Best Buttercream

cheatsheet
 This makes enough
buttercream to frost about
12 to 15 cupcakes. Double
this recipe to frost an 8 or
9-inch two layer cake.
YIELD: about 3 cups
INGREDIENTS:
3 cups (375 grams) powdered
sugar, sifted
2 sticks (8 ounces, 227 grams)
unsalted butter, at room
temperature
1/4 teaspoon fine salt
2 teaspoons pure vanilla
extract
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy or
whipping cream
The Best
Buttercream
Recipe
DIRECTIONS:
In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment,
add the sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended
and then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3
minutes. Add the salt, vanilla, and cream and beat on medium for
1 minute, adding more cream if needed.
STOR AGE:
While the sugar in buttercream acts as a preservative and keeps
the frosting intact for a few hours at a time, I recommend storing
the buttercream in the refrigerator.
Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to
a week. Allow the buttercream to come to room temperature,
then re-whip in the stand mixer until light and fluffy again. Add a
tablespoon or 2 of powdered sugar if it needs to thicken.
 You may need to adjust
the powdered sugar ratio
depending on your flavor
preferences and the cream
ratio depending on your
texture preferences.
CHOCOLATE - Add 1/2 cup
sifted unsweetened cocoa
powder
STRAWBERRY - Add 1/3 cup
seedless strawberry preserves
and a few drops of red food
coloring
RASPBERRY - Add 1/3 cup
seedless raspberry preserves
and a few drops of red food
coloring
MOCHA - Add 1/2 cup sifted
unsweetened cocoa powder
and 2 teaspoons instant
espresso powder
CHOCOLATE MALT - Add
1/2 cup sifted unsweetened
cocoa powder, 1/2 cup malted
milk powder, and use 1/4 cup
milk, plus more if needed
MINT - Add 1/2 teaspoon
peppermint extract and a few
drops of green food coloring
Flavor Ideas
PEANUT BUTTER - Add 1
cup creamy peanut butter and
reduce the powdered sugar to
2 1/2 cups
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE
DOUGH - Use 3/4 cup light
brown sugar in place of all
powdered sugar, add 1 1/4
cups flour*, and garnish with
mini chocolate chips.
*To make the raw flour safer,
we need to kill bacteria. Treat
the flour by baking it at 350°F
for 10 minutes or microwaving
in 30-second bursts until it
reaches 165°F on an instant-
read thermometer.
IRISH CREAM - Use Bailey’s
Irish Cream instead of cream
KAHLUA - Add 1/2 cup sifted
unsweetened cocoa powder
and 1/2 cup Kahlua in place of
the cream
NUTELLA - Add 2/3 cup
Nutella and reduce powdered
sugar to 2 cups
LEMON (OR ANY OTHER
CITRUS) - Add 2 tablespoons
lemon zest, 3 tablespoons
lemon juice, and increase the
powdered sugar to 3 1/2 cups
COCONUT - Add 1/2
teaspoon coconut extract
CINNAMON - Add 1
tablespoon ground cinnamon
PUMPKIN - Add 1/2 cup
pure pumpkin puree and 1
teaspoon pumpkin pie spice,
remove cream
SALTED CARAMEL - Add
1/3 cup caramel topping and
increase salt to 1 teaspoon,
remove cream
 handletheheat.com

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 Common
Buttercream
Questions Answered
DO I REALLY NEED TO USE UNSALTED BUTTER?
My preference is to always use unsalted butter when baking. You can learn all about that here.
If you only have salted butter on hand, omit the 1/4 teaspoon salt called for in the recipe.
Be sure to give it a taste to see if it might need more salt.

CAN I USE MILK INSTEAD OF CREAM?

You can use milk or half-and-half if that’s all you have, but I highly recommend using heavy
cream if possible for its creaminess and maximum richness. There’s a reason it’s called
buttercream!

WHAT FOOD COLORING SHOULD I USE?

If you’re adding a flavor that naturally is colored (such as fruit preserves or chocolate), then
your frosting will, of course, be colored by this addition.
For a brightly colored buttercream, I highly recommended gel food coloring. It packs a
saturated punch so you don’t need to use much. Start with a few drops then add more from
there until you reach your desired color. I prefer Americolor or Chefmaster gel food coloring.

DO I HAVE TO USE POWDERED SUGAR? WHAT ABOUT REGULAR SUGAR?

Yes, powdered sugar is completely necessary here. Regular sugar would create a really grainy
sandy texture.
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