Super simple, no stove required (so it’s great to make with kids), pipes just as beautifully as Italian or Swiss Buttercream, and lasts a LONG time without needing to be refrigerated (according to Lauren Kitchens, she’ll leave this out on the counter, not in the fridge, for up to 2 weeks.
We are right next to Russia and were occupied by Russia most of our existence, so many of our recipes are close to theirs, but I have never seen anyone making such buttercream here. We make it with butter, sugar, vanilla or chocolate, eggs, milk and flour. We call it boiled buttercream or boiled cake cream in direct translation.
If you live in Germany, making German buttercream is even easier. We use the pre-fabricated mix for blancmange you can buy in any German supermarket, add a bit of sugar (as the powder is unsweetened) and milk, cook a thick blancmange out of it, let it cool down and add the butter. You can also use fruit juice instead of milk if you plan to fill a cake with fruit. I do this when I make a cherry cake using preserved cherries, for example. I let the cherries drain and use the liquid for making the buttercream. It gives the cake a fruity, light flavour and it doesn’t feel heavy at all, even if it is a buttercream cake.
I’ve stood by American buttercream for years because of how simple it is, but late last year I got diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, and have been looking for less sugary alternatives. I tried the Russian buttercream first and loved the flavor, but I just couldn’t get it to stabilize, so I’m keeping it as a cinnamon roll topping. I tried Italian next, and I’m in love. Rich and not too sugary, it does a great job and spreads beautifully! Thanks for the excellent and informative article!
I grew up only ever making American buttercream, and only recently learned how to make Italian meringue buttercream. I like it so much better than American buttercream. The extra air from the meringue really makes a huge difference in terms of how sweet it tastes. As an extra bonus, it gets very close to a truly white color, which I found very useful when I made a cake for my older brother’s 40th birthday. It was a black and white headstone cake, and when paired with black, Italian meringue buttercream looks very white.
If you’re like me and like the texture and simplicity of American buttercream but hate how sweet it is, try adding more salt. For me, 2-3 teaspoons of flaky salt is about right for one cake worth of frosting. Just my opinion though. Chocolate buttercream is also great because pure cocoa powder has a bitterness that helps cut the sweetness
i discovered swiss buttercream some years ago and just love the light flavor. compared to the german buttercream i’ve made before it’s just lighter. you can eat more than one slice of cake without it being to much. i also add more or less butter depending on what lightness i want. it will always turn out great!!
I love that you showed many styles work all the steps, but did it quickly! Very professional looking article, and I subscribed after seeing some of the other vids on your website. In scrolling to your website vids, their was a suggested one for Korean glossy buttercream. I’ve never heard of that, or the German or Russian, so am definitely eager to try those two. I don’t care for American as it’s far too sugary, I scrape most of it off cakes lol. Definitely want to try the Russian with a commenter suggestion of using dulce de Leche! Thanks for such a great article!
Thanks for the educational and information article! I had no idea there were so many different buttercreams, let alone buttercreams that contain eggs. As a person with an egg allergy, I thought I knew everything that might have eggs included. Thanks for saving me a potential future anaphylaxis! 😅 However I usually just stay away from cake in general unless I make it myself. 😉
Ok, this is my first introduction to your articles and I’m already so entranced. I knew about the different kinds of buttercream, but seeing them all outlined in one article is so cool. Based on what you said, I’ll probably try German buttercream soon. I love your outfit and the setup you have- it’s so pretty and I like the vintage mixers in the background. 😀 I feel like there’s a frosting out there that uses flour…do you know what one that is?
Thank you so much! I wanted to bake an easter sheep for the short coming easter feast. In the past, they sold wonderful butter cream easter sheeps, but they do not anymore, I don´t know why. So I wanted to do one by myself this year, but unfortunately I haven´t had a good receipe for a tasty buttercream so far… Now I can do 6!! Thanks a lot! You have the skills, girl!! Subscribed!!!
Glad this was recommended to me. Your vintage bowl collection is stunning. I am a Swiss meringue buttercream convert. I actually don’t frost most of my cakes but also don’t make many layer cakes either. The German buttercream sounds intriguing. It was good to see them all side by side. The only thing that is different regarding your buttercream methods is to use room temp butter. The recipes I’ve used suggest that the butter should be so soft that you couldn’t pick it up with your fingers. I’ve always done that and never had the frosting break. Also my recipes say to add the butter on low speed but don’t necessarily need to add the butter slowly. Good to know that these frostings aren’t as temperamental as they are reputed to be.
when i was younger i experimented with german butercream a bit. instead of a milk pudding, i boiled rose syrup or other syrups with starch to create a pudding and then proceeded as normal. it really tasted delightful!! this might be a cool methode to add flavoring to your cream without diluting the texture 🙂