Buttercream Basics – Frosting 101
Buttercream is the heart and soul of many cakes and cupcakes. Whether you’re aiming for a silky smooth finish or intricate piping details, understanding the different types of buttercream and their uses is essential. In this guide, we’ll explore various buttercream types, share tips for achieving the perfect consistency, and answer common questions to help you master the art of buttercream.
A basic buttercream has three main ingredients: fat, sugar, and liquid. And when mixed, these can give you the best buttercream frosting ever. Plus, you don’t need any special equipment; all you need is a bowl and a whisk (or stand mixer). So, for me, buying frosting has never been an option.
However, things start to get interesting as you play with these three ingredients. Change the proportions of ingredients, fat ratios, or change the type of liquid.
Honestly, this can be a fun experience if you know what you are doing or what to expect with a specific outcome. It’s when we experiment in unfamiliar territories that things become challenging and disasters happen.
So, today I’m going to share how I resolve some buttercream problems. And I give you a good buttercream 101 to use as a buttercream guide.
? What Makes a Good Buttercream?
- Smooth Texture
It should be silky, lump-free, and easy to spread.
No gritty sugar, no curdled mess.
If it looks like scrambled eggs, you’ve gone too far. - Balanced Sweetness
Sweet, but not sickly.
You want the flavor of butter, vanilla, chocolate, fruit, or whatever you’ve added to shine—not just a sugar bomb. - Stable but Soft
Holds its shape when piped, but melts in your mouth.
Shouldn’t slide off a cake, especially in warmer weather.
You want swoops, not soup. - Flavor Matters
It should actually taste good! Real butter, real vanilla, real flavorings. No weird aftertastes from cheap shortening or artificial extracts. - Color Flexibility
A good buttercream should take on color well if you need it for decorating—especially wedding cakes, rainbows, or themed designs. - Versatility
Should work well for different applications: crumb coating, final layer, piping, roses, borders, cupcake swirls—you name it. - Mouthfeel
This one’s subtle, but important. A good buttercream should feel light, not greasy or overly dense. It shouldn’t coat your tongue like wax (looking at you, all-shortening frosting).
? Types of Buttercream
American Buttercream (ABC)
Ermine Frosting (Also known as Boiled Milk Frosting or Flour Buttercream)
? Bakery-Style Buttercream with Cornstarch Slurry
Swiss Meringue Buttercream (SMBC)
Italian Meringue Buttercream (IMBC)
French Buttercream (FBC)
German Buttercream (Custard-Based)
? Cream Cheese Frosting (The “Buttercream Cousin”)
? 9. Shortening-Based Buttercream (Crisco Frosting / Bakery-Style Buttercream)
- Ingredients: Vegetable shortening (like Crisco, Trex, Short Bright, Dalda,), powdered sugar, flavorings, and sometimes water or milk.
- Texture: Very smooth and pipeable. Doesn’t melt easily.
- Flavor: Mild, but can be bland or “greasy” if not well-flavored.
- Best for: Outdoor events, warm climates, wedding cakes, and vibrant colors (since it’s bright white and holds color well).
- Recipe: A good ratio to use is 1:4 parts fat to sugar. So for every 1 cup vegetable shortening, you add 4 cups of powdered sugar and 1 tbsp vanilla extract. Then, add 1 to 4 tbsp water, depending on your desired consistency.
Note: While not as rich or flavorful as butter-based frostings, shortening gives excellent stability and a long shelf life. Some decorators use a half-butter, half-shortening blend to balance flavor and performance.
10. Stiff buttercream for frosting flowers
Stiff buttercream is always best made from scratch. If you need to pipe ruffles, frills, or defined patterns, you need stiff buttercream frosting. To make the best buttercream flowers, use stiff buttercream. You can find my recipe for stiff buttercream for piping flowers here, along with a video on how to make it and use it. You can also make buttercream using the Korean buttercream recipe.
Tips for Buttercream Success
- Use room temperature ingredients – Cold butter or eggs = lumpy, split buttercream. Let everything warm up before you begin.
- Beat the butter first – Whip the butter alone until pale and fluffy before adding sugar or meringue. It makes a huge difference in texture.
- Sift your powdered sugar -No one wants a lumpy frosting. Sifting helps avoid graininess.
- Add liquids slowly – Milk, cream, flavorings—drizzle them in gradually so your emulsion doesn’t break.
- Scrape the bowl often – Get every bit mixed in—especially when adding sugar or color.
- Low and slow for the finish – Once it’s mixed, beat on low to smooth it out and knock out air bubbles.
- Chill if too soft, whip if too firm – If your buttercream is runny, chill it for 15–20 mins. If it’s too stiff, let it sit or add a little liquid and re-whip.
- Color the day before for deep shades – Red, black, navy—all deepen over time. Less food color, better flavor.
- Practice piping on parchment – Try borders and flowers before hitting the cake. Practice makes perfect (and less panic).
- Store it right – Keep buttercream in an airtight container. It lasts: 1 week in the fridge, 3 months in the freezer. Bring to room temp and re-whip before using.
How to avoid buttercream disasters?
- Use room temperature butter – Cold butter = lumpy frosting. Melted butter = separated, greasy mess. Let butter soften: 1–2 hours in winter, 20–30 minutes in summer.
- Mind your fat ratio – Substituting margarine or shortening? Adjust liquid and sugar to avoid splitting or greasiness.
- Choose the right powdered sugar – Cane sugar dissolves better. Beet sugar may cause grainy texture. Anti-caking agents (cornstarch, potato starch) can affect smoothness.
- Add liquids slowly and in the right amount – Too much = runny. Too little = dry. Add 1 tbsp at a time. Cream gives richer texture; milk/juice is lighter.
Frequently asked questions
Icings are those simple glazes you make to pour over a pound cake or pastries. Sometimes, it is made with just powdered sugar and milk, and sometimes, it is made with melted chocolate, too. The icing is usually a pouring consistency, while frosting is thick, light, and fluffy and can be spread over a cake or piped over cupcakes.
Add powdered sugar (sweetens more), or
Whip in a tablespoon of cornstarch per 1 lb of sugar (my fave hack—thickens without adding sweetness).
Whipping cream helps if properly whipped in to build volume.
Meringue powder can also add structure.
Check your sugar: Cane sugar dissolves better than beet sugar.
Mix longer, or add a bit more liquid to help it smooth out.
Let it rest, then re-whip—it often fixes itself.
Melted chocolate (cooled) can also mask grittiness.
Usually happens when butter is added to warm meringue.
Chill the whole bowl for 15–20 minutes, then re-whip—it’ll come back!
Don’t panic—99% of broken meringue buttercreams are totally fixable.
Some food colors (especially water-based) cause separation.
Fix it by adding a bit more powdered sugar or a spoon of cornstarch.
Gel colors are best for buttercream.
Use the paddle attachment, not the whisk.
“Paddle” the buttercream with a spatula to knock out air.
Mix on low for the last minute or two to smooth it out.
It needs more liquid—add milk, water, or cream 1 tbsp at a time.
Dry buttercream won’t pipe smooth flowers or edges.
Don’t be afraid of liquid—it “marries” the fat and sugar.
Use Italian meringue, shortening-based, or bakery-style with cornstarch.
Avoid cream cheese and whipped cream frostings in heat.
Ask yourself:
What’s the cake flavor?
Is the cake indoors or outdoors?
What’s the weather like?
How far is it traveling?
The right frosting depends on all of these!
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I am making a cake for a gender reveal with weekend. I live in South Africa and its winter here now. I have recently tried French buttercream and love it. Can I use this for my cake? Or what is the best suggestion as I need to decorate the cake as well. Thanks
You can definitely use French buttercream to decorate your gender reveal cake. Not sure I understand the question. Please feel free to ask again
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yes it was nice
DAY 2 done ….it is so helpful
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Hi
I made my SMBC for the very first time yesterday and I kept it in the fridge. I wanna use it now but it seems to have curdled. How do I go about getting it to what it was yesterday?
You need to whip it again in the stand mixer, Nozipho. Meringue buttercream will curdle if too cold or too warm. So a little cooler then room temperature is ideal.
Hi..
have you tried ermine frosting which is made of flour or cornstarch? When tried this frosting it was silky n stiff but when I refrigerated it for next day use.. it became all grainy and separated. I tried beating it again but it didn’t help. It remained same. Any insight will help.
Hey Bhaavi, Yes, Ermine frosting is boiled milk frosting. Back in the old days, grandmas use it then it became very popular in bakeries too. I think it’s become popular again now in recent times.
Make sure to boil the flour until its a thick pudding. A loose pudding splits easily.
Also, I find that if I cool it completely it works better when combining with the butter.
Make sure to cover it properly when storing it- as flour gets dried easily.
When you take it out of the refrigerator, bring it to room temperature then whip it. When cold the flour tends to be very clumpy.
Also, use a whisk attachment.
When I share the recipe on this blog I will make a video so you will be able to see
Hope this helps.
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I love your posts and tutorials–they are so informative and clear. I pinned your bakery style buttercream a while ago and have used it several times. My issue is this: I volunteer with a nonprofit and, for safety reasons, we aren’t allowed to use dairy, eggs, or even meringue powder in our frosting. We use shortening only. The problem is I can’t seem to get the texture right. I’m following a basic 4:1 ratio, using Crisco. I tried Spectrum, but the resulting frosting was soupy. Adding more confectioner’s sugar made it split. Any insight would be greatly appreciated!
Thank you, Annie. The frosting should not spit unless you are adding water directly to the shortening. A 4:1 ratio of Crisco to Sugar is a good ratio. I have not tried spectrum but have used Crisco quite often when I need a parve recipe – Here’s my recipe
1 cup Crisco –
4 cup powdered sugar –
4 tbsp vanilla pudding mix – this helps stabilize the frosting (or cornstarch)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract.
2 to 4 tbsp warm water as needed.
Combine cornstarch with 2 tbsp warm water – Cream the Crisco with cornstarch mixer, add powdered sugar and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add vanilla and check consistency – if necessary add more a tablespoon of warm water – whip until light and fluffy.
Let me know if this worked for you.
Thansks
Hi! I just made some Italian meringue today. It turned out perfect, it was silky smooth, stiff, fluffy, just the way it should be. The bowl wasn’t exactly cold when I stopped mixing, but I could touch it without burning my hands. I think it has been mixing at high speed for 7-10 min.
As I said it was perfect.
Then I placed it in another bowl because I had to use the original bowl for something else and I let it sit for 3 hours.
And when I had to use it it was grainy. So grainy, and it kind of fluffed down. But it was more like a soft peaks than hard peaks… and so grainy, like I could taste the sugar crystals… but it wasn’t crystallized when I had just made it. Even though I handled it for a while and it definitely wasn’t hot. The sugar should have crystallized at that point, I would think.
And I’m pretty sure it wasn’t the egg whites that went grainy.
I’m not sure what or where it went wrong…
Hey, Johanne. Not sure what happened at your end. If you say the buttercream was made perfectly, silky smooth then it should not become grainy at all. Did you bring the sugar to the right temperature? When you added the butter was there any sugar stuck to the bowl?
Do you live in a hot humid place? Could the meringue have deflated with the temperature?
Egg whites can lose volume in the heat but the sugar will only crystalize if the temperature was not right.
Sorry I’m not much help since I can’t see the meringue or the process
Thank you!
Have you ever used buttercream to ice cookies like you can with royal icing? Prefer the taste of butter cream over RI but not sure if it could be thinned down enough to flood consistency.
Yes, I do that often. I frost cookies with buttercream using a spatula. I don’t have patience with Royal Icing. I don’t thin the consistency but I add less liquid to my buttercream so it will crust better.
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