Marshmallow Creme Buttercream

Delicate and fluffy, this marshmallow creme buttercream is simple, but delicious. Pair it with chocolate cake and top with graham wafer crumbs for a flavor combination like a s'more.

Found this recipe in a magazine awhile back. Very YUMMY!! Great to ice a cake with and do some simple decorations…such as borders, writing, scroll work; but it does not crust.

Marshmallow Creme Buttercream

Ingredients

  • 1lb (4sticks) of unsalted butter, softened
  • 2 jars or tubs (7 or 7 1/2 oz each) or 1 large tub (16 oz) marshmallow cream (such as Marshmallow Fluff or Creme)

  • 2 cups confectioners’ sugar

  • 2 tsp vanilla (I had to reduce to 1 tsp b/c the vanilla flavor was overpowering w/ 2 tsp) you could also sub another flavoring for the other tsp.

Instructions

  1. Beat butter in a large bowl w/mixer on medium speed until creamy. 
  2. Beat in marshmallow cream. 
  3. When well blended, beat in confectioners’ sugar and vanilla. 
  4. Increase speed to high and beat 3 to 4 min until fluffy.

Comments (29)

on

I did it for S'more cupcakes but it didn't really taste like marshmallow, I used just one teaspoon of vanilla....it's delicious however....it reminds me of the vanilla Swiss meringue buttercream.

on

This recipe is great with Devils' Food Cake!! So easy my 10 year old daughter makes it for me!!! I have used it with pound cake too, but it compliments the chocolate fantastic!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

on

I don't particularly like buttercream, but this is fabulous!!! I don't use anything else. I actually add 2-3 tsp of Wilton's clear vanilla and it is wonderful!

on

I love this icing. You can't really taste the marshmallow, but it's fluffy and really nice to work with. I like how it's a big spongy. Thanks for sharing.

on

I absolutely love this icing. I have been trying to find a buttercream that I really love for a while now and haven't been able to settle on one. I don't like the flavor of icing with crisco and am not a fan of the consistency of all-butter buttercream. So glad I found this!! The consistency is great and it doesn't have any sort of lingering unpleasant taste caused by shortening. The only thing I would complain about is the fact that the butter flavor gets stronger with time and becomes a bit overpowering in my opinion. I will definitely make this again in the future, but might play around a bit with the butter/marshmallow ratio to lessen the buttery flavor a bit.

And tjames30--I covered this with fondant and it worked great!

on

Oh my goodness! I've finally found a buttercream that I actually love, not just tolerate! IMHO, It seemed to get a little sweeter as it set, so if you'd like a not so sweet BC, use it right away. If you like it sweeter, make it a couple of days early. I covered it in Buttercream Flavored Marshmallow Fondant (recipe on CC) and it traveled over 4 hrs on some pretty rough roads. It does not crust, tho.

on

Since it doesn't crust, does it smooth well? I've made icings that don't crust and had them run down the side of a cake before...haha. Is it firm? I'd love to see a picture of how it looks on a cake...I wonder if adding meringue powder would make it crust??

on

You can make your own marshmallow crème with a prep time of about 10 - 15 minutes if you do not have the pre-made type.  Just type in homemade marshmallow crème in your search engine and there are several easy recipes with great ratings out there. 

on

I made this and added an additional cup or so of powdered sugar because the flavor of the butter was so strong. It is very tasty, but I felt like it became very soft when brought back to room temp after being in the fridge overnight, so IMHO, I don't think it would be great for piping or flowers.  Maybe it would stiffen up if you added more powdered sugar. 

on

I found this recipe years ago in either a Family Circle or Woman's Day magazine at the exact time I needed a different recipe.. It saved me from losing a wedding cake customer when I made a batch for them sample.  The groom didn't like my Italian Meringue buttercream - not sweet enough; didn't like American buttercream - too sweet; This one was just right. I was used to using  a non-crusting buttercream, so I loved this both for the workability and the taste. I think I multiplied it by 6 or more for the 20 qt. mixer. It has very similar properties to Italian or Swiss meringue bc.

on

I've used "Hello Cupcake"'s Almost Homemade Buttercream recipe since the book first came out.  Their recipe calls for:

  • 1 container (16oz) marshmallow fluff
  • 3 sticks unsalted sweet-cream butter, softened and cut into 1 inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ½ cup confectioners' sugar (plus additional if needed)


I live in South Florida, so I typically have to add an extra 1/2-3/4 of a stick of butter to sufficiently stiffen the frosting.  But I've been able to pipe with it.  I have received nothing but raves about the flavor of this buttercream; and that's the point: it has flavor other than just tasting of sugar.  But I think adding 2 cups of powdered sugar would make it way too sweet.

on

I love this recipe and have used it for years. I only use 3 sticks of butter as well. Also a pinch of salt helps balance the sweetness I think.

on

Can you use melted marshmallows? No- But! You can make homemade marshmallow fluff and use that as a substitute. 

Can you add chocolate- Yes! It’s easy though requires a few more steps. Melt and combine equal parts chocolate with butter to create a soft ganache. Cool in fridge. Whip your cooled ganache with whatever amount is remaining in recipe of butter- then follow the rest of the recipe. To avoid over sweetening when adding white chocolate- use less sugar.

Can it be piped? Yes it can. It’s very soft but will hold shapes. If you’d like to add flowers a good tip is to make them in advance on a nail with parchment and refrigerate or freeze to lock in the shape. If you prefer a stiffer consistency without the added step of refrigeration- add white chocolate, chocolate or slightly more powdered sugar and let sit in a cool place for a bit to thicken further. 

Does it crust? No it does not. 

I’ve been using a what is essentially the same recipe for years now. 1.5C butter, 10oz fluff, 1.5C powdered sugar, 1tbsp vanilla/other flavouring or up to 2tbsp liqueur.

It is not very marshmallowy tasting- but that is why I adore it! Its versatile and a great way to cut a step while making ‘Italian’ buttercream. For that is what marshmallow fluff mostly is- egg whites and liquid sugar.