Buttercream
A frosting made mainly of butter and sugar, beaten until smooth and light, used to fill, cover and decorate cakes.
- Fillings, creams, frostings and sauces
Also called: butter cream, butter frosting, butter icing
The simplest kind, American buttercream, is softened butter beaten with powdered sugar and a little milk or cream. Meringue buttercreams are silkier and less sweet: Swiss meringue buttercream starts with egg whites and sugar warmed over a water bath, Italian meringue buttercream with a hot sugar syrup poured into whipping egg whites; butter is beaten in once the meringue has cooled. French buttercream uses yolks instead of whites, and German buttercream is built on pastry cream.
Temperature is the usual problem. Butter that is too cold makes buttercream look curdled, and butter that is too warm makes it soupy; a few more minutes of beating, or gently warming or chilling the bowl, usually brings it back.
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Tools for this
KitchenAid 7-Qt Bowl-Lift Stand MixerA big, powerful mixer for stiff doughs and large batches.See it on Amazon
Ateco 12-Inch Revolving Cake Stand (Cast Iron Base)A heavy, smooth-spinning turntable for sharp frosting finishes.See it on Amazon
OXO Bent Icing SpatulaSmooth, even frosting and filling with a flick of the wrist.See it on Amazon
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Related entries
Sources
Written by VanillaGoods in our own words from these sources. Last reviewed October 15, 2026.
- 1.7: Cake and Buttercreams, Nicholls State University, Chef John Folse Culinary Institute (T. Rink and W. R. Thibodeaux), Introduction to Baking and Pastries, via LibreTexts
- A Review of Recipes for Kansas Fairs and Exhibitions (frostings and fillings), Kansas State University, Food Science Institute
- Buttercream (Q1429013), Wikidata