For many years I did not eat buttercream frosting, I removed it from my cakes and cupcakes. Yup, you read correctly.  The main reason, when I was growing up, my aunt was a cake decorator, and we ate buttercream right off the spoon. We were her cake and buttercream testers (it was an excellent job). One summer after my aunt was finished taking her wedding cake course, my older sister and I ate so much buttercream and royal icing, we were sick of it. My older sister recovered, but me not so much.  In this ultimate buttercream guide, I walk you through eight different buttercreams so that you can choose the right one for you.

Fast forward to when I started cake decorating, I realized that cakes and cupcakes need buttercream. Shocker. Regardless of how I felt, I had to do something.  It’s like having socks without shoes. You can get along fine, but eventually, you need shoes. Well, maybe not that extreme.  However, I was only familiar with American buttercream. So guess what? That’s what I used. No doubt American buttercream is sweet. But, I needed something else.  I was having a different time using it to frost my cakes.

Nevertheless, out of frustration, I researched buttercream to find alternatives.  When I found out how many different types of buttercream existed it was mind-blowing for me. I tested them all and found out that I loved Italian Meringue and Swiss Meringue the best. The extra work is well worth it.

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Buttercream frosting is very versatile.

If you have made cakes or cupcakes, you have used buttercream frosting, whether it’s from a container or homemade. The buttercream that you use may be based on your taste or what is the easiest to make at that time. This guide is here for you to choose which one of these buttercream frosting is best for you:

• American buttercream, including cream cheese frosting and crusting buttercream.
• Flour buttercream, also known as Ermine’s frosting
• Lauren’s Kitchen buttercream also known as easy buttercream frosting
• French buttercream
• Italian buttercream
• Swiss buttercream

Things to keep in mind.

• Make sure eggs and butter are at room temperature.
• Room temperature butter does not mean close to melting. Leaving it on the counter for about 30 minutes is good enough.  If you need the butter right away microwave for 10 seconds on each side, testing it as you go.
• Also, make sure your buttercream comes to room temperature before you eat or try to use it to frost a cake.
• I suggest you use a stand mixer for meringue-based buttercream.

Tools you will need:

• Stand mixer
• Handheld mixer I have had the same Kitchen Aid handheld mixer for over ten years and absolutely love it.
• Candy thermometer
• Heatproof bowl or double boiler bowl

Get all the buttercream recipes in this post in a calculator that can scale each recipe. Take the guesswork out, no more scaling on your own.

American Buttercream

American buttercream frosting is made with softened butter, salt, and powdered sugar also called confectioners’ sugar. Adding heavy cream and vanilla bumps up the flavor and makes it more workable. The more liquid you add, the thinner the buttercream. This buttercream is very, very sweet. Regular American buttercream does not hold up very well in warmer temperatures and will melt off the cake. Kids love American buttercream, and it is always an excellent option for a kid’s cake. It is one of the easiest buttercreams to make.

American buttercream made with shortening is called a crusting buttercream. This buttercream forms a crust and can be smoothed out with a Viva paper towel. It can be used if instead of fondant. This buttercream is extremely sweet, but it holds up very well in the heat. Shortening doesn’t melt in the heat, therefore it is perfect for summer cakes. However, shortening gives it a slightly greasy taste. This is also one of the best buttercreams for piping flowers.  See recipes below

American Buttercream Recipe:

• One stick butter (4oz)
• 4 cups powdered sugar or 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Beat butter until light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until incorporated. Then add heavy cream one tablespoon at a time. Add more heavy cream or water as needed.

Crusting American Buttercream Recipe:

• 1/2 cup shortening (Crisco/Hi-ratio shortening)
• 1/2 cup butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar or 1 lb powdered sugar
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tbsp heavy cream
• pinch of salt

Directions:

Beat shortening and butter until light and fluffy. Then add the vanilla. Gradually add the powdered sugar one cup at a time until incorporated. Then add heavy cream, scrape down the side of the bowl make sure there are no more lumps. This produces a stiff consistency icing, which is great for flowers. Add more heavy cream or water as needed to make it medium consistency to frost a cake or to create borders.

Cream Cheese frosting

Cream cheese frosting is an American buttercream that is made with cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar. It is sweet and tangy and delicious. This buttercream is best when paired with carrot cake and red velvet cake. It can also be made as a crusting buttercream by adding shortening.

I learned the hard way DO NOT use as the final buttercream before covering with fondant. Take my word for it; don’t do it. I used it on a cake for our Christmas dinner, and I watched in horror at the never-ending condensation. I tried it again afterward and had the same problem. Now if the cake is being covered with fondant, I use it as a filling and Italian meringue buttercream on the outside.

Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe:
One stick butter
1 8oz cream cheese
4 cups confectioners sugar
1 tsp vanilla or lemon juice
2 tbsp heavy cream

Directions:

• Add the butter to a stand mixer and beat until it is pale in color.
• Then add the powdered sugar one cup at a time.
• Add the heavy cream, lemon, and vanilla. Mix until it comes together.
• Then add the cold cream cheese
• Mix until combined, then stop mixing. Do one final scrape down the side of the bowl and mix again,

This should produce a firm cream cheese.  Refrigerate if not using right away

Ermine’s Buttercream Frosting

Ermine’s buttercream frosting is made with flour, sugar, vanilla, and butter. The milk and flour are mixed to form a base similar to pudding. Then added to the creamed butter and sugar once it is cooled completely. What I have learned is it is better to melt the sugar in the flour and milk. Otherwise, you will have to keep mixing to take the grittiness out of the sugar.

Surprisingly, this buttercream does not taste like flour nor is it not sweet at all. However, it does become soft and gritty at room temperature. It pipes beautifully. From what I have read, it is traditionally paired with red velvet. I have not tried it with red velvet.

Ermine Frosting Recipe:

• 2 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/2 cup whole milk
• 1 stick unsalted butter
• 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• Pinch of salt

Directions:

• Mix flour and milk in a saucepan over medium heat until it becomes pudding-like and thick.
• When it becomes thick remove from heat and add the salt and vanilla. Place a piece of plastic wrap over the top so that it doesn’t form a skin. You want the mixture to cool down.
• Using a stand mixer cream, the butter, and the sugar together until light and fluffy.
• Then add the pudding-like mixture to the mixing bowl a little at a time until it comes together. It is best to use it at this point. Once refrigerated, you will have to bring it back to it’s a smooth consistency.

Lauren’s Kitchen Buttercream

Lauren’s Kitchen buttercream is a meringue buttercream, except it does not require the hot sugar drizzle or the time it takes to make. It is pasteurized egg whites that have been beaten with powdered sugar until it’s nice and fluffy. Then the butter is added to a stable buttercream. It takes about 10 minutes to make and is not super-sweet. It can be used under fondant and can be used to pipe beautiful flowers. I love this as an alternative and used it to make this cake.

Lauren’s Kitchen Buttercream Recipe tested (This makes about 2 cups)
1/4 cup pasteurized egg whites
2 sticks unsalted butter
1/2 lb powdered sugar or 2 cups
1/4 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

1. Beat the egg whites and powdered sugar in a stand mixer until it becomes fluffy and shiny for about 5 minutes.
2. Then add the room temperature butter in small pieces and whip on high for about 8 minutes or until it comes together.
3. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until combined.

French Buttercream

French buttercream is a rich buttercream that is very soft. It is made with egg yolks that have been beaten until it is thick and foamy, then by drizzling a hot sugar syrup mixture that has been heated up to 235 degrees. The process is similar to the Italian Meringue Buttercream in that the butter is added to the mixture when it is cold to touch or room temperature. It has a higher fat content and is yellow in color.

I was surprised that I did not get the volume that I usually get from a regular meringue. However, it is buttery, delicious, and not sweet at all. It is extremely soft and is best if used as a filling.  When I piped this buttercream, it almost fell over when I moved it. A lower swirl is probably best if using on a cupcake.  Also, after a couple of hours, it became a puddle in my warm apartment. It will not work well under fondant.

French Buttercream Recipe tested (This is half of the recipe)
¼ cup sugar
1 ½ tbsp water
2 egg yolks
1 sticks of butter
¼ tsp extract
½ pinch of salt

Directions:

1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan until the syrup comes to 235⁰F
2. While the sugar mixture is coming to a boil, beat the egg yolks until it is thick and foamy
3. When the syrup reaches 235⁰F, slowly drizzle with egg yolks and mix on high until cool to touch.
4. Then add the butter, the mixture might look curdled but keep mixing until it comes together. Add the vanilla and salt and mix until it is combined.

Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC)

Italian Meringue buttercream is my favorite. It tastes like ice cream, is silky, smooth, and is not sweet at all. IMBC is made with egg whites that have been beaten to stiff peaks and then drizzled with hot sugar that has been brought to a soft ball stage (240 degrees). The butter is added once the hot sugar and meringue is cool to the touch or room temperature.

This buttercream is not for the faint of heart because it takes some time to master. If you are not careful and the butter is added too early, you will have a soupy mess (see how to fix it below). But, it is well worth the time. IMBC is very stable and can be flavored with berries (see Strawberry Italian Meringue Buttercream here) or melted chocolate etc. It holds up well in warmer temperatures and is my go-to buttercream for every season, especially summer. Did I mention it was delicious?

Italian Meringue Buttercream Recipe tested (This makes about 4 cups)
3/4 + 1/8 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
4 egg whites
2 sticks of butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine sugar and water in a saucepan until the syrup comes to 240⁰F
2. While the sugar mixture is coming to a boil, beat the egg white until it becomes stiff peak
3. When the syrup reaches 240⁰F, with the mixer on high slowly drizzle with egg whites and mix on high until the mixing bowl is cool to touch.
4. Add butter in small pieces to the meringue. It will look curdled but keep mixing until it comes together. Then add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Another variation of IMBC Frost is Brown Sugar Italian Meringue Buttercream, which is made in a similar manner but by replacing the granulated sugar with brown sugar.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Swiss Meringue Buttercream is another favorite of mine. It is not my go-to buttercream, but it is a great option when short on time. This is made by mixing the egg whites and sugar over a hot water bath until the sugar dissolves, and it is warm to the touch or reaches 140 degrees. It is much easier to make than the Italian Meringue buttercream and is velvety, silky, smooth, and not sweet at all. I have seen various versions of this buttercream, including adding shortening and powdered sugar. But, I believe that using powdered sugar changes it from the traditional Swiss Meringue buttercream. It does, however, soften in warmer temperatures and works great under fondant.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream Recipe tested (This is only half of the recipe)
1/2 cup + 1 tbsp cup sugar
2 1/2 egg whites
2 sticks butter
1/2 pinch of salt
3/4 tsp vanilla extract

Directions:

1. Combine egg whites, sugar, and salt in a heatproof bowl.
2. Set the heatproof bowl over simmering water until the mixture is warm to touch, the sugar is dissolved and reaches 140⁰F.
3. When the mixture reaches 140⁰F, place the bowl on the mixer on high and mix until the mixing bowl is cool to touch.
4. Then add butter in small pieces to the meringue. It will look curdled but keep mixing until it comes together. Then add the vanilla extract and mix until combined.

Every once in awhile, you encounter some trouble with meringue-based buttercream. Here are some solutions:

How to Fix Meringue Buttercream

What is your go-to buttercream frosting? Let us know why you like it by commenting below.  Don’t forget to pin for later.  Until next time happy caking.

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How to frost a cake in 15 minutes or less

How to frost a buttercream cake with sharp edges