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How To Make Buttercream Frosting – American Buttercream 101

You know that pump up music they play at the beginning every high school basketball ball game to get everybody excited? I feel like I need that in the background while you read this. And an announcer saying, ARE YOU GUYS READY FOR THIS? Because today we’re taking the time to dive into a topic and a recipe that should be in every baker’s recipe box, how to make buttercream frosting, that’s right American buttercream 101! Not only is American buttercream frosting is a crucial staple to have in your recipe box, but it’s also the perfect place for beginner level bakers and dessert decorators to begin. It’s also very flexible. If it’s not quite what you wanted it’s easy to fix it. So today we’re going to talk about what American Buttercream is, what it’s good for, share how to make buttercream frosting, how to color it, ways to adapt it, and beyond!

American Buttercream Ingredients

What Is American Buttercream?

There are several different types of buttercream:

  • Italian Buttercream
  • Swiss Meringue Buttercream
  • French Buttercream
  • American Buttercream

Each has their strength and weaknesses. What I’m going to be focusing on today is the baking all-star we know and love, American Buttercream. It’s important to note sometimes American buttercream is referred to as decorator’s buttercream, well get to that later on. American buttercream is like the mother of all buttercreams, so if somebody says “buttercream” they are probably referring to American Buttercream. Which is a frosting made with all butter, a butter-shortening combo, or sometimes just shortening.

Here are the pro’s, cons, and characteristics of each combination:

  • All Butter – this combination creates a very smooth buttercream, has a natural slight yellow tint, butter melts entirely with body temp (little residue when eaten), does not hold up well in heat, less stable for decorating, and will slightly crust over.
  • 1/2 Butter + 1/2 Shortening Combo – marginally (pun intended of course) less butter taste, a lighter yellow look, hold ups better in warmer temps, very stable for decorating, and crusts over well.
  • All Shortening – leaves a heavier greasy residue, less flavorful naturally, pure white, colors nicely, decorates well, and hold up better in warm climates.

Some bakers will cringe at the thought of using shortening. But the reality is, there is a time and a place for everything. And if you are baking a cake for an outdoor wedding in June in Miami, all real butter American Buttercream might not be realistic.
So what do I use? 99% of the time I use a combo of butter and shortening, known as decorator’s buttercream. I have been using this combo for a decade, and it just works! I use this a lot because I am often baking decorated treats. I like the taste of it, it’s not too sweet, or too buttery, it’s smooth, it crusts well, flexible, colors well, stable, and it just really great to work with. I know that I can frost cupcakes a mile high with zero problems. I have had many many compliments on this simple recipe…so yes, even with shortening in it people seem to love it. Which one you choose is up to your needs and your taste buds!

How To Make Buttercream Frosting - American Buttercream 101

MY FAVORITE AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM RECIPE + HOW TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

How To Make Buttercream Frosting - American Buttercream 101
INGREDIENTS

  • 2 sticks unsalted butter still cool
  • 1 cup shortening (replace with 2 sticks additional butter for shortening free version)
  • 1 tbsp vanilla
  • 1 2lb bag of name brand powdered sugar
  • 4-8 tbsp milk OR heavy cream

Step 1: Let your butter sit out for 30 minutes to an hour to soften. DO NOT put it in the microwave. If your anything like me and ready to work but forgot about the butter don’t stress it. Just cut the butter up into little chunks so your mixer can beat it quickly.

Step 2: Beat the butter on medium high in your mixer, you want it to get good and fluffy here. If you don’t have a kitchen mixer, you can do this with a hand mixer, but it’s best to go ahead and leave your butter to soften.

Step 3: Add in shortening, beat again. I like to give mine a few minutes on medium-high. Beating it a little longer makes it lighter in color, and I’m not too worried about the extra air at this point.

Step 4: Add vanilla and mix well.

Step 5: Add in the powdered sugar about a cup at a time. One of the best tricks I’ve ever learned is when mixing a lot of powdered sugar place a piece of plastic wrap or damp paper towel around your mixer to help keep the sugar from flying out. It will be pretty thick here. You may need to scrape down the sides too.

Step 6: Add in milk/cream 1 tbsp at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.

Step 7: After I finish my buttercream I always take a silicon spatula and fold and smooth the buttercream to remove any extra air pockets. It takes a bit of muscle but if done right can make a significant difference on the consistency of your frosting.

How To Make Buttercream Frosting - American Buttercream 101

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING A BRIGHTER WHITE

Unless you’re making an all shortening buttercream, your buttercream will have a slight tint of yellow from the butter. Which stinks when your trying to get a bright white frosting or even hamper your coloring process This is one of my favorite baking tricks of all time. I picked this up years ago at the beginning of my buttercream journey. Are you ready for this? Add a tiny bit of violet to your finished frosting, and beat! I do this with every buttercream I make, and I can’t ever believe the difference it makes! It may sound weird, but I promise, it’s too. To save you the science the cool purple battles the warm yellow to create a more neutral white.

How To Make Buttercream Frosting - American Buttercream 101

FROSTING CONSISTENCY IS KEY

When learning how to make buttercream frosting or making + decorating with frosting or icing of any kind, you are going to hear me say it’s all about two things: consistency and pressure. The first part, consistency, comes from the recipe. There is no one right consistency. Again it’s all about tailoring it to what you need it for when baking. Your buttercream frosting can go from uber thick to run off your cake thin with a simple adjustment of liquid in this cake milk or heavy cream. For this American buttercream recipe I recommend adding 4 tbsp of liquid to begin, then 1 tbsp spoon at a time until you’ve reached a consistency you like. My magic number is typically 6tbsp; I prefer a pretty sturdy American buttercream.
Here’s the best part, if you do over soften your buttercream add a bit more powdered sugar to stiffen it back up a little. When checking your consistency, it’s important to keep in mind what else you might do to the buttercream such as coloring. If you know your making a deep color and you will need a lot of coloring, start with a stiffer buttercream. You can always add more liquid later on.

FLAVORING AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

Changing the flavor of buttercream is simple and so much fun! The possibilities are endless. You can alter your basic American buttercream to just about any taste you would like with just a little experimenting. Extracts, candy oils, ice cream syrups, chocolates, fruit, coffee creamer, flavor packets…sometimes I mix two flavors like vanilla + root beer to make root beer float! Start out with the basic recipe and add it in at the very end just before adding the milk or heavy cream. If you wait to add it until after the liquid, you may risk your desired consistency.

HOW TO COLOR AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

As you probably know, I love to color! If we could, we would eat pink broccoli and rainbow rice for dinner I would. I kid. I kid. I love that I can easily color American buttercream just about any color I want to match whatever bakes I am working on at the time. For aspiring decorators, when coloring buttercream you’re going to want to use gel coloring not the little liquid color bottles you find in the grocery store. Because liquid colors are well liquid and too much will make your icing runny, and they don’t color well unless your dying eggs. With that said if you’re looking to frost a simple cake and not make a hobby out of it go ahead and use the bottles you have on hand but add the coloring before the liquid.
I use two gel color brands: Wilton and AmeriColor. Wilton’s Color Right System is perfect for a beginner cake decorator. You can find their colors online or at almost any major store that carries cake decorating products. This little set allows you to create a ton of colors, but you have to be willing to do the mixing on your own. AmeriColor also has a perfect 12 color set for a beginner, the AmeriColor Student Kit. For the baker who’s getting a little more serious about his or her craft, I highly recommend the Nifty Fifty Kit, 50 AmeriColor gel colors.
As you get used to how to make buttercream frosting and coloring buttercream it’s always good to add a small amount, mix, then add more as needed. Some colors take just a tiny amount and will turn neon very fast. I’m looking at you pink!

BAKER’S NOTE: as your icing sits it will develop and most likely get several shades darker. It’s helpful to make your buttercream ahead of time if possible so you can give it a chance to show it’s true colors.

WHAT IS CRUSTING BUTTERCREAM AND WHY SHOULD I CARE?

I felt like I couldn’t leave this little bit of information out before wrapping up our talk on how to make buttercream frosting. In the cake decorating world you will often hear about buttercream crusting. Crusting refers to the thin crust of buttercream that forms on the surface of the frosting after being exposures to air. Crusting can be a great tool, or a huge problem when frosting cakes and cupcakes with buttercream frosting. It will entirely depend on what you’re attempting, so it’s just a good idea to be aware of the fact that buttercream crusts. For example, you might smooth a cake with a scraping tool before it crusts, but then smooth it with a Viva paper towel and a smoother after it crusts. Or in the case of adding sprinkles, something we do here a lot, you want to add them right away before the buttercream crusts of the sprinkles will roll right off.

HOW TO STORE BUTTERCREAM/CAN I MAKE BUTTERCREAM IN ADVANCE?

Storing your buttercream is simple. Even though it contains milk, thanks to science again, your American Buttercream can be left at room temp on the counter in an airtight container for 2-3 days, the fridge for 2 weeks, or in the freezer for up to 3 months. I freeze my American buttercream all the time. I place it in an airtight container, wrap the entire container in plastic wrap, write a date on the wrap, then freeze. When ready to use I simply let it thaw on the counter for a few hours then whip it again just before using.

A FEW MORE HELPFUL TIPS & TRICKS FOR AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

  • Cover buttercream your not working with if it’s open to air it’s going to crust.
  • Even though they can be set out, I like to store finished cakes and cupcakes in the fridge as it keeps them soft and moist.
  • Both Wilton and AmeriColor make a white coloring to help bring your buttercream back to a pure white. If you use these be very sparing with them as they tend to wreak havoc on the smooth consistency of buttercream.
  • When coloring grey frosting, add a tiny amount of yellow if your frosting has a purple hue.

WHEW! I think that’s it, did anybody count how many times I typed buttercream? I’m not positive, but I’m guessing close to 10,000…well at least it felt that way. Thank for following along with the beautiful world of buttercream (10,001). I hope you guys learned a little bit today about how to make buttercream frosting (10,002). Be sure to check out the cakes and cupcakes section of the site if you’re looking for ways to put that buttercream (10,003) to use!
Heads up! To keep those legal gurus of the world happy, I need to inform you that some of the links in this post are affiliate links. In short – I may earn a small commission from the use of said link with no cost to you! But don’t worry I only link to stuff I use, love, and know you will too.

THE BEST BUTTERCREAM RECIPE

Learn how to make buttercream frosting to top any baked good with this American buttercream recipe. Also known as decorator’s buttercream!

  • 2 sticks (1 cup unsalted butter softened but still cool)
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 TBS vanilla
  • 1 2 lb bag of powdered sugar
  • 4-8 TBS milk OR heavy cream
  1. Beat the butter on medium high in your mixer, you want it to get really nice and fluffy here.
  2. Add in shortening, beat again for a few minutes on medium-high…beating it a little longer makes it lighter in color.
  3. Add extract and mix well.
  4. Add in the powdered sugar about a cup at a time. It will be pretty thick here. You may need to scrap down the sides too.
  5. Add in milk/cream 1 tbs at a time until you’ve reached your desired consistency.
  6. Use a silicon spatula and fold and smooth the buttercream to remove any extra air pockets.

 

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COOKIE DESIGNER

 I’m Toni, the baker, the blogger,  and cookie cutter maker  behind The Sprinkle Factory and I hope you find a sprinkle of inspiration here at The Factory.

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