Buttercream Frosting Recipes
Here is a collection of the very best Buttercream Frosting Recipes! With my Best Buttercream Frosting, the Best Ever Cream Cheese Frosting, my delicious Chocolate Frosting, or my Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting, your cakes and cupcakes are about to be more delicious than ever.
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How to Make the BEST Frosting
With these baking science articles, you’ll learn all the tips and tricks you need for perfect buttercream every time.
Tessa’s Top Baking Tips
1
The best powdered sugar for buttercream is ORGANIC
Organic powdered sugar is made with tapioca starch to prevent caking. Conventional powdered sugar is made with cornstarch to prevent caking.
Tapioca starch is not only sweeter than cornstarch but it dissolves better into buttercream. Less chalky gritness. So organic powdered sugar is perfect for any instance you want the sugar to dissolve smoothly (which means it would be awful for using as a decorative garnish).
Whatever you do, DON’T SKIP SIFTING! Especially if using organic powdered sugar, which gets ultra clumpy.
2
Use high-quality ingredients
Your buttercream will taste 100x better if you use high-quality ingredients. Use high-quality chocolate, fresh high-quality unsalted butter, and real vanilla extract for best results.
3
Beat, beat, beat the butter!
For buttercream that’s so velvety smooth it melts in your mouth, don’t rush beating the butter. First, start with cool room temperature butter (67°F). You don’t want it to be so warm that it’s greasy. Use an electric mixer, either hand held or standing, and beat it with the sugar until combined. Then increase the speed to medium and beat until it lightens in color and looks fluffy in texture. Give it a taste, it should melt on your tongue and not feel heavy or dense in the slightest. This will take about 3 to 4 minutes of beating.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Salted or unsalted butter for buttercream?
Always use unsalted butter in buttercream. Not only does this allow you to control the amount of salt, but unsalted is generally fresher because salt acts as a preservative in salted butter, giving it a longer shelf life. Find out more about the differences between salted and unsalted butter here.
Do I HAVE to use organic powdered sugar?
Of course not, you can do whatever you want! But it’s these little things that add up to take your baking from good to WOW. If you’re using conventional powdered sugar, just make sure it’s finely ground 10x (not 6x which is for decorating).
How long to beat buttercream for?
The longer you beat your buttercream, the more air you’ll whip into it and the lighter and smoother it’ll be. For my mixer, the total beating time is about 5 minutes. That doesn’t include stopping to scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl and your paddle attachment. The exact timing will depend on your mixer. You’re looking more for visual indicators. The final buttercream should be lighter in color than when you started. It should look and taste smooth and creamy and be easy to spread.
Where to buy high fat Dutch process cocoa?
Amazon, Penzey’s Spice Shop and King Arthur Baking are some of my favorite places to source high fat Dutch process cocoa.
Can you freeze buttercream?
Yes! Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature and re-whip in the stand mixer until light and fluffy again. Add a tablespoon or 2 of powdered sugar if it needs to thicken.
How to make buttercream ahead of time:
Buttercream can be made ahead of time and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer for 3 months. Let it come to room temperature then re-whip with an electric mixer until light and fluffy again.
