Buttercream Dream

This recipe was made from trial and error. I made two mixtures of buttercream. One with salted butter which was too buttery (salty) and one with unsalted butter which was still too sweet. So I combined the two and it became the best buttercream I’ve ever tasted. I use this recipe for all of my cake orders and it is a hit every time!!!

Buttercream Dream

Ingredients

  • 1 stick butter (unsalted)
  • 1 stick butter (salted)
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 2lb bag of confectioner’s sugar
  • 3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
  • 5-6 tablespoons of milk (cold)

Instructions

  1. Cream butter and shortening. Add clear vanilla extract then add confectioner’s sugar. Allow confectioner’s sugar to blend well then add milk. For thinner consistency, add more than 6 tablespoons of milk.

Comments (134)

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Sorry, this icing was horrible. I'd be willing to give it another go since it has great reviews, but this was the hardest time I've ever had icing a cake and I'm completely unhappy with it. Enough so that I'm considering taking it all off and making a different icing. The icing wouldn't smooth, it's bubbly all over.

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When makeing a "standard American BC" this is my 'go-to' recipe! I love this (I always cut back on the sugar though) recipe and I've received compliments from others on it whenever I've used it. Need I say more?

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I've tried quite a few buttercream recipes lately and this is by far the best one! It smooths perfectly and tastes absolutely delicious! This will be my go to recipe from now on.

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I don't usually use an icing with milk or butter because I wouldn't want to leave it out at room temperature for long. What is the shelf life on a cake with this icing?

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Really good frosting, I will make it again, again and again...thanks for sharing.

Could I substitute the milk for water? I was also concerned about leaving the cake out for too long since there was milk in the frosting. Anyone?

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I love this frosting and have made it a couple of time but is this right? 3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract 5-6 tablespoons of milk (cold) this is too much liquid for this recipe, I have been cutting the milk in half and the consistency of my frosting is still very thin. **2lb bag of confectioner’s sugar is 4 cups, right?**

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Tastes fabulous and fantastic to work with. The best icing I've made, and will use it from now on! Thanks for the great mistake!

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I have used this for 2 years. It is awesome. i have customers who come to me just because they are addicted to this icing! It IS a crusting bc. I use sugarshacks tip about doing a double batch to make it go above the beater in your stand mixer and leave it on for 7-10 minutes. This makes it as smooth as silk! I don't use as much liquid as the recipe calls for much of the time, but depending on the day's humidity, there have been occassions that I have needed all of it.

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I made this BC last night and my family loved it! I've been trying to find just the right one, and this is it! Mamabaer, did you use a 5 QT mixer when doubling your batch? How much liquid do you use?

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I made this the other night (made it quite some time back) and remembered why I did not like it for frosting cakes. First I will say it tastes GREAT and is really easy to make! But it's gritty looking from adding the milk and sometimes looks mildly 'curdled'. It's PERFECT for that 'homemade' looking icing on cupcakes - but if you want super smooth, stick with heavy shortening based recipes or egg whites and butter. I will use this only for cupcakes.

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I absolutely LOVE this recipe, but am wanting to make a chocolate bc icing...is that possible? (I'm new to this cake making stuff lol) Any help would be appreciated.

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Can anyone tell me how this compares sweetness wise to the Wilton standard buttercream recipe? I'm not a fan at all of the taste of the Wilton buttercream - way too sweet - but it is great for decorating with.

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i am getting ready to try this icing for the first time and want to be sure i have the portions correct. is it really 2 lbs of sugar ? seems a little low for the amount of fat and liquid and would like to be sure.

thanks

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I made this for the first time last week and my co-workers and family loved it. I am making a cake for a teenager's birthday party tomorrow and will be using the recipe again. And it makes alot so I can ice a 10-inch and 8-inch cake with it. Thanks!

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Patty - Yes, 2 lbs of P. Sugar. It's not as stiff of a buttercream as Wilton. Play around with the milk measurement. Lately, I've been using less.

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I've used this buttercream recipe for about 2 years now... people always go crazy for it. Adults & kids love it! It's the perfect amount of sweetness & it's so quick to make. If you want a fluffier icing (for cupcakes) just add more milk. Yummy :)

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I'm sorry some people were not real nice in reviewing your recipe! It may be something they are doing wrong ? This recipe is one of the top saved recipes on cake central so I applaud you ..((((YAY))))) I cant wait to try it today =o)

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I thought the taste was more sweet than other recipes I've used. I also had issues with the icing and it sliding off the cake when trying to frost it. Difficult to work with.

I was excited to try it and immediately, thought it turned out well.

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Made it tonight for some Easter goodies. Searched high and low for vanilla extract, and found none, so I substituted a little French Vanilla extract. Turned out GREAT!

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I have the same question that two other people have asked and I haven't seen an answer. Can this be made into a chocolate buttercream icing??????

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I tried this over the weekend - I found it a bit too sweet for my taste as well as my clients. Please note that this IS gritty as well. However - I then turned it into a chocolate buttercream, and it made a huge difference. For choc buttercream I just melted 1-2 cups of semi sweet chocolate, and added to the buttercream in the mixer gradually, to taste. This therefore made it no longer gritty and it tasted a lot less sweet. I will use this recipe to make my chocolate buttercream, but probably not for basic buttercream. Hope that helps.

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For those who say this recipe slides (or the cakes slide when using this frosting), I would suggest substituting shortening for some of the butter. Shortening makes for stiffer frosting and butter makes for better tasting frosting.

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Has anyone tried to make any another flavor other than Chocolate with thi?? Like Peanut Butter?? Carmel?? Strawberry?? Anything???? If you have and have been successful will you pleas PM me???

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**I have also been adding 1tsp of butter extract along with the 3tsp of vanilla extract! It cuts down on the sweetness just a tad. I made my mother n law taste it & she hates sweets but loved this.

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I just made this for the first time and love it. Tastes great and wasn't gritty at all. The only change I made to it was instead of milk I used Heavy Cream and eyeballed the addition to the consistency I needed. Used as filling, crumb coat, and top layer. I give this a A+++. Will definitely be using this from now on. Thank You!!! Cristie

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I loved the taste of this icing but could not get it to smooth well. It was also a little too soft for me to decorate with. Does anyone have any suggestions?

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what is the shelf life of this frosting want to try for a cake but the party is outside dont want it to slide or be gritty please answer ty

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Velocity - Try putting less milk & add a couple TBSP of Meringue Powder...HTH

Ladyt121 - 2 weeks in an air tight container in the fridge & make sure you cream it for a LONG time. I had mine in my stand mixer for a total of 30min start to finish! Cream butter & shortening until it's really creamy & you don't see any chunks then slowly add the powdered sugar. The first time I made it I was in a rush & it turned out REALLY gritty but when I took my time it was great! & as for it being outside...I just don't know! SORRY :/

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I've added a few tablespoons of coca powder to this to make chocolate buttercream. Makes it a bit stiffer though, so add more milk accordingly. Absolutely LOVE this recipe.

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wow....this is sooooo fluffy! Love the taste. I had to leave to pick up balloons for my daughter's party (oops, forgot them!) and I just covered it with a warm, damp cloth, refluffed and it was still delightful to ice with. Not one of my best cakes, but considering I was out of time, and I had not practiced in over a year, I was VERY happy this icing went on so nicely. Thank you for sharing it!

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I just read the gritty and curdle comments and I know exactly what's causing that. The butter and shortening need to be creamed really well with the sugar before the cold milk is added. Even then add the cold milk slowly. Butter gets hard when it comes into contact with something cold and then you have lumps. I've seen people do this tons of times when making a scratch cake too and adding cold eggs too quickly. If you end up with lumps you can turn your mixer up to full and they will work their way out but it's just so much easier to take temperatures into account. Any cold liquid when added quickly to butter will cause it to seize up.

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I agree with Viviel. ALWAYS use high ratio shortening if you want a consistantly creamy icing. The new Crisco will give you grit, I promise you! My hubby usually makes my icing and we use a variation of this recipe and EVERY customer raves about how great it is. Here's a tip that works for us in our high humidity Texas climate. Even though the recipe says to add milk last, we cream ALL the liquid ingredients, butter, and HRS together for 10-15 minutes before slowly adding the sugar. The resulting icing is always as smooth as silk!

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Gritty...curdling...sliding....is due to incorrect mixing. I live in Louisiana where it is Africa hot and the humidity is 900%. I have never had any issues with this. It is the smoothest, creamiest icing ever. I mix the butter and shortening FOREVER on 4 of myKA before adding the rest of the ingredients. After everything else is added, I mix on #2 again, forever. Not sure how long "forever" is....but both steps are at least 20 minutes.

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I saw this question asked but did not see the answer... (Sorry, I may have missed it in the replies or something :/) But can this buttercream be used under fondant on a cake and the cake not be refrigerated?... I am wondering because I have only used buttercreams with no milk. Thanks

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This is the second time I made this recipe and I still love it soooooo much. It is smooth and creamy and oh yes, delicious. when I make it, I really can't stop tasting it. I only made half the recipe this time around and I only used lo'l salted butter because I didn't have unsalted. I it tasted great. I was only using it to crumb crust my cake and as an adhesive for the fondant. Everyone should try this on their cakes. It's a winner.

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Wasn't gritty at all...Best Burrtercream ever! The chocolate version is even better. No other frosting for me!

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I used this recipe last night and it was the first time I had ever made buttercream icing. It was very simple to put together and turned out great! We added 2 more tablespoons of milk than what is called for to thin it out to spread on cupcakes. Will make again!

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Thank you....this is now my "holy grail" for buttercream! A delight to work with and after several cakes made with it, everyone raved about it.

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For people asking if it can be left out, I've iced a cake and left it out overnight and decorated the next day. When I've made it for birthdays and stuff at my house, we will eat on a cake for a couple of days and I just keep it covered on the counter w/out refrigerating. It still tastes great, it doesn't go bad, no one has ever gotten sick, so I would say that yes, you can leave it out, however, not for long.

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Great recipe! Tried it last night, yummy! I used 1 cup less of the powdered sugar and then added some left over ganache and turned it into a chocolate butter cream. EVEN MORE DELICIOUS! It crusts just perfectly too.

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This was great! I personally don't care for bc, but this recipe completely changed my mind. No slick feel in the mouth and so so good! I just wanted to test it out, so after making it, I divided it in half and blended melted semi sweet chocolate to one part. It was delish!!! This will be my bc from now on.

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Hi, Does anyone know the weight of shortening and butter? I live in the UK and I don't know what you mean by a "stick" - I could probably figure out "cup". Many thanks

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This is my go-to recipe from now on. I love love it (yes, its hard to stop taste-testing!). I had left-over chocolate ganache (not sure how it happened) and I added it to the recipe............wow, great chocolate buttercream! To sum it all up in one word : YUM!

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What did I do wrong? Recipe was very tasty but gritty. I mixed it forever like 30 minutes. Is it the recipe or me. Any other recipe ideas?

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When you guys say it is gritty are you reffering to it's texture as being grainy or when you pipe it does it crack? Please let me know ASAP thanks:)

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Moma always said if you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all! Thank you for sharing this wonderful recipe, never thought of mixing butters.

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Just made this, and wow!!! Best buttercream I've ever had!! I followed other reviewers instructions as far as creaming the butter and shortening for at least 10 minutes and then mixing for at least 10 minutes after the sugar is mixed in. Perfectly smooth and creamy! Thanks for this recipe.

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I accidentally bought only unsalted butter. Can I adjust this with salt and have it work out?

That said, I have used this recipe a few times with really good results and it's also my go-to buttrecream recipe though my cake experience is pretty limited (cakes for my kids birthdays and Wilton course #1).

I am wondering if anyone who's commented on curdling, if they used a no-trans fat shortening instead of a full fat (the new Crisco as someone mentioned earlier is trans fat free) ?

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I love it so much! Easy and delicious every time. I made a batch of chocolate buttercream by adding cocoa powder but lowering the amount of powdered sugar to compensate for the dry cocoa. Worked perfectly and it crusted which was a plus!

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OMG!!! I have been searching for a good buttercream recipe because SO many people complain of sweet icing. THIS IS IT!!! I added 4 TBSP of French Vanilla Creama instead of milk and only used 6 cups of icing sugar and it is PERFECT!!! Thank you thank you thank you for this recipe!!!

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I also have been looking for a great buttercream recipe and have found this. I just mixed a double batch and it's smooth as silk. I can already tell it's going to spread and pipe beautifully. I'm not sure how well it's going to hold up under fondant but hopefully well. The only addition I made was substituted one tsp of vanilla for butter flavour and it tastes wonderful, I couldn't stop eating it and I'm not a big sweet lover. GREAT recipe!!!

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omg!!! i just made this recipe it is the best butter cream i ever tasted and it works lke a charm on cupcakes i love it it is sooooo my favorite as of now!!!! thank u for sharing with us!!!!

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WELL! I made this icing last night. Tried it right after i made it....it taste great. mixed a few different colors and used it in bags to pipe with and it piped fine. Tried to smooth it out between layers and over the cake....HAHAHA....what a mess! And the longer it sits out the more yucky it is to fool with. Im not really happy with this recipe but everyone else seems to love it. I followed everyones tips and the directions just as they were directed. Dont know that i would ever make this again!

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This is THE BEST Buttercream EVER! I am in Love <3 !! No one can believe that it is homemade it tastes so incredible! It is super smooth and delicious! I did notice that quality sugar is key here and store brand sugar did not taste as great as brand name sugar!! Also I forgot I was mixing a batch and overmixed. It turned grainy on me. So after the sugar is mixed in it's ready a few minutes later. This is now my go to buttercream!

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hope someone can help, im from the uk and am unfarmiliar with sortening? can someone help me to find the uk equivelant, thanks

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This is so good!!!!! I love it and so does everyone else! I also tried it with the French vanilla coffee creamer instead of the milk, great!! This was also so easy to work with too!

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Ok, I couldn't wait for a response so I just went ahead and tried 2 recipes. First I went with Indydebi's bc because it' said to be a crusting bc. I'm sorry but this one just isn't for me. I can't get past the taste of straight crisco. So, I next tried this recipe and may I just say OMG!! This tastes AMAZING!! Since I just made it, I'm still waiting to see if it will crust. I hope so!! Thanks for sharing your recipe!!! This website is truly a bakers best friend!!! :-)

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I am wanting to try this for some cupcakes. I have never tried anything but the Wilton recipe for buttercream. Does this recipe pipe well?

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Made this today. Tastes awesome, but not a very pronounced vanilla flavorl Also, I found piping with it to be a little difficult. But even with all that said, I love the taste of this BC.

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Tried this for the first time today and LOVED it! Thanks for posting it! I used it under fondant and it smoothed on beautifully. Tastes awesome! I'd add some Meringue Powder if I needed it to crust as it didn't crust for me without it.

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can I make this a few days ahead of time? if so, store on counter or fridge...I always get nervous putting buttercream in the fridge...can lose it's lovely consistency that way sometimes...I never seem to be able to re-mix it and get it nice again.

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Absolutely love this recipe! Thank you for sharing! Finally one that isn't too sweet! Does this have to be refrigerated because of the milk?

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Wow second times the charm!! First time I used crisco and the results were disgusting, gritty gritty gritty!!! Second time I used a High Ratio Shortening I purchased online, creamed that, both butters, flavorings and 4 tbs of heavy whipping cream and it turned out AMAZING!!! I Always use the name-brand Sugar in my buttercreams, the difference is like night and day!!!!

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Just made this BC and it is SO much tastier than a previous recipe I'd tried, which was made with Crisco and unsalted butter. I would definitely recommend this recipe. As the other comments suggested, I first mixed together all of the liquid ingredients with the butter and shortening, for about 15 minutes, then slowly added the sugar and mixed for another 10. Initially, I used 3 tbsp milk, but had to add another tbsp or 2 as I added more sugar.

One question, though: I am making the cake in 2 days. Can I leave the BC out on the counter (covered, of course), or should I refrigerate it? Someone else also asked this question, but it hasn't been answered yet. Thank you for the advice in advance!

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I am a cake newbie. I have never made buttercream of any kind. I stopped by a top local bakery and they were closed due to a power outage so I researched and found this recipe. My family said it was better than the bakery!!!I I added all of the ingredients at the same time and creamed it all together for 10 minutes using the paddle attachment to my stand mixer. It was completely smooth. I then added the sugar about a cup at a time; the whole process of adding the sugar took about 5 minutes. I let it mix for another 15 minutes and VOILA!!!!! It frosted a 3 layer, 9" cake completely with plenty of leftovers. Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!

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I just made this recipe and it did not come out "as smooth as silk" and I whipped it for a very long time. However, it does taste pretty good and I used someone's suggestion about adding in some melted chocolate chips to make it a chocolate BC and it is REALLY good! Thanks for the tip I like the chocolate better than the vanilla BC.

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add 2 tsp. of meringue powder to the recipe, it helps to make decorating easier and does not affect the taste. flowers hold up nicer as well.

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Hooray!! This is the recipe I've been looking for! Yummy, smooth, just hope it holds up to Florida summer weather. :)

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I am making this recipe for probably the hundreth time and already commented above. But I had to comment again. My client this weekend said it was better than Publix buttercream, which I personally like. So it was specially requested for her baby shower. I use this under fondant, I use this mixed with chocolate and baileys for a difference in taste. Amazing. Everyone loves it. Thanks again.

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I have been searching for the perfect buttercream recipe for months and have never had any luck until this time! This recipe is absolutely amazing!! It was such a hit with my last client :) Thank you so much for posting this. It's soft as silk and tastes wonderful without any greasy aftertaste or the stomach-ache sweetness! I'm absolutely in love <3

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This was my first ever attempt at making buttercream & it was a dream thanks to all the previous comments & feedback here. I made sure I creamed the butter & shortening well, then I added the sugar (pure icing sugar in Aus) & beat it in my KA stand mixer for AGES. I used it to cover 2 Wilton's molded rocking horse pan cakes & it was easily enough. What actually happend is that I tried to double the recipe because I thought I would need more & I have at least half the amount left over. Also, I didn't double the sugar, I used about 3/4. You can always taste as you go along to find the right amount of sugar for your tastes. For the Aussie/metric bakers, 1 stick of butter = 113g & 2 pounds of pure icing sugar weighs 907g. There was a slight crust on the buttercream, so I guess that makes it a crusting buttercream?

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Based on the comments... it looks like some people say this is a crusting buttercream and some that say it isn't. Has anyone tried this buttercream using the viva paper towel method of smoothing the icing? Or, is there something I can add to the recipe to make it crust?

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I would love to try this recipe, but my problem is that where I live, they do not have shortening, I am able to find butter with a 98% fat ratio, will that do? So far I've been only able to make SMBC, since it doesn't call for shortening. Thank you for your time !!!!

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Hello I love this recipe and have never had any issues with it, however I don't use milk I use water. I do play (add or decrease) the amount of water depending on the humidity, I do smooth this out afterwards with a paper towel to get a nice smooth finish. Does anyone know If I use dairy or flavored creamers instead of water if it will be ok being left out and no refrigeration??

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According to Wilton, "using milk will result in a creamier icing. The high concentration of sugar in the icing acts as a preservative and retards spoilage" (Wilton Course 1: Decorating Basics pg. 6) They also go on to tell you to tint your icing a day ahead and leave it overnight, covered at room temp, to allow the colors to fully develop (A tip I don't think they would give if there were a possibility of spoilage). I always use either milk or heavy cream in my buttercream, which I then leave out, covered, at room temp. If you are worried you can use 2-3 tsp meringue powder, which will also help it crust. I have several buttercream recipes that all have different tastes and textures that I like very much...but I am always wanting to try new recipes. Am about to try this one!

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I have found this to be a DELICIOUS buttercream icing. I do not like overly sweet icing or the oily taste from only shortening. I did substitute unsalted butter for all the butter, but added 1/2 tsp. of salt to the recipe. I have also substituted water for the milk and this has work just fine. I added 2 tbsp. meringue powder to aid in the crusting. This is my definite go to buttercream icing!

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This is a beautiful recipe. I just made this, and it worked perfectly. If people are getting a "curdled" look it is probably because their butter is not room temp and the shorting and butter never encorporated together. The cold milk would NOT cause this to "curdle". Always always always use room temp butter (out for 30mins-1 hr, soft to the touch) it does not encorporate otherwise and it will leave you with a hot mess. I did have to adjust a little because of my tastes-- I prefer less sweetness so I counter it with lemon juice, does not give it a "lemon" taste-- just enough acidity to break up the sweetness. Thankyou for this recipe, because it has the perfect amount of shorting/butter to make it manageable but tasty! Thanks again!

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Ok, so I tried this recipe and found it to be very gritty. I was very excited to try it due to the high praises, but this just isn't the buttercream for me.

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I'm so excited and can't wait to try this recipe! Last weekend I used the Wilton recipe for BC and I guess I should've added a touch more milk, because when I piped it onto the cupcakes it was breaking and had big cracks everywhere.

If I don't use all the frosting, can BC be frozen for use at a later date? Just set it out to thaw, then re-mix? I'm still such a noob I don't know a lot of the ins and outs. :)

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This recipe is so versatile! I love it and don't even normally like Amer BC! Use it for damming and crumb coating all my cakes, and for icing my smash cakes. The kids love it!

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I use this recipe for all my cakes but I would like to try a strawberry and chocolate version. I have seen many people ask for this on here but no one has responded. Can someone pleeeeeease tell me what to try? Thanks!!!

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Hi, Can i make this reciepe using a standing electric mixer or it should be done with heavy duty one ? Im asking as i dont have a kitchen aid yet, i have the tefal stand mixer with bowel.

Thanks

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@JenFraz, yes you can add color as you would with any icing. I've been using this recipe for a couple of years and I LOVE it!! Gets great reviews every time.

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I made this recipe tonight....DELICIOUS! I followed the directions of many people on here and it turned out amazing. I cut the sugar down to 6 cups, I used Sweetex in place of shortening, used 5T of French Vanilla Creamer in place of milk, 2 tsp. of clear vanilla, 1 tsp. of butter extract. I also added 3 tsp. of meringue powder for it to crust. I took my time and mixed the butter & shortening for 20 minutes on #4 then added the sugar slowly for another 10 min on #2 then added the liquids for another 10 min and it came out fluffy (not gritty). My kids couldn't stop licking the bowl! Congrats on a wonderful recipe...this is my favorite go-to!

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I just love this recipe. I made it this again - probably my fourth time - and it is just so good! I used the butter as described, cut the sugar to 75% of the recommended, and REALLY creamed that butter and shortening before adding anything. Also, I used 10x PS which really makes a difference, and then added a packet of Dream Whip. Dreamy!!!

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i agree cakegirl1968-- it looks just like wilton but without the meringue- but at a second glance i noticed there are the two sticks of butter plus cup of crisco (which is equivalent to a crisco stick i think). also, this recipe calls for one salted and one unsalted stick of butter. similar, but im thinking the extra butter would cut the extreme sweetness of the wilton recipe (which i currently use because i kow i can 'trust it' and adjust it with my eyes closed based on humidity/what i need it to do. i cant wait to try this!

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Hey all...Yes, this is the same as the Wilton Buttercream icing recipe, with the exception of it's doubled and one of the sticks of butter is unsalted. I just used this recipe yesterday on a 70th Birthday cake and it gets rave reviews all the time. I always add meringue powder to my BC because in 30 minutes it gives a nice crust that you can easily pipe onto or lay your rolled fondant onto. It works well with MMF too. For the above recipe, add 2 Tbsp of Meringue powder and it will not harm the taste at all. Hope this info is helpful..

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Sorry Fixx, wanted to let you know that you can substitute all butter in place of Crisco, BUT be aware that it will definitely be a lot more unstable and will not hold up as well. Especially in the heat. I've heard of people who have chosen to use all butter in their recipe and their cakes have actually slipped and fallen apart in the heat. So make sure you are using it in the right setting. Here's a suggestion that I copied from the "I Am Baker" blog:

"If you INSIST on using butter, add about 2 tablespoons of dry Dream Whip to the recipe to help it hold its shape, especially if the weather is hot and/or humid."

Dream Whip can be found in the baking aisle at your grocery store and is normally used with Chocolate pudding to make it lighter and creamier. I have not tried this myself so can't attest to it, but might be worth giving a shot.

Hope this helps you out. I agree that Crisco is not so tasty, but in the recipe listed above for BC, you really don't taste it and it works great on professional cakes....Good luck!!!!

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I wanted to update yet again on this recipe. I am now making dairy-free cupcakes for a restaurant and I still use this recipe. I just replace the butter with Soy Margarine (Willow Run) and the milk with Soy milk and my clients love it. I also mix it with the Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese recipe on Cake Central to make a more stable Cream Cheese frosting and everyone just loves it. I use Better Than Cream Cheese and the Soy Margarine for the Vanilla Bean Cream Cheese and use that as filling. I use those with chocolate cupcakes, add lemon oil to make delicious lemon cupcakes. Still love this recipe.

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This is THE BEST buttercream II've ever had, hands down. I normally find it far too sweet, but this is perfection. I had people coming back for seconds asking for slices with more icing. It was lght and fluffy (left it in my mixer for a good 10 min after throughly creaming butter). It smoothed wonderfully using the Melvira method. Only prob I found was it was SO light and fluffy, that there were tiny air bubbles throughout. They smoothed out great, but I could see them in the spots where I piped. It wasn't really noticable to anyone but me, i think. Anyone else have this? What causes it?

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I was given this recipe by another cake decorator. Although, I use water instead of milk and use only salted butter. Cuts out some of the sweetness. It's the only recipe I use. It crusts wonderfully. Smooths evenly (I've used Viva and a hot spatula). Fondant covers it beautifully.

I always forget to add merengue powder and it still does great without it.

I have used different flavors (lemon, coconut, etc) with it and they all taste awesome. I've made it into chocolate bc with cocoa powder and also with chips. Both come out great. The chips make it harden more.

Never a problem coloring it. I've use all colors including black.

I use the paddle attachment for mixing.

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Has anyonne ever refridgerated this recipe? Like for a week? Wondering if it will it whip up again nicely.

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I'm working on a project right now, but I'm going to try this in the future. I bought some meringue powder the other day thinking I needed it for a recipe, but I don't. I've never used it before. Do I dissolve it in water first or just add it dry? At what point would I add the meringue powder. I'm curious to see what it does to an icing. Thanks!

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I made this after reading all the comments here. It turned out fantastic! I don't usually like American buttercream since I find it too sweet, and while this was sweet, the light fluffy texture made up for it. I did make some slight adjustments, cutting the powdered sugar down by 1/2 cup and using heavy cream instead of milk. I mixed it in my Kitchenaid for probably half an hour total between all the steps, and it didn't taste grainy at all. My fiance also loved it, and I will be using it for all my American buttercream needs from now on. Thanks for the great recipe!