Recipes for 7 types of buttercreams: American, German, Italian, French, Swiss, custard and flour buttercream. With flavor alternatives – vanilla, strawberry, peanut butter and coffee – and substitutes for vegan buttercream!
Learn to make 7 types of buttercreams from scratch: American, German, Italian, French, Swiss, custard and flour buttercream. American, German and flour buttercream are the easiest buttercreams because they’re egg-free. They’re almost foolproof to make! But if you have egg whites leftover, Swiss or Italian meringue buttercream is your best choice. And if you have egg yolks leftover, you can choose between French and custard buttercream.
Related: 15+ Ways To Use Up Leftover Egg Whites Or Egg Yolks
Because I prefer light buttercreams, I adapted traditional buttercream recipes so that the following buttercream recipes have a reduced butter and sugar content.
My favorite buttercreams are Swiss meringue buttercream and German pudding buttercream. Both are delicious and decadent! German pudding buttercream is so easy and foolproof to make! To me, German pudding buttercream is the traditional buttercream because I’m German. 😉 Swiss meringue buttercream is a bit more difficult to make but so worth it!
Related: No-Bake Swiss Roll With Cake Scraps & Leftover Buttercream
7 Types Of Buttercreams + Vegan Buttercream
Simple Buttercream
American buttercream, also called simple buttercream, is made by creaming together butter and sugar. It’s the easiest and quickest frosting to make.
Meringue-Based Buttercream
Swiss buttercream and Italian buttercream are both meringue-based buttercreams. For Swiss meringue buttercream, egg whites and sugar are cooked over a water bath before they’re whipped into an airy meringue. While Italian meringue buttercream is made by pouring hot syrup or jam into the egg whites while constantly whisking.
In my opinion, meringue-based buttercreams taste best when served at room temperature: Then they’re light and airy – almost like whipped cream.
Custard-Based Buttercream
German pudding buttercream, custard buttercream and flour (also called ermine) buttercream are all custard-based buttercreams. Custard buttercream is made with egg yolks, whereas German and flour buttercream are egg-free. German buttercream is thickened with cornstarch, while flour buttercream is thickened with flour.
Buttercream With Egg Yolks
French buttercream and custard buttercream are both made with egg yolks. The making of French buttercream is similar to Swiss meringue buttercream except that it is made with egg yolks instead of egg whites.
Vegan Buttercream
You can make dairy-free, egg-free and vegan buttercream by making the following substitutions.
For Vegan Buttercream Use:
- soy milk instead of milk
- whipped aquafaba instead of egg whites
- vegan butter instead of butter
Related: Homemade Aquafaba From Scratch
7 Types Of Buttercreams – Recipes
Click on the links below the images for the cake and cupcake recipes.
Custard Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 15 egg yolks
- 1 cup milk
- 1 cup sugar
- 3 1/2 sticks butter, room temperature (400g)
- 1 tbsp homemade vanilla extract
Directions:
Combine egg yolks, milk and sugar in a saucepan and whisk until smooth. While constantly stirring, cook the custard over medium heat until thickened. Stir in the vanilla extract. Let the custard cool down to room temperature.
Beat the softened butter in a medium-sized bowl with an electric mixer until pale and creamy. Add the custard one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
American Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 4 tbsp butter, softened
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 tbsp cream or milk
- 1/4 tsp homemade vanilla extract
- pinch of salt
Directions:
Beat all ingredients together with an electric mixer until smooth.
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients:
Strawberry Italian Meringue Buttercream
- 3/4 cup fresh or frozen strawberry puree (170g)
- 3/4 – 1 cup sugar (170g)
- 5 egg whites
- 1 tsp fresh lemon juice
- 4 1/4 sticks butter, room temperature (500g)
Alternative: Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream
Instead of strawberry puree and sugar, use:
- 1 1/4 cup sugar (260g)
- 5 tbsp water (80ml)
- 1 tbsp homemade vanilla extract
Directions:
Strawberry Italian Meringue Buttercream
In a saucepan, bring strawberry puree and sugar to a boil.
Meanwhile, place the egg whites in a large bowl and add the lemon juice. Beat the egg whites with an electic mixer until stiff.
Pour the hot strawberry jam into the egg whites in a stream. Beat on high speed for about 10 minutes. Lower the speed to medium and continue to beat the meringue until it has cooled to room temperature.
Add the butter, a tablespoon at a time. Don’t worry, it looks curdled at this stage! Continue to beat until smooth.
Alternative: Vanilla Italian Meringue Buttercream
Combine sugar and water in a saucepan and cook for 5 minutes. Use syrup instead of jam in the recipe above and flavor the finished buttercream with vanilla extract.
Related: Striped Meringue Kisses – Naturally Colored & Vegan
Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 6 egg whites
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature (240g)
- optional: 1 tbsp homemade vanilla extract
Alternative: Peanut Butter Buttercream
- 3 – 4 tbsp peanut butter
Alternative: Coffee Buttercream
- 1/2 cup strong brewed coffee
Directions:
In a large heatproof bowl, combine egg whites and sugar. Place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Using a whisk, stir continuously until the sugar is dissolved. Remove the bowl from the simmering water and with an electric mixer beat the egg whites until stiff.
Mix in the butter, a tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. At this stage the buttercream usually looks curdled. Continue to beat until it comes back together.
Flavor the Swiss meringue buttercream with vanilla extract, peanut butter or strong brewed coffee.
German Pudding Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups milk (500ml)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 3 tbsp homemade vanilla sugar (35g)
- 5 tbsp cornstarch (45g)
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature (230g)
Directions:
Whisk together cornstarch and 1/2 cup milk. Bring the remaining milk, sugar and vanilla sugar to a simmer. Pour the cornstarch mixture into the boiling milk while constantly stirring. Continue to cook the pudding until it thickens.
Related: Vegan Pudding From Scratch
Using an electric mixer, beat the softened butter until creamy. Add the pudding one tablespoon at a time, mixing well after each addition.
Ermine Or Flour Buttercream
Ingredients:
- 2 1/4 cups milk (500ml)
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 3/4 cup flour (100g)
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature (230g)
- optional: 1 tsp homemade vanilla extract
Directions:
In a saucepan, combine milk, sugar and flour. While constantly stirring, cook the pudding until thickened. Allow the pudding to cool.
In a bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Add the cooled pudding, one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Flavor the flour buttercream with vanilla extract.
French Buttercream – The Easy “Swiss” Way
Ingredients:
- 5 egg yolks
- 1/2 cup sugar (100g)
- 2 sticks butter, room temperature (230g)
- optional: 1 tsp homemade vanilla extract
Alternative: Coffee Buttercream
- 2 tbsp strong brewed coffee
Directions:
Combine egg yolks and sugar in a medium-sized, heatproof bowl. Place the bowl over a pan of simmering water – the water shoudn’t touch the bowl.
Constantly whisk the egg yolks and sugar for about 5 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken. If you want to pasteurize the yolks, heat the mixture to a temperature of 147°F (64°C).
Remove the bowl from heat. Using a mixer, beat until the mixture becomes pale yellow and the bowl feels cool to the touch.
In another medium-sized bowl, beat the butter until creamy. Then add the egg yolk mixture, one tablespoon at a time, beating well after each addition. Flavor the French buttercream with vanilla extract or coffee.
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