There are three types of buttercreams that are most often used: American Buttercream, Swiss Meringue Buttercream, and Italian Meringue Buttercream. There are a few other types of buttercream that are less commonly used like French Buttercream, German Buttercream, and a very new style of buttercream called G.G.
What is the difference between buttercream and frosting?
If you’re searching for a more buttery taste, frosting is the way to go. Instead of using a sugar base like icing, frosting usually starts with butter, hence the name buttercream. The thicker ingredients used to create frosting result in a thick and fluffy result.
What is buttercream icing made of?
American Buttercream Frosting This buttercream is fast, simple and what you see on most grocery store cakes. It’s essentially fat (butter, margarine, shortening), confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract whipped together.
What is the taste of buttercream?
Rich and creamy, French buttercream has a taste and consistency similar to custard or pastry cream. Made using pasteurized egg yolks and sugar, this buttercream is not as sweet as traditional American buttercream and makes a great topping for a dark chocolate cake.
What buttercream do professionals use?
Swiss meringue buttercream Swiss meringue buttercream is probably the most standard buttercream for pastry professionals. It is incredibly smooth, making it an extremely popular choice for icing cakes.
What is a substitute for buttercream?
Marshmallow Frosting This is perhaps your best bet. It is still sugary, but it’s lighter and it can still be piped. Cream Cheese Icing Another classic frosting. Whipped Cream with Cream Cheese For a rich but lighter-tasting topping, you can bulk up whipped cream with cream cheese to help it hold its form.
Which is better royal icing or buttercream?
Buttercream is best for frosting cakes, cookies, cupcakes, and other treats. … It’s a forgiving type of icing. Royal icing is less about the taste and texture. Super-sweet and hardening quickly, royal icing is into making a pretty appearance and having a function: a glue to hold decorations together.
Is whipped icing better than buttercream?
For those who are trying to eat less sugar, whipped icing can be a better choice. Many people who think buttercream is too sweet, prefer the taste of whipped icing. If you prefer a lighter and fluffier texture, whipped icing is a good choice. If you prefer a richer and creamier taste, buttercream is a good choice.
Why is buttercream so popular?
Buttercream is the perfect level of sweet, offering a hearty and robust flavor that’s often the key talking point for the cake. … Fondant may actually be overly sweet for many people, turning them off to the cake buttercream doesn’t overdo it, but is still easily rich enough for the sweet tooth folks out there.
Which icing is best for cakes?
Here are the most well-liked kinds of icing that you can use to finish your cakes.
- Butter Cream. Buttercream is softer and more spreadable than most icing and is the preferred choice for taste and flexibility. …
- Whipped Cream. …
- Royal Icing. …
- Cream Cheese Frosting. …
- Meringue. …
- Fondant.
How many types of buttercream are there?
Did you know that there are five major kinds of buttercream frostings? We have American, French, Swiss, Italian and German buttercream frosting. Universally, they all have butter in the final product, but each one is made very differently.
Does buttercream frosting need refrigerated?
If you’re planning on using it in the next week or so, buttercream frosting does need to be refrigerated until you need it. Simply place it in an airtight container and let it come up to room temperature before using it. … The fats in the buttercream may absorb the odors and flavors of those foods, rendering it unusable.
Why does buttercream taste so bad?
Your icing tastes like powdered sugar and fat but not much else. You MUST use flavoring when you make buttercream. If you use too much extract, your icing can become bitter.
Is buttercream supposed to taste like butter?
Yes, frosting is supposed to be sweet. But the best ones temper all that sugar with something tart. … Another tip: Balance the flavors so your frosting tastes butterynot like straight butter.
What is the difference between buttercream and American buttercream?
American buttercream has a pale ivory color and is a bit firmer than most other buttercreams, because it has a very high butter content. I hate to break it to you, but American buttercream really is just fat and sugar. (That’s why it’s so good.)
What is the difference between buttercream and French buttercream?
Buttercream is a beloved frosting made with a combination of fat and sugar. … French buttercream is made by heating a sugar syrup until it reaches soft ball stage and then whipping it into beaten egg yolks and soft butter. This is the shiny, rich frosting of your dreams.
Which is better Swiss or Italian Meringue buttercream?
Swiss meringue is smoother, silkier, and somewhat denser than French meringue and is often used as a base for buttercream frostings. Italian meringue (shown below) is made by drizzling 240-degree Fahrenheit sugar syrup into whites that have already been whipped to hold firm peaks.
What kind of frosting is used on wedding cakes?
If you’re a novice to cakery, here’s what we’re talking about: The two main choices when finishing (the technical term for icing) a wedding cake are BUTTERCREAM and FONDANT. Buttercream is a blend of sugar, eggs and butter, which results in a soft, creamy texture that can be mixed with various flavorings.
What can I use if I don’t have frosting?
6 Quick Ways to Decorate a Cake Without Frosting
- Whipped Cream. Looks like frosting, but it’s not. …
- Glaze. When it comes to Bundt cakes, glaze (or even caramel sauce) is a much better choice then frosting. …
- Powdered Sugar. …
- Chocolate or Caramel Sauce. …
- Fresh Fruit. …
- Syrups + Edible Flowers.
Can I use margarine instead of butter for buttercream?
Margarine is a suitable replacement for butter in a lot of recipes and especially buttercream. Use a margarine that has a comparable amount of fat to butter. Some margarines only contain 60 percent fat, which isn’t enough to hold up in a buttercream recipe.
Can I use spread for buttercream?
As the name implies, butter is meant to be the main ingredient in this sweet frosting. It’s what gives buttercream its structure, so it can be easily piped or spread over the cake. When you opt for a substitute, like margarine or shortening, it will alter the flavor, mouthfeel, and structure of the buttercream.
Can you pipe royal icing on buttercream cake?
Piping can be done with most any icing, but I prefer to use royal icing if I am piping on fondant and Swiss meringue buttercream if I am piping on buttercream. … Royal icing should not go into the fridge once it’s on a cake because the humidity will break down the royal icing, causing it to melt.
Can I use royal icing in buttercream?
Buttercream Icing! Note: This will yield about 1 cup of buttercream icing. … If you use the thin royal icing that you flood cookies with, you may need extra powdered sugar. Same goes for using butter instead of shortening, you just may need a little extra powdered sugar to thicken it.
Why is it called royal icing?
The earliest reference to Royal Icing dates back to the 1600s. It was known as ‘Egg White’ icing – a well-beaten mixture of egg white + icing sugar. It gained the accolade ‘Royal’ when it was used to coat & decorate Queen Victoria’s wedding cake in 1840.
Which is better butter cream or cream cheese frosting?
Buttercream is lighter and smoother than cream cheese frosting, and thus lends itself better to cake decorating and frosting. It’s rich and creamy in flavor, while cream cheese is rich and tangy. They both take on flavor very well and pair great with most cakes.
Why is frosting bad for you?
Consuming frosting regularly can lead to a host of health issues including, but not limited to, diabetes, heart disease, weight gain, liver dysfunction, and infertility in women (because of the trans fat). Due to its high sugar content, frosting can also lead to cavities and tooth decay.
How do filling improve a cake?
They do provide extra flavor and help seal in the moisture of the cake. The cake can be stored at room temperature when the filling is a glaze or syrup unless the cake or frosting requires refrigeration.
What does vinegar do in buttercream?
The extra liquid cuts the sweetness of the frosting and prevents grittiness (from the sugar) and/or greasiness (from the butter). Add white vinegar.
Can you use royal icing on cakes?
Royal icing is a great medium to work with if you’re looking for something to firmly set. As well as using it to coat the cake itself, you can pipe decorative borders, scrolls, and figures onto cakes using this type of icing, though this does take some practice.
Which buttercream is best for piping flowers?
Most people will recommend using Swiss meringue, Italian meringue, or American buttercream for piping flowers. These types of buttercream are recommended because they’re sturdy enough to support your piped designs. American buttercream is certainly the easiest for beginners to make.

Graduated from ENSAT (national agronomic school of Toulouse) in plant sciences in 2018, I pursued a CIFRE doctorate under contract with Sun’Agri and INRAE in Avignon between 2019 and 2022. My thesis aimed to study dynamic agrivoltaic systems, in my case in arboriculture. I love to write and share science related Stuff Here on my Website. I am currently continuing at Sun’Agri as an R&D engineer.