Vanilla Buttercream
Someone has asked me to make chocolate cake with vanilla buttercream. As a brit, I would assume this is a very simple mixture of butter, sugar and icing sugar (confectioners sugar). Some of the american recipes include eggs/egg whites.
What would you use and what is your favorite recipe?
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6 Comments:
my favorite buttercream is a swiss meringue. you cook egg whites with sugar over a double boiler, then beat them until they're cold, then add pounds of softened butter, a tablespoon at a time, then add vanilla. it's very buttery and rich.
there's also a french buttercream, which uses egg yolks, and an italian buttercream, which uses the same ingredients as the swiss but employs a different technique.
if any of these sound daunting, you could certainly do the butter/confectioner's sugar thing. but it is cloyingly sweet and has a grainy texture. would a cream cheese frosting suit?
cybercita at 6:27PM on 02/09/09
1 stick of butter, room temp
2 cups(?) powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla
Cream the butter, add the vanilla. Add the powdered sugar. I am not quite sure about the measurement of the sugar because I usually just dump it in until it's the right consistency. If you are going someplace where it will be hot, do 1/2 shortening (Crisco) and 1/2 butter. It won't melt all over the place.
club1862 at 6:30PM on 02/09/09
go to Marthastewart.com and look for all the buttercream recipes.
She has them all swiss/italian, plain, etc. Martha knows frosting!
JerzeeTomato at 8:22PM on 02/09/09
I am with Cyber and Jerzee on the Swiss and Italian meringue buttercreams. No better tasting icings in the world.
If you insist on a powdered sugar recipe, try to find one that is fluffier and more stable than just the sugar/fat mix. Tastes better too, by a long shot.
If I have to make a powdered sugar buttercream, this is the recipe I use, each and every time. It is quite good, and not at all gritty. Stable for a couple of weeks in the fridge, and fine at room temp for several days.
Versatile Buttercream
3/4 cups egg whites(pasteurized or about 5 big egg whites)
2 cups shortening
1/2 cup butter (1 stick softened a little and cut into pieces)
4 to 5 cups of confectioners sugar (sifted)
2 tbsp or more flavor of your choice (vanilla,almond,orange, coffee etc) (I tend to use a lot of flavor. You can also mix in jam, coulis, melted and cooled chocolate or cocoa powder etc.)
2 tbsp milk or heavy cream (more if using cocoa or if needed)
Whip the whites slowly at first until they get foamy.
Add the extract, then increase the speed of the mixer and start adding 1 cup of sugar slowly.
Keep whipping until the meringue is shiny and stiff.
With the mixer on medium start adding the shortening and the butter a bit at a time.
At the beginning the mix will look a little strange/curdy but that is normal. Change the mixer to high and mix until your buttercream looks homogeneous and fluffy, usually 5-15 minutes, depending on the mixer.
Start adding the rest of the sugar by 1/2 cups, add the 2 tbsp
of milk or heavy cream and keep whipping until the sugar is well incorporated, 3-5 minutes more.
sadiepix at 10:23PM on 02/09/09
Buttercream needs milk in addition to butter and sugar. Other than that, you can add whatever you want. Butter and sugar alone does not a good buttercream frosting make, so you need liquid to make it spreadable.
michele_hearts_food at 5:54AM on 02/10/09
1 stick = 1/2 cup = 1/4 pound butter
1/2 cup butter flavor crisco
1 pound confectioners sugar
pinch salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
small amount of milk
cream butter & shortening, add sugar, salt and vanilla. keep mixing, add milk as necessary to get it to the consistancy you wish.
this is similar to the first recipe posted, but that one won't make enough to frost a 2 layer cake, this one will.
nightmoon at 11:03PM on 02/10/09