Your Best Vanilla Italian Buttercream Frosting Recipe

This Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe produces a creamy, sweet, and buttery frosting that is perfect for garnishing any cake. It only includes five ingredients and all of them are ingredients you probably have on hand already. This buttercream would be perfect for so many desserts including layer cakes or cupcakes, and it could even be colored with food coloring if you are wanting a specific colored frosting for your dessert.

To make buttercream frosting, you begin by making a sugar syrup on the stove before beating egg yolks and vanilla together in another bowl. Then, the hot syrup gets poured into the egg yolk mixture while mixing, which cooks the egg yolks and creates a luscious texture. Next, the butter gets beaten into the egg yolk mixture until a creamy icing is formed. Buttercream is distinct for its extra velvety mouthfeel compared to other types of frosting.

What are the 3 Main Types of Buttercream?

There are several types of buttercream recipes. One of these is a simple buttercream with just butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or cream. Meanwhile, another of them is a meringue-based buttercream, which involves beating softened butter into meringue until it is very light and fluffy. There are also Swiss meringue and Italian meringue buttercreams that involve a meringue. This buttercream recipe is an Italian meringue buttercream which involves beating hot sugar syrup into whipped egg whites followed by the butter.

Pro Tips

• Use a candy thermometer or instant-read thermometer to determine when the sugar syrup has reached the ideal temperature.
• If you don’t have any vanilla beans on hand, you could substitute it with vanilla extract.
• Make sure you gradually add the hot syrup to the egg yolks as you don’t want them to curdle.
• The butter should be softened before adding it into this recipe. Otherwise, you may find that your buttercream doesn’t become as smooth as it should be.
• If you are concerned that your beaters may not be picking up all of the frosting, you can scrape down the sides of the bowl every once in a while.

What to Serve with Buttercream?

While this buttercream recipe is delicious on its own, it is usually served as a garnish for cakes or cupcakes.

Can I Add Different Flavors to Buttercream?

Yes, the options are nearly endless when it comes to this buttercream recipe! If you are looking for a specific flavor to adorn a cake or cupcake recipe, you could easily modify this recipe. For example, you could beat some berry juice into the mixture for a berry-flavored buttercream. Alternatively, you could replace the vanilla with orange extract, lemon extract, coconut extract, or even a small amount of brewed espresso if you are looking for those flavors in your buttercream.

Why is My Buttercream Grainy?

If your buttercream becomes grainy, it could be due to a few reasons. One reason could be that the egg yolks curdled when you added the hot syrup. It is best to gradually add the syrup while you continuously beat the mixture to ensure that the egg yolks don’t curdle. Another reason could be that your butter was still cold, and therefore, was difficult to incorporate with the other ingredients.

Can I Use Margarine or Shortening in Buttercream?

No, it is best not to use margarine or shortening in your buttercream as they taste different to butter and may impact the structure of the buttercream. It is best to stick to high-quality butter that you know will taste good in the buttercream and will help it get to a creamy whipped consistency.

Does Italian Buttercream Set Hard?

Italian buttercream does not set hard like royal icing or fondant but rather firms up to a smooth, silky texture. It remains soft and creamy at room temperature, making it perfect for frosting cakes and piping decorations. However, when refrigerated, Italian buttercream does firm up considerably due to its high butter content but still maintains a smooth texture. Once brought back to room temperature, it softens again without losing its structure.

How to Store Buttercream

If you would like to make this buttercream recipe earlier than you plan to use it, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Then, when you are ready to use it, you should allow it to come up to room temperature before you re-whip it into a fluffy consistency. Buttercream can also be stored in the freezer for up to 3 months.

How to Make Buttercream

Step 1: Combine the water and sugar in a saucepan and boil it, without stirring, until it reaches 121 C (250 F).

Step 2: In a bowl, beat the egg yolks with the vanilla until creamy. Gradually beat in the syrup.

Step 3: Gradually, beat in the butter until the frosting is thick and fluffy.

Step 4: Fill a piping bag and immediately use it to garnish your cakes and cupcakes.