Crazy Buttercream Frosting Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the secret to buttercream frosting? ›

Just a spoonful of vinegar helps the frosting go down

That bottle of white vinegar in your pantry has another use — and it has nothing to do with household cleaning or savory cooking recipes. Rather, The Washington Post suggests using white vinegar in buttercream recipes for two primary purposes.

1. Swiss Meringue Buttercream. This is the Queen of Frosting. Imagine the melt-in-mouth texture of ice cream, just at room temperature.

Beat together butter, shortening, and vanilla with an electric mixer in a large bowl until creamy. Blend in confectioners' sugar, 1 cup at a time, beating well after each addition. Beat in milk; continue mixing until icing is light and fluffy. Store icing covered until ready to use.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

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.

Sugar is the most important ingredient in all types of frostings, providing sweetness, flavor, bulk and structure.

Whip the frosting with half a block of cream cheese and an extra cup of powdered sugar and a few drops of the appropriate flavoring extract. If you're using chocolate, add cocoa powder. If you want a richer buttery flavor add a few tablespoons of butter as well.

Add white vinegar.

Although many do so to avoid cracks and to achieve a smooth appearance, I find just the tiniest bit — about 1/2 to 3/4 teaspoon — also curbs the sweetness, allowing the wonderfully creamy mouth-feel of the icing to truly shine.

Fondant icing is a sugar paste and a classic choice for decorating cakes because it provides a smooth and professional look. There are three types of fondant: rolled fondant, marshmallow fondant, and poured fondant. They are all used for coating sponges and pastries but will provide slightly different results.

The frosting should form a somewhat stiff peak that has a little curl on the end. It's stiff enough to hold up that curl, but soft enough to create that little curl. That little curl is a great visual cue to know that your frosting is just the right consistency.

What is the best buttercream to use on a wedding cake? ›

As far as buttercream options go, MacIsaac says Swiss and Italian meringue are the two most delicious options. "Both Italian and Swiss are made using meringue, just with slightly different techniques—resulting in a light, fluffy, exceptionally smooth, and less-sweet buttercream," she explains.

Here are 7 of our favorite types of buttercream:

Traditional American Buttercream. Swiss Meringue Buttercream. Italian Meringue Buttercream. French Buttercream.

To thicken your buttercream when you've added too much liquid, simply add more powdered sugar, 2-3 Tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If it's more of a matter of the kitchen temperature being too warm, pop your buttercream into the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes.

To make the frosting extra smooth, stir it by hand with a rubber spatula for a minute or two right before you use it. It's an arm workout, but it's worth it! Push the frosting back and forth and spread it around the side of the bowl. This will push out any extra air and make it easier to smooth onto cakes or pipe with.

If the buttercream is still grainy, you can try warming it up over a double boiler or adding a little bit of heavy cream. It's important to find the right balance of ingredients when making any kind of buttercream. Too much sugar or not enough liquid can cause the buttercream to break or become too gritty.

Yes, this is absolutely correct. The longer you beat, the more air you incorporate in your buttercream, thus, it will have lots of holes or air-pockets, it will also make the colour lighter. If you will use your buttercream primarily for filling or maybe as simple swirls, then this is ok.

When the frosting's temperature drops below 69°F (21°C), its butter content will stiffen, bit by bit, until the frosting breaks into a curdled mess. But between those extremes, when the butter is pliable but cool, the frosting will be silky and light—perfect for spreading over your favorite cake.