There are four types of buttercream: Italian, which is an egg-white meringue enriched with butter; Swiss, which is similar to Italian but the sugar isn’t cooked and as a result doesn’t cook the egg whites, so is highly perishable; French, which being French has to include egg yolks; and American, which isn’t technically a buttercream at all but a frosting consisting of butter and icing sugar to replicate the qualities of real buttercream. American buttercream is essential to making archetypal American cupcakes. The milk helps to loosen up the buttercream when you don’t want it to be too sweet. Think of sugar as a wet ingredient, so if the icing is still quite stiff but you don’t want it to be sweeter, add milk to taste.
350 g/3 sticks unsalted butter, softened and cut into chunks
780 g/7 cups icing/confectioners’ sugar
30–50 ml/2–3 tablespoons milk
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
makes enough to frost up to 24 cupcakes or to fill and cover a 20-cm/8-inch cake
Using an electric mixer with paddle or beater attachment (or an electric whisk), beat the butter and sugar until the mixture is lightened in colour and fluffy in texture. Stir in the milk and vanilla extract.
If it’s not sweet enough, add more icing/confectioners’ sugar. If it is too sweet but still stiff, add milk. If it is too sweet and really runny, add soft butter.
VARIATIONS
Coconut: replace the milk with coconut milk and add 2 teaspoons coconut extract to boost the flavour.
Rum: replace the vanilla extract with dark rum.
Mocha: add 2 tablespoons espresso and 3 tablespoons cocoa powder.
Cookies & cream: add 200 g/6½ oz. lightly crushed Oreo cookies.
Mint: add 1 teaspoon mint extract and 1 teaspoon green food colouring.