Velvet American Buttercream Recipe (ABC)

Name: Velvet American Buttercream Recipe
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 40 min
Yield: 1 Kg
Ingredients: 450 grams Unsalted Butter; 1 kg Powdered sugar/Icing sugar/confectioners sugar; 100 ml Liquid Creamer; 2 tbsp Meringue Powder; 1/2 tbsp Salt; 2 tsp Vanilla flavoring/Extract (or other flavorings)

December 10, 2011 By Veena Azmanov 218 Comments

Velvet American Buttercream Recipe (ABC)

My velvet American buttercream is the most requested recipe from customers as well as here on the blog. It has a glossy sheen due to the unique method I use in making it. This simple, easy and effortless recipe makes a delicious velvety smooth textured buttercream that’s not grainy, easy to make in minutes, and melts in the mouth.

A Pinterest Optimized Image for Velvet American Buttercream by Veena Azmanov made with meringue powder and whipping cream

Velvet American Buttercream, Best American Buttercream Recipe, Perfect Buttercream Recipe

Buttercream consists mainly of three basic ingredients: butter, sugar, and liquid. And yet, millions of recipes have been written each trying to make its own place in the industry.

What do you look for in buttercream?

In my few years of cake decorating, I have come to realize that we all have different preferences. To me, buttercream is ALL BUTTER and I cannot stand vegetable shortening. And yet, I know a friend cake decorator who only uses vegetable shortening for her buttercream because she cannot stand the thought of eating so much butter!!

So I ask you, what type of buttercream do you prefer? It all depends on what you are looking for in your recipe. Right?

Is taste more important or is crusting more important to you?
Is butter or vegetable shortening tastier to you?
To some, a good crusting buttercream made with vegetable shortening is very tasty.
While to some of us vegetable shortening is an absolute NO!

I have been using this recipe for a while and it has been a customers’ favorite. Many of you have noticed how shiny and velvety it is when I cover it on my cakes. So, finally, I am sharing with you this absolutely amazing velvet buttercream recipe.

You might also like to check out my post on how I get sharp edges on buttercream cake as well as Sharp Edges on Ganache Cake.

A bowl of Velvet American Buttercream by Veena Azmanov. Best American Buttercream for frosting cakes and cupcakes.

Velvet American Buttercream Recipe, Best American Buttercream Recipe, Best Buttercream Frosting for cakes

Let’s talk ingredients and substitutes (save/pin)

Butter – I am an all-butter kinda buttercream person. Veg shortening is not my thing. But you can definitely substitute half of the butter with vegetable shortening if you want to make it more stable for humid climates. I always use unsalted butter but if salted butter is all you have then go ahead and use it but omit the salt in the recipe.
Powdered Sugar – Always use powdered sugar made from cane sugar, not beet sugar. Beet sugar tends to leave a grainy mouthfeel which isn’t a great texture to have in your buttercream.
Meringue Powder – This adds that shine, as well as the velvet mouth, feel which is very similar to meringue buttercream. For some reason, if you can’t use meringue powder – try my Buttercream Frosting Recipe. I would suggest you make a regular American Buttercream recipe by omitting the meringue powder. Do not add raw egg whites to this it does not work the same way. I do have detailed recipes for meringue buttercream both SMBC as well as IMBC.
Creamers – I love to use fresh whipping cream 38% in good winter months but in summer I go the non-dairy route just to avoid any issues. The sugar content in the buttercream being high works as a great preservative for the creamer but summer here is hot and humid so I go the non-dairy route.
Flavoring/Extract – Ideally you want to use a clear extract so you can preserve the natural color of the buttercream but if going to color the buttercream anyway, go ahead and add regular vanilla, almond or whichever flavor you need for the day. Try lemon, orange, almond, mint, creme bouquet, coffee, Irish Cream Strawberry, Raspberry

Recipe – Velvet American Buttercream Recipe (ABC) – (Save/Pin)

Useful Tips and Tools

If you bake often, it would be a good idea to invest in a cake mixer. Because often we try to mix by hand and then we are too tired to give it enough creaming or mixing. So if you are making this buttercream go head and remove that K-Mix or KitchenAid from your kitchen cabinet. You don’t have to buy an expensive stand mixer, a simple hand mixer works great too.
For buttercream mixing always use a paddle attachment so you do not incorporate too much air into the buttercream. Some recipes, however, such as meringue buttercreams, require the use of the whisk attachments.
Having said that, a simple Bowl, whisk and Spatula with a little extra elbow grease will do too.
Personally, I believe in measuring ingredients by weight, which makes my kitchen scale one of the most valuable items when baking. The same goes for mymeasuring cups and measuring spoons. It’s always a good idea to have these handy and use them when baking rather than trying to guess measurements.
After the buttercream is prepared always keep it sealed well in the fridge. This will prevent any odor from the other foods to attach itself to the buttercream. Therefore, I place my buttercream in a stainless steel storage (we try to avoid using plastic in our home). And I also cover the top surface of the buttercream with cling wrap.

This is an old buttercream cake, so the image is not very crisp. And yet, you can see, this buttercream pipes beautifully. The consistency is dependant on the amount of liquid you use when making the buttercream. Read my tips below as well as the list of ingredients above to make sure you have just what you need for your project on hand.

A Princess Ruffles Cake piped in Velvet American Buttercream by Veena Azmanov showing piped buttercream ruffles

Velvet American Buttercream Recipe, Best American Buttercream Recipes, American Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

Unsalted butter – 450 grams (1 lb)
Powdered sugar – 1 kg (approx 2 lbs) (icing sugar/confectioners sugar)
Liquid creamer – 100 to 200 ml
Meringue powder – 2 tbsp (buy meringue powder)
Salt – 1/2 tsp
Vanilla flavoring/Extract – 2 tsp (or other flavorings)

Method

Whip the meringue mixture

Use the bowl of your electric mixer with paddle attachment.
Add meringue powder, liquid creamer, and approximately two cups sugar.
Mix on medium-low for a minute – scraping the bowl as necessary.
Add the vanilla and the salt.
Continue to mix for two to three minutes more until you have a light and sticky consistency.

Add powdered sugar

Start adding remaining sugar slowly.
Continue to mix on medium. (If the mixture appears too dry add a tbsp or two more of the cream).
Once all the sugar had been added and you have no dry sports.
Start adding the room temperature butter one cube at a time.
Once all the butter is in – run the mixer on high for about 3 to 5 minutes more.
Whip until you have a light and fluffy, creamy velvety texture very similar to whipped cream.

The right consistency

The buttercream consistency you get should be just right for piping over cupcakes or decorating a buttercream cake.
You can also use this as a base buttercream cake to cover with fondant.
If you find the buttercream is stiff when frosting or crumb coating – add a few tbsp of milk, cream or even water to bring to the right consistency. Just like a meringue buttercream, it takes a while to incorporate the liquid but just continues to mix well and it comes together beautifully.
Gel colors are also a liquid ingredient so if you plan to color your buttercream – I highly recommend you color it first then work on consistency.

A Buttercream Castle Cake in Pink piped with Velvet American Buttercream by Veena Azmanov

Buttercream Castle Cake using Velvet American Buttercream Recipe

To make Chocolate Buttercream

Add 200 grams (7 oz) melted and cooled dark or white chocolate once all the butter is incorporated. You can add up to 400 grams of melted chocolate to this batch.
To make Mocha Buttercream – Make a stiff consistency chocolate buttercream, add cooled coffee (dissolve 2 tsp of strong coffee in 4 tablespoons of hot water).

Tips for whipping a good buttercream.

Do not use a whisk attachment when making buttercream as you will incorporate too much air pockets making it difficult to frost.
The amount of liquid required for your buttercream depends on the weather as well as the consistency you need for your project.
In summer I use only 100 ml of the non-dairy coffee creamer.
In winter I use about 150 to 200 ml of fresh whipping cream.
It is best to start with less liquid/creamer as compared to having to add too much sugar later making the buttercream too sweet.
Consistency is key to using buttercream on cakes but it’s best to make the basic buttercream with less liquid first so you can then divide the buttercream making just enough of the different consistency frosting you need.
Gel colors also work the same as liquid ingredient in thining the buttercream consistency so it is highly recommended to first color the buttercream then work on the right consistency.

This velvet American Buttercream is my most requested recipe. It has a glossy sheen due to the unique method I use in making it. It taste delicious and has a velvet smooth texture that almost melts in the mouth.

A Russian Tulips Piped Buttercream Flowers Cake with Velvet American Buttercream

Piping Flowers – Can I pipe buttercream flowers with it? (Save/Pin)

As you can see I have used this recipe to pipe buttercream flowers above with the Russian piping tips. But, this buttercream is light and fluffy and the mixing process incorporates a lot of air which may not be the best recipe when you want to pipe buttercream flowers.

However, if you are like me and love this buttercream as much as I do? you can still want to use this recipe. Just follow the recipe and use as much less liquid than suggested in the recipe you can make flowers with this recipe. In fact you can even use it with your famous Russian Piping Tips.

Having said that if you are in the process of making buttercream specifically for piping flowers I highly recommend you use my recipe Perfect stiff Buttercream Recipe for Piping Flowers.

Stiff Buttercream frosting for cake decorating – Buttercream Flowers – Veena Azmanov

If you plan to pipe buttercream flowers the first thing you need is a stiff buttercream frosting recipe for piping flowers. One that will pipe perfect buttercream flowers for you and taste delicious. This simple, easy and effortless recipe will give you a stiff buttercream frosting for cake decorating you will ever

veenaazmanov.com

Storage

Being a cake decorator my buttercream gets used up much faster. However, since the sugar content in the buttercream is so high, you do not need to be worried about the buttercream kept outside the fridge. My decorated cakes stay out at room temperature for about 2 to 3 days. I have stored this buttercream at room temperature for about four days too. This can be frozen sealed well in a Tupperware for up to 3 months. Bring it to room temperature in the fridge and re-whip it to restore consistency.

A bowl with Velvet American buttercream frosting by Veena Azmanov perfect for buttercream or fondant cakes

Velvet American Buttercream Recipe, Best American Buttercream Recipe

The approximate icing I use on my cakes. You can use more or less.

8″ two layer Round – 5 cups
8″ two layer Square – 51/2 cups
9″ two layer Round -6 cups
9″ two layer Square – 6 1/2 cups
10″ two layer Round – 7 cups
10″ two layer Square – 7 1/2 cups
9″x 13″ Rectangular/Sheet cake – 7 cups

Don’t forget to save this recipe on Pinterest for later.
You can find a collection of my tutorials and recipes here on Pinterest.

A Pinterest Optimized image for Velvet American Buttercream Recipe by Veena Azmanov made with whipping cream and meringue powder

Velvet American Buttercream Recipe, Best American Buttercream Recipe, Buttercream Frosting

Velvet American Buttercream Recipe

My velvet American buttercream is the most requested recipe from customers as well as here on the blog. It has a glossy sheen due to the unique method I use in making it. This simple, easy and effortless recipe makes a delicious velvety smooth textured buttercream that's not grainy, easy to make in minutes, and that melts in the mouth.

4.98 from 137 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: American Buttercream Recipe

Adjust Servings Here: 1 Kg

Calories: 405kcal

Author: Veena Azmanov

Prep Time: 20 mins

Cook Time: 20 mins

Total Time: 40 mins