Buttercream 101
Buttercream 101
These are 3 different buttercream recipes that you need to master! They’re 3 foolproof recipes for American, French and Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I’d recommend trying them all and picking your favourite!
American Buttercream is great for beginners as it’s really quick and easy to make. I personally think it’s too sweet, and isn’t as smooth to decorate with vs the other two, but it’s often a crowd pleaser and great for kids birthday cakes!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is my personal favourite. The meringue makes it so light and it’s very smooth to decorate with. It has to be served at room temperature or the flavours don’t come through.
French Buttercream is so luxurious and rich, and very smooth to decorate with. However it’s a more expensive choice because of the amount of eggs and butter! I also wouldn’t advise using it for cakes being served in hot temperatures!
Want more 101 videos? Check out my cream 101 and my whipped ganache 101 videos and recipes.
Ingredients
Method
In a stand mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy.
Add half the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add in the remaining sugar along with the milk and beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
Add the vanilla and salt to taste along with the vinegar and mix it in.
Add more milk if you want it smoother or heat it slightly to make it soft to pipe with.
In a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks on medium speed.
Meanwhile, add the sugar and water to a saucepan and mix over a medium heat until it reaches 121C on a digital thermometer.
Slowly pour the syrup over the egg yolks while whisking. Whisk for 7 minutes or until the bowl is cool to the touch.
Add the butter a piece at a time whisking on a medium speed.
Once you have added all the butter, switch to the paddle attachment, and add the vanilla and salt to taste. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
Add the egg whites and sugar to a stand mixer bowl and whisk over a saucepan of gently simmering water until the mixture reaches 65C.
Remove the bowl from the heat and add to your stand mixer. Whisk for 7 minutes on a medium speed or until the bowl is completely cool to the touch.
Add the butter a piece at a time (don’t worry if it curdles it will fix itself).
Once you have added all the butter, continue to whisk until the buttercream appears smooth. It can take about 2-3 minutes once you’ve added all the butter.
Add vanilla and salt to taste, then mix with the paddle attachment on low speed for 3 minutes until smooth.
Ingredients
Directions
In a stand mixer, beat the butter for 3 minutes until it’s pale and fluffy.
Add half the sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.
Add in the remaining sugar along with the milk and beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take about 5-10 minutes.
Add the vanilla and salt to taste along with the vinegar and mix it in.
Add more milk if you want it smoother or heat it slightly to make it soft to pipe with.
In a stand mixer, whisk the egg yolks on medium speed.
Meanwhile, add the sugar and water to a saucepan and mix over a medium heat until it reaches 121C on a digital thermometer.
Slowly pour the syrup over the egg yolks while whisking. Whisk for 7 minutes or until the bowl is cool to the touch.
Add the butter a piece at a time whisking on a medium speed.
Once you have added all the butter, switch to the paddle attachment, and add the vanilla and salt to taste. Mix on low speed for 2 minutes.
Add the egg whites and sugar to a stand mixer bowl and whisk over a saucepan of gently simmering water until the mixture reaches 65C.
Remove the bowl from the heat and add to your stand mixer. Whisk for 7 minutes on a medium speed or until the bowl is completely cool to the touch.
Add the butter a piece at a time (don’t worry if it curdles it will fix itself).
Once you have added all the butter, continue to whisk until the buttercream appears smooth. It can take about 2-3 minutes once you’ve added all the butter.
Add vanilla and salt to taste, then mix with the paddle attachment on low speed for 3 minutes until smooth.
Hi,
I have been following you for a long while and I really like your recipes and approach to baking. From when you were the topless baker, I learned the different buttercream types. In youtube, the rations for the Swiss buttercream are completely different from the ones proposed here. Over there it is 1:0.8:1.9 while here it is 1:2:3. Do both really work? Do you have a preference?
Hi!! Thank you for the lovely comment. 1:2:3 is a real classic SMB – sometimes I lower the sugar and butter slightly but 1:2:3 is a good option!
Hi! I love your recipes! Thank you so much for putting them out there for us home bakers! I am making a cake for a baby shower and the mom-to-be loves an ultra yummy totally vanilla cake. What kind of filling would you recommend?
I would do swiss meringue buttercream with some chocolate cremeux! Both recipes on the site 🙂
Can you freeze swiss meringue or french meringue buttercream?
I haven’t tried I’m afraid!
Will the milk in american buttercream turn if the cake is left out of the fridge?
No it will be totally fine 🙂
Is the Swiss stable enough to stay at room temperature for a few days if airtight? E.g. being used in covered cakes made in advance and not refrigerated? I know sugar can stabilise cream for hard set ganaches to keep them safe for a few days but I’m not sure if it would have a similar effect on egg whites.
I wouldn’t leave it at room temp for a few days just because it is dairy based, but it is fine at room temp for 12 hours no problem!
Hi,
how much Swiss meringue buttercream do I need to frost a two-layer 8″ x 2″ cake?
I would scale it by about 1.3x 🙂
I made this yesterday and scaled up by 1.3x, but I would suggest more (closer to 2x)
Hello, I really like your recipes. I see on Instagram cupcake decorations that they use very sharp and very strong icing. Apart from these, what cream do you recommend?
Try the vanilla whipped ganache from my Ganache 101 🙂
Hello,
I have a slightly stupid question. Does it matter if the butter is non-salted or already salted aside that with non-salted you control the amount of salt? I ask because finding non-salted butter is a bit of a hassle where I live, also the price for non-salted butter is nearly double the normal butter.
You can use salted if that is what is available! Just leave out the salt from the recipe. You will prob find the buttercream is a little saltier as you have no control over the salt levels that is all
Hi Matt,
I love your recipes of buttercream, thanks a lot for you put it on,
Thank you!
Maybe a typo in the ABC: Vinegar?
nope – a tiny splash of vinegar!
Hi, Matt.
I would like to find out your tips or advice should I want incorporate cream cheese into the Swiss Meringue buttercream. I have notice in the past that when ever trying to make cream cheese frosting that it often splits and was wondering if added it to a Swiss meringue buttercream if it would be more stable?
It is very hard as the fat content is so high it splits very easily!
So every time I make my Swiss buttercream, it always just falls flat after adding the butter. Then I have to put it in the fridge for however long to hopefully pull it together. I am pretty confident I let it cool enough before adding the butter. Any suggestions or tips?
It will go very soupy, but just continue to whisk it, eventually after a few minutes or slightly longer it will thicken! Just make sure the meringue is cool to the touch and the butter is room temp when you add it!
Hi Matt, how would you convert the SMB into a chocolate SMB? Thank you!
I just melt about 200g of dark chocolate and slowly drizzle it in at the end while the choc is still warm! But you might want to adjust for your taste. Can start with 100g and add more!
Hi Matt, how can I convert the SMB into a chocolate SMB? Thanks!
yeh!! If you melt some chocolate…say 200g. Add it in at the end once all the butter is incorporated 🙂
Amazing, thank you!
Hey Matt!
Thanks for the lovely recipes🫶🏻
I was wondering how much Swiss meringue buttercream would I need to frost a 3-layer 9inch x 2inch cake?
Thanks!
I would maybe scale it by 1.33x!
Hi Matt, Thank you for sharing your recipes! I would love your advice. I’m starting to practice piping flowers on cupcakes and would like to know which buttercream you recommend for the best results.