If you saw my Best Chocolate Cupcakes the other day, you probably got a peek at this Best Vanilla Buttercream American Style. It’s gorgeous.
The Best Chocolate Cupcake with Best Vanilla Buttercream, American Style
American Buttercream is one of the simplest frostings, but I thought I’d post both pictures of my success and a failure so you could see the good points of this frosting, along with the bad. And that frosting I tried to make cute little ghosties (below) with was so, so bad!
What is American Buttercream?
American Buttercream is an incredibly light and sweet frosting, quick to make. Softened butter (sometimes shortening) is beaten until light and fluffy, then powdered sugar is added.
Milk or cream (cream is best) is added to enrich and smooth it out, and a bit of vanilla extract is added for flavor. Other extracts can produce different flavors, and the buttercream can be tinted with food coloring, preferably a gel.
Unlike more complex buttercreams, American Buttercream contains no egg, making it safe for those with allergies. While technically not considered to be shelf-stable, it is a low-moisture frosting, and the high sugar content helps preserve the small amount of dairy. Products made with it can be kept at room temperature for two to four days.
It’s ideal for piping, and once exposed to air, it does harden just a bit, which helps hold any ridges from piping stay distinct. That’s ideal for items like cupcakes, but can be problematic for larger cakes, especially those that are going to be moved; flexing could cause slight cracks on the surface.
The Best Chocolate Cupcake with Vanilla American Buttercream
Making Best Vanilla Buttercream American Style:
A possible pitfall with making any buttercream, including this Best Vanilla Buttercream American style, is issues with the temperature of the butter and the room.
The butter should hold its shape when bent without cracking or collapsing. Leaving it out overnight, at room temperature, which by definition is 68 to 72 degrees F. is ideal. The closer to 68, the better. If the kitchen temperature is too warm, try a cooler room. If it’s too cold, try leaving the butter on a gas stove with a pilot light or near a vent.
Beat the butter until it is lightened in color and it increases in volume. (This will actually warm the butter a bit – another reason to start it at the right temperature.) Then, the sugar is added in stages. If the sugar has clumps, measure first and then sift, unless the recipe states otherwise.
Adding the cream (or milk) is a judgment call. Just like flour, powdered sugar can contain more or less moisture, which affects the amount of liquid needed. Add the cream bit by bit. When finished, the buttercream should be light and fluffy but still hold distinct lines from the beaters or spatula.
See how distinct lines are left in the frosting but its light and airy.
Using the Best Vanilla Buttercream American Style:
All buttercreams can be finicky with temperature; American Buttercream (especially when made with all butter) can be particularly so, since it contains no extra stabilization from eggs. This applies to both using and serving.
If it’s too cold, the buttercream will be thick and difficult to work with, and if it’s too hot, it will be loose and somewhat greasy or oily.
When deciding to use this frosting, think about how the items it’s used on will be stored, transported, and served. This isn’t frosting for items tossed in a hot car or sitting outside on a table on a hot summer day.
Using half butter and half shortening will help keep the buttercream more stable, and a lot of bakeries use all shortening, which is why bakery cake frosting often doesn’t taste as good as homemade.
It was too cold, but I attempted to use it anyway when making these “ghostie” cupcakes. It was a total fail, and is that the Donald?
Storing:
Because of the tendency to slightly harden, American buttercream should be used as soon as it’s made, when it’s incredibly light and fluffy. Technically, it could be made ahead and stored at room temperature for a day or two, but it’s not ideal. Since it’s quick and easy to make, it’s best to make and use it fresh.
If American Buttercream needs to be stored, it can be refrigerated for 2 weeks or frozen for three months. Press plastic on the surface. It will need to be brought to room temperature and rewhipped before using.
Photo from Haniela’s Blog, demystifying butter
Let’s Recap Making the Best Vanilla Buttercream American Style:
- Butter at about 68 degrees F. It should bend and still hold its shape.
- Beat butter until lightened in color and increased in volume.
- Add sugar in stages, and if sugar is clumpy, measure and then sift.
- Enrich with cream, using enough to lighten & thin out the buttercream. A trail should be left by the spatula.
- The amount of cream is a judgment call.
- Don’t expect this buttercream to hold up in hot weather. If butter gets too soft in warm temperatures, so will buttercream.
- Subbing half the butter with shortening will help buttercream hold up to warmth a bit, but don’t expect miracles.
- Buttercream can also be too cold. If refrigerated or kept in a chilly place, bring it back to room temperature.
Other Recipes You Might Like:
- Ermine Buttercream – this is a family favorite and the original frosting for Red Velvet Cake.
- White Chocolate Buttercream – I especially love this frosting with raspberry flavors, like the cupcakes on the same post.
- Cream Cheese Frosting – a little less sweet than most, this is a dreamy version.
Grandma’s Applesauce Cupcakes with Ermine Buttercream
Saving Money on Groceries:
What you pay for groceries depends on not just WHERE you shop, but WHEN. Be strategic and stock up at rock-bottom prices.
- The best sales are before holidays; check out Win at the Grocers. Think beyond the occasion & use the opportunity to stock up at a low for the coming weeks to months.
- If available, take advantage of discount stores like Aldi or Lidl. The pricing at Buyer’s clubs is not always the lowest, but can trump in quality. Be selective when shopping there.
The best way to save money on this or any recipe is to have a well-stocked pantry, fridge, and freezer full of sale-priced items.
Butter:
If you have a deep freeze (and you should if you can swing it), there’s no reason to buy butter at full price. It goes on sale often and keeps well.
- While on sale before any holiday, rock-bottom pricing is before the Winter Holidays, and often matched by sales before Easter. Count out the weeks between holidays and buy appropriately.
- Discount stores have great pricing on butter year-round (and sale prices before holidays).
Cream:
- Cream is always cheaper at discount groceries like Aldi & Lidl. Their everyday price beats out the buyer’s club and the best grocery store holiday sales price.
- Cream keeps for weeks, so if the standard grocery is the only option, get in the habit of picking up at a low price before holidays.
Powdered Sugar:
- Pick up before the Winter Holidays or Easter, but do watch for sporadic sales. The discount stores are great bets.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight container. Powdered sugar can attract pests; keep it tightly sealed. If it becomes clumpy, sift.
The Best Chocolate Cupcake with Best Vanilla Buttercream, American Style
Best Vanilla Buttercream, American Style
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 18 cupcakes 1x
- Category: Desserts Frosting
- Cuisine: American
Ingredients
- 2 sticks butter, cold and as close to 68 degrees F. as possible
- 2 cups powdered (confectioner’s) sugar
- 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
- 3 to 4 tablespoons heavy cream
Instructions
Cut butter into chunks. Using the whip attachment, whip butter several minutes, scraping down occasionally, until butter has increased in volume and lightened in color.
Add half of the powdered sugar and mix on low-speed until incorporated, again stopping to scrape down. Add the vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Add the rest of the powdered sugar and beat on low-speed until sugar is incorporated, again stopping to scrape down as needed. Increase speed to medium-high and beat for 2 to 3 minutes.
Turn back to low and add the heavy cream by the tablespoon, starting with a tablespoon or two, then adding more if needed. Turn mixer up to medium-high and whip until light.
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I’ll be sharing Best Vanilla Buttercream American Style at Fiesta Friday Blog Party, hosted by Laurena @ Life Diet Health and Trupti @ My Culinary Saga.
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