Smooth Creamy American Buttercream Recipe

This is my favorite recipe for american buttercream. It is creamy, not gritty and not overtly sweet. People confuse it for swiss meringue buttercream because of the gloss and shine  and velvet like texture it has and also the taste. Its the only american buttercream recipe I use.

Over the weekend, I hosted my first ever food styling and photography workshop in Chandigarh. When I started food photography I never thought that I would reach a stage where someone would like to learn from me. It has taken years of practice and even now there is so much to learn, but since so many people kept asking me to do a workshop, I decided it was time. With the help of my friends at Eighty.Tribe and Madras Prop Store, I set Saturday April 7th, 2018 as the date for the workshop.

As soon as I posted about the workshop on my instagram page, panic struck as to would any one even register. Luckily, people did and we had a full house. While I think everything went smoothly, there is always room for improvement especially if its the first time you are doing anything. For one, I should have taken more photographs of the space, the behind the scenes and should have at least taken one group shot with everyone! Well, that was a learning.

Another learning was I should not take on everything. There is so much work for a workshop. Between planning for the presentation and live styling sessions, I also decided to make the treats that would be served for the participants. Which meant staying up till late, the night before the workshop baking cupcakes, cookies, sandwiches and pound cake. And also, wrapping the small takeaways I had made for everyone attending the workshop (a hand painted board and napkins)

All that effort did pay off, since everyone loved the treats and the gesture at the end. A few people asked if the recipe for the buttercream frosting I used on the chocolate cupcakes was in the blog archives. That’s when I realized I hadn’t posted it.

I learnt this buttercream recipe when I was working on The Pink CakeBox. It is adapted from veena’s azmanov’s buttercream recipe and I love the texture and the taste of the buttercream. After making it a number of times for clients, I adapted the recipe a little to suit my palate. I toned down on the sugar significantly. I would skip on the meringue powder as well, since most clients would request for eggless recipes. Instead, I used rich’s non dairy cream to give it some stability. The flavorings that I use is what takes the buttercream to another level. The secret is in Lorann’s cream cheese flavoring oil. I love that little bottle of goodness. For the workshop, I added a little bit of cream cheese as well.

As Veena mentions, you need to adjust the level of liquid you use depending on the weather. Since butter is very temperamental to weather, the stability of the buttercream will vary accordingly. Summer months are hotter, so to have a more stable buttercream use less of the liquid. In winters butter holds it shape more, so its better to use more liquid to yield a creamier buttercream. Also, if using for piping, make sure you you only use 100 ml of cream, but if using as a filling you can have the buttercream be a softer, so can up the amount of cream used.

Using the paddle attachment helps not create unnecessary air bubbles in your buttercream. Avoid using the whisk attachment for this recipe.

A little word about the recipe, while I follow it more or less the same every time, I do taste and adjust the sugar and flavorings accordingly. Feel free to do the same. For the workshop, since I was making the recipe after ages and accidentally added 2 cups sugar and found it on the sweeter side, I added a cup of slightly whipped cream cheese to balance the sweetness.

If you try this buttercream recipe, please make sure you tag me on instagram, facebook or leave a comment here.

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Smooth Creamy American Buttercream Recipe

 

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Ingredients

• 500 gms unsalted butter, softened at room temperature and cut in cubes
• 1-2 cups icing sugar, sifted to remove any lumps (I generally start with 1 cup and end up putting 1.5 cups if required. For me that level of sweetness is quite a bit)
• 100-200 ml whipping cream (I have used both Rich's cream and regular amul cream- I generally use rich's when not using meringue powder. Also, like Veena, I use 100 ml cream in summers and between 150-200 ml in winters)
• 2 tbsp meringue powder (optional- skip if making eggless)
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• few drops of Lorann's cream cheese oil

Instructions

1. In a bowl of your electric mixer, mix ⅔ cup sugar, salt and meringue powder is using.
2. Using the paddle attachment on your mixer, and running on low, slowly add in the cream and beat for 3 minutes.
3. Add in the rest of the sugar, about ½ a cup at first. You can add more later if you like, but keep checking for level of sweetness. the butter will cut down the sweetness a bit but not much, keep that in mind. Continue to mix on medium.
4. If the mixture appears dry, you can add a tbsp of cream if required. For piping consistency leave as is. Beat for another 3 minutes.
5. Add butter in batches, making sure it is well incorporated before adding more butter, scraping the sides. The butter is incorporated in the similar fashion as you do when you make swiss meringue buttercream.
6. Add the vanilla and the lorann cream cheese flavoring.
7. Once all the butter is in, beat on high for 5 minutes or until you have a glossy, creamy texture to the buttercream. Adjust flavoring or sweetness. If the mixture seems grainy, add a tbsp or two of cream till you don't get a smooth velvety texture to your buttercream. The consistency of the icing is good enough to pipe, and even good as a filling.
8. Once you frost your cakes or cupcakes, do let the frosting come to room temperature before you serve.

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