Hi everyone — in my cake decorating tutorials I often show techniques that work best with a crusting vanilla buttercream. There are many excellent crusting buttercream recipes, but here are the two versions I rely on most often.
As the name implies, crusting buttercreams form a thin surface “crust” after about 5–10 minutes. That crust makes it possible to smooth the frosting using the Viva method, which I reference frequently in tutorials. If you plan to use Viva smoothing, do not frost the final coat when the cake is cold — bring the cake to room temperature first. Cold cakes cause condensation, which prevents the frosting from crusting properly.
CLASSIC AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM — This is an all-butter buttercream with no shortening. It has excellent flavor but is slightly less heat tolerant than shortening-based frostings.
Ingredients:
- 2 sticks unsalted butter — 226 g
- 8 cups (2 lb.) powdered sugar — 920 g
- 2 tsp vanilla — about 8 g (use clear imitation vanilla if you prefer a whiter frosting)
- 1/3 cup milk — 86 g
- Pinch of salt, optional, to reduce sweetness
Instructions: Cream the softened butter until smooth, then blend in the vanilla. Add half of the powdered sugar and most of the milk, and beat at medium speed until the sugar is incorporated. Add the remaining powdered sugar and milk, then mix at medium speed for another 3–4 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed. Reduce the mixer speed to very slow (about #2 on a KitchenAid) for 1–2 minutes to help remove air pockets and create a very smooth texture.
This recipe can be halved or doubled. Store in an airtight container in the freezer for up to three months; thaw at room temperature before using. Because it is a crusting buttercream, it works well with the Roller and Viva paper-towel smoothing methods. In high humidity it may not crust reliably, in which case a hot-knife smoothing technique can be used instead.
Yield: approximately 6–6½ cups of frosting.
FLUFFY VANILLA BUTTERCREAM (crusting) — This version uses both butter and shortening. The shortening lightens the color and increases heat tolerance while keeping a pleasant texture. The flavor is slightly less buttery than an all-butter recipe, but the trade-off is greater stability.
Ingredients:
- 2 lb confectioners’ sugar — 910 g
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened — 113 g
- 1½ cups solid vegetable shortening (e.g., Crisco or Trex) — about 286 g (10 oz). If using a hi-ratio shortening, see notes below.
- 2 tablespoons clear vanilla extract — about 24 g
- ¼ teaspoon lemon or almond extract — about 1 g (optional)
- ¼ cup milk — 57 g (higher-fat milk yields better flavor; water may be substituted if desired)
- Pinch of salt (fine salt like popcorn salt is recommended). If using table salt, dissolve it in the liquid before adding.
Instructions: Cream the butter, shortening and extracts until creamy and smooth. Add the powdered sugar and milk, then mix thoroughly on medium speed for about 8 minutes. For the final two minutes, reduce the mixer to very slow (about #2 on a KitchenAid) until the buttercream is silky; scrape the bowl occasionally while mixing.
Notes:
- If using a high-ratio shortening such as Sweetex, reduce the shortening to 1¼ cups (about 236 g) and increase the milk to ¼ cup plus 2–3 tablespoons, adjusting to reach your preferred consistency.
- I previously used water for this recipe but switched to milk for better flavor. Using higher-fat milk produces a frosting that still crusts nicely but not as quickly or as hard as with water.
Makes about 6 cups of frosting. You can halve the recipe or freeze leftovers. As a guideline, one cup of frosting covers roughly 12 cupcakes.