Different Types of Buttercream
We love buttercream, sweet, luscious, and creamy; it's the best topping for a cake! Packed full of butter and sugar, what else could you want?!?! I mean a bowl full of rainbow sprinkles, yes we love those too!
Let's get real though, depending on the sort of cake you are making, you want a certain type of buttercream. We all know and love the famous American buttercream which is a creaming method, butter, icing sugar and flavouring. Add a bit of food colouring and you're good to go! American buttercream can be used for all seasons, hot, cold, humid, you name it, it will be your saviour for life! Perfect under fondant, and so easy to make!
Swiss Meringue Buttercream is made with egg whites and white sugar, heated and whisked over a bain-marie. Cooked to 75 degrees Celsius or until the sugar has completely dissolved. Requires a few additional tools like a thermometer. Whipped to a stiff meringue consistency, softened butter is then added towards the end. The texture is velvety, smooth as silk and melts on the tongue. As amazing as it is, SMBC will not hold during the warmer months, it will turn into a hot mess. Perfect and stable for the colder months, great for filling cakes, smoothing and finishing off wedding cakes. SMBC is also suitable for pregnant women and breastfeeding mamas!
Italian Meringue Buttercream is made with sugar and water, cooked together till it reaches a soft ball stage, then drizzled onto the egg whites, before being whisked into a fluffy meringue. Be careful when pouring hot sugar into the meringue, it's not for the faint-hearted. After a few practices, it will be plain sailing. Softened butter is added last, a very similar method to smbc. Same attributes as Swiss meringue buttercream, smooth, velvety, a living dream in your mouth. More stable in the warmer months compared to smbc, due to the higher temperature of the sugar being cooked.
French Buttercream is made with egg yolks instead of egg whites. A very similar process to smbc and imbc. Every lover's dream, smooth, velvety, melt in your mouth, decadent to eat. An intense rich flavour, pure as silk. This buttercream is very soft, so does not work well during the hotter and warmer months. Won't give you sharp edges, nor does it sit well under fondant Great for winter and the colder months, as a filling for cakes and macarons.
Cream Cheese Frosting is red velvets bestie! It involves the creaming method just like the American Buttercream. Softer in texture, great for fillings and cupcake decorating. A little too soft on consistency, not great under fondant, however, it's very delicious nonetheless!