Butter Cream Frosting Recipes

 Butter Cream Frostings

There are different types of buttercreams but they all have the same anchor: butter. You will want to try these in different ways but all are fairly easy to put together.

GERMAN BUTTERCREAM

Begins with a pastry cream. You can make this up beforehand as long as you cover it with plastic wrap touch the cream and refrigerate it.

• The Pastry Cream:
• 2 cups milk divided
• 1 tsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste
• 1/4 cup cornstarch
• 2/3 cup granulated sugar
• 2 large egg yolks

1. Place 1 1/2 cups milk and the vanilla into a medium saucepan. 
2. Cook over high heat, stirring often until it just starts to simmer. 
3. Remove from heat.
4. In a medium bowl, whisk the remaining 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
5. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture.
6. Return mixture to saucepan and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a boil.
7. Pass through a strainer and into a bowl. 
8. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent skin from forming.
9. Cool to room temperature then place in the refrigerator for a couple hours to set.
10. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. 
11. Do not freeze.

To Turn into Buttercream:

• 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature
• powdered sugar to taste, if needed
• vanilla to taste or other extract/emulsion flavor desired

1. Ensure pastry cream and butter are at room temperature. 
2. Whip pastry cream by hand until smooth.
3. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter on high until pale and fluffy (3 mins). 
4. Add the room temperature custard 1 Tbsp at a time, incorporating well after each addition. 
5. Add powdered sugar or more vanilla if desired.
6.  Beat for 2-3mins until smooth and fluffy.
7. Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. 
8. Allow buttercream to come to room temperature and re-whip before use.
9. You can flavor this as you desire just remember it cannot be a liquid like real coffee or juices

FRENCH BUTTERCREAM

• 1cup granulated sugar 
• 6 tbsp water 
• 10 large egg yolks
• 2 cups unsalted butter at room temperature and cubed
• 2 tsp vanilla extract 
• pinch of salt (optional)

1. Combine sugar and water in a medium saucepan. 
2. Heat over low heat while stirring until sugar dissolves. 
3. Increase heat to medium-high and bring to a boil
4. Put egg yolks in a stand-mixer fitted with a whisk attachment and beat until thick and foamy.
5. Cook the sugar and water syrup until it reaches 240 degrees F. 
6. Immediately remove from heat. 
7. With the mixer running, SLOWLY drizzle the hot syrup into the bowl with yolks.
8. Continue mixing until the bottom of the bowl is cool to the touch and the yolk mixture has cooled to room temperature.
9. Add in butter one cube at a time allowing each piece to incorporate before adding the next. 
10. Add vanilla and salt. 
11. Continue mixing until the buttercream is smooth and creamy (About 5-6 minutes.)

[Notes: Make sure your butter is just a little soft to the touch but not mushy and watch sugar temperature closely. YOU DO NOT WANT TO GO OVER 240 degrees OR YOU'LL HAVE A CHUNKY MESS! ]

Make sure that as you drizzle in the sugar syrup you do so on LOW so the hot sugar doesn't splatter all over the place. It CAN burn!

[Note: you can half this recipe if you don't need a large batch]

E-Z- MARSHMALLOW FROSTING

• 1⁄4 teaspoon salt
• 2 egg whites
• 1⁄4 cup sugar
• 3⁄4 cup Karo syrup
• 1 1⁄4 teaspoons vanilla

1. Add salt to egg whites; beat until frothy.
2. Gradually add sugar, beating until smooth and glossy.
3. Slowly add Karo syrup, beating until the frosting stands in firm peaks.
4. Add vanilla.

AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

• 1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 1 pound confectioners' sugar, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
• 1/4 cup 1/3 cup milk or heavy cream, at room temperature

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat room temperature butter until light and smooth, 1 to 2 minutes.
2. Gradually add the confectioners' sugar and mix on medium-low speed to combine. 
3. Once all the sugar is added, raise the speed to medium-high and cream until light and fluffy, 4 to 5 minutes.
4. Add vanilla extract or other flavoring and mix to combine. 
5. If using milk or cream, pour it in and mix just until incorporated. 
6. The buttercream can be used immediately or refrigerated in an airtight container

STABILIZED BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Have you ever made a buttercream frosting only to have it wilt into a mushy drippy mess, even in a room temperature? I have! And I've looked into many ways to stabilize buttercream. I've used this recipe and my goodness it works great! 

This particular version uses Crisco original as its stabilizer.

• 1 cup butter at room temperature
• 1 c Crisco
• 4 cups icing sugar
• vanilla bean

1. Beat the butter until very light and fluffy.
2. Add in the Crisco and beat until very light and fluffy (almost white).
3. In increments add in the sugar and beat until smooth
4. Finish by adding in the vanilla bean scrapings.
5. You can flavor this easily enough by adding whatever flavoring you want right before using.

Chocolate Buttercream Frosting

• 3 3/4 cups confectioners sugar
• 1 stick softened butter
• 3 tbsp milk
•  1 tsp vanilla extract
•  2 oz unsweetened chocolate, melted and cooled

1.  Combine sugar, butter, milk, and vanilla in a large bowl.
2.  Beat t medium speed for 1-2 minutes until creamy.
3.  Add chocolate and beat until well blended, if needed, add more milk, 1 tbsp at a time to reach desired spreading consistency.