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Perfect Italian Buttercream Frosting is a rich, smooth, and incredibly delicious traditional icing that is the best choice to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
This is the same kind of buttercream frosting that you’ll find on many professional wedding cakes. Its silky texture is unlike any other frosting or icing recipe that you’ll ever find, it is gorgeous when piped, and can be flavored and colored in countless ways.
Why this recipe works:
When you consider how perfectly smooth, rich, creamy, and heavenly this buttercream frosting is and how incredibly easy it is to use for decorating, it will soon be one of your favorites.
- Italian buttercream is considered more difficult than traditional American buttercream only because you must get the hot sugar syrup to an exact temperature, but once you get the hang of this recipe it is actually super easy to make.
- This frosting is a decorator’s dream! It is incredibly smooth and creamy. When refrigerated it gets hard because of all the butter, which makes it perfect as a crumb coat before your final layer of frosting or fondant is added.
- Italian buttercream holds up really well at room temperature. You can use it to decorate both cakes and cupcakes.
- If you like a frosting that is rich and buttery and not too sweet, this is your kind of recipe!
Whether you use it for a dry crumb frosting base only before adding fondant and fancy decorations, or you cover the entire cake in buttercream frosting, it truly is one of the most gorgeous things you can put on a cake.
How to make my Italian buttercream:
- First step is to get the sugar mixture to the soft ball stage. This is done by heating the sugar and corn syrup in a pot over the stove. You must use a good thermometer to ensure it is the correct temperature.
- Next you will beat the egg whites. Once they begin to get foamy but soft peaks haven’t formed, you will add the hot sugar syrup.
- Then you will add the softened butter, one cube at a time.
- Finally, you will mix in the vanilla extract. If you’re wanting to color the frosting, this is when you would add the food coloring.
Cooking tips:
- You must get your sugar to the soft-ball stage which is 235 degrees F. I live close to sea level, so this is the temperature I go by. At high altitudes, water boils at a lower temperature. For example, at 4500 feet above sea level, water boils at 204° F. If candy is cooked until it reaches the soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer, it will have cooked too long.
- I add a bit of corn syrup to my recipe because it adds a beautiful sheen, but this can be omitted if you want to make a pure Italian buttercream recipe.
- I recommend mixing the egg whites while the sugar syrup heats up. Ideally you want them ready as soon as the sugar syrup hits it’s temperature.
- When you whip your egg whites, you want them to have a lot of air and a beautiful sheen, but do not let them get to the stiff peak stage.
- Remember to be patient. I’ve had a lot of readers who had this recipe turn out perfectly and others who couldn’t get it to work. Once you start adding the butter, it will look awful, but you just have to keep mix and just like magic, you will end up with the best buttercream frosting.
Different types of buttercream frosting:
If you’re like me, you probably grew up making what is considered American buttercream. As far as taste goes, that is still my preference, but some consider it too sweet.
If you didn’t realize there are different kinds of buttercream frosting, here’s a quick summary:
- AMERICAN: Powdered sugar + softened butter + milk + vanilla
- SWISS MERINGUE: Egg whites + sugar whisked together over boiling water and then beaten with butter
- FRENCH: Egg yolks + homemade sugar syrup + butter
- ITALIAN: Homemade sugar syrup + egg whites + white sugar + softened butter
Related Recipes:
Since Italian Buttercream can be more difficult to make, you might be more interested in making these other super easy frosting recipes:
- Brown Butter Vanilla Bean Frosting
- Mascarpone Frosting
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- Maple Cream Cheese Frosting
- Blueberry Cream Cheese Frosting
And what good is frosting without a delicious, moist, scratch made cupcake or cake recipe!
- Homemade Chocolate Cupcakes
- Carrot Cake
- Hummingbird Cake
- Lemon Cupcakes
- Orange Cupcakes
- Traditional Yellow Cake
- Super Easy Chocolate Cake
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Video
Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoons corn syrup
- 5 egg whites approx 185g
- 1 lb unsalted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Add the sugar and corn syrup to a small saucepan, drizzle a few tablespoons of water over the sugar, and stir together until the sugar is all moistened. It will have a wet sand feeling about it. Cook the sugar over medium high to high heat to the softball stage of 235 F using a candy thermometer. Use a pastry brush to lightly water down the inner sides of the sauce pan to prevent crystallization. When the sugar is done, turn off the burner (if gas), or move the pan off the burner (if electric).
- Begin to whip your egg whites with a whip attachment in a stand mixer. When the meringue begins to look opaque, but is not to any sort of ‘peak’ stage yet, slowly pour the cooked sugar syrup down the side of the mixing bowl, as the mixture is whipping on a medium speed. Allow the mixture to whip until glossy medium peaks form and the meringue is cool to the touch.
- Turn the mixer on a low speed, and add the butter, one stick at a time. Be sure meringue is cool to the touch first so that the butter doesn't melt! Mix until the mixture comes together. Don't be scared! The mixture will separate and look terrible before it comes together again, which It will- I promise. Be patient.
- Once the mixture is smooth and wonderful-looking, add the vanilla and whip just until combined.
Notes
- You must get your sugar to the soft-ball stage which is 235 degrees F. I live close to sea level, so this is the temperature I go by. At high altitudes, water boils at a lower temperature. For example, at 4500 feet above sea level, water boils at 204° F. If candy is cooked until it reaches the soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer, it will have cooked too long.
- I add a bit of corn syrup to my recipe because it adds a beautiful sheen, but this can be omitted if you want to make a pure Italian buttercream recipe.
- I recommend mixing the egg whites while the sugar syrup heats up. Ideally you want them ready as soon as the sugar syrup hits it’s temperature.
- When you whip your egg whites, you want them to have a lot of air and a beautiful sheen, but do not let them get to the stiff peak stage.
- Remember to be patient. I’ve had a lot of readers who had this recipe turn out perfectly and others who couldn’t get it to work. Once you start adding the butter, it will look awful, but you just have to keep mix and just like magic, you will end up with the best buttercream frosting.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
This recipe was originally published in November 2017 and has been updated with helpful information, ingredient and process photos, as well as recipe tips. Don’t worry – the recipe hasn’t changed!
This looks amazing, I can’t wait to try it! Can you please elaborate on the part about wetting the sides with a pastry brush? I’d love to give this a try and thanks so much for sharing! 🙂 Shelley
Hi Shelley, you just need to keep the crystals off the side of the pot. That’s all. Hope that helps! Krissy
Is it safe to eat being the egg whites are raw and not cooked.
Hi Heather, I think its fine as long as you use high quality eggs, plus the hot syrup helps cook them. Krissy
Is there a chocolate version?
I haven’t made one yet. Stay tuned! Krissy
At the bottom of the recipe there was a comment ~ for choc add 1/2 cup of 60% cacao choc. and whip into mixture before adding butter . I haven’t tried it but did read that above. See ” J says” in the earlier comments
Looks like a delicious recipe but a little concerned about the raw egg whites
Use fresh eggst and with the hot syrup is everything fine. You cook the eggwhites with the syrup.
Raw egg whites could be a problem. Is there any alternative??
not for this version.
The high temperature of the sugar syrup cooks the egg whites, hence the”magic”. Thanks Krissy. I am an old foodie, before the term foodie.
I’ve used Pasteurized Egg Whites. But…make sure you buy the ones that have nothing added to them. The carton should only contain egg whites and absolutely nothing else. I also use them for making homemade angel food cakes with great results.
I know this is an older comment, but the sugar going into the egg whites is 235F/112C. The eggs are not going to survive that uncooked.
The hot sugar syrup cooks the eggs enough to be out of the danger zone ? The corn syrup is added for extra shine, it can be eliminated. Hope this helps everyone
The egg whites are cooked through when adding the hot sugar syrup so it’s safe.
Looks fabulous! But I’m wondering if this buttercream has another name, because it’s nothing like buttercream we’ve always made with powdered sugar and butter/shortening.
Hi Cindy, This is a Swiss meringue buttercream. Thanks! Krissy
This is not a Swiss meringue. Swiss meringue is made by adding the sugar to the egg whites and then tempering that in a double boiler BEFORE whipping to peak. That would be cooking the egg first. Your recipe is an Italian meringue buttercream. You are using a raw egg white meringue and drizzling hot syrup intro the mix.
Okay, thank you for the clarification! -Krissy
This is actually an Italian buttercream because with Swiss buttercream, you heat the egg whites. Never tried it but I’ll have to because I’m not a huge fan of American buttercream due to the sweetness. Thanks for the recipe!
It’s called Italian buttercream. They have different type of buttercreams for each country. Americans prefer the American butter cream with shortening, butter, poweder sugar, vanilla,etc. if I’m not mistaken the American version always has shortening in it.
In the video this is Italian Buttercream. It’s very good and not as dense and sweet as American.
Nope. Many, if not most, of us make buttercream using only butter, powdered sugar, Vanilla Extract, and a couple spoons of milk or cream to reach desired consistency. I prefer unsalted butter, Land O Lakes makes the best buttercream frosting. There’s not enough money on this earth to convince me to add shortening of any kind to my frostings.
Totally agree with Cheryl 🙂 Land of the Lakes is very good here in the States, but also to. I have found that Challenge Butter is little bit less in price but taste the same. But, I use them both. Sister In Law works for Milk Plant, and believe it or not most all the butter they produce is pretty much the same and the taste, just labeled differently…go figure, huh?
Is this granulated sugar or confectioners sugar?
Granulated sugar. Will update recipe to reflect. Thanks! -Krissy
Can we leave out the corn syrup?
Hi Melissa, I actually don’t know. This is the first time I’ve made it. If you make it and omit the corn syrup, will you let me know how it turns out? Thanks! Krissy
Yes leave out the corn syrup. I make the Italian merengue buttercream from the CakeLove cookbook. Is pretty much the same just without the corn syrup. Also, for chocolate, melt 1/2 cup 60%cocoa chocolate cups and pour in before adding butter. It’s sooooo God and not to sweet.
Couple of questions: how many cups does this recipe make? How do you store it/can you store it? How stable is it at room temperature? Does it crust? Is it easy to color and use for figure piping (flowers)?
Thanks.
Hi Becki, I didn’t measure, but it looked like at least 4 cups. It was enough to frost a 4 layer 9″ round cake in between layers with a dirty crumb frosting and then a final outer layer. I would store in an airtight container in the refrigerator and allow to come to room temp before spreading or piping. Its very stable at room temp and it does not crust like royal icing. It is easy to color as well as to add additional flavor (i.e. I added hazelnut butter for my pumpkin cake). Hope that helps! Krissy
This is known in the professional baking world as Italian buttercream!
Aloha. Can you double this recipe? I live in Hawaii and I’ve made Italian meringue buttercream before but just curious if you happen to know what the correct temperature would be?
Thank you…
Siona
Aloha! You can certainly double it, but the original recipe makes a lot! Cook the sugar to the softball stage of 235 F using a candy thermometer.
Actually, Krissy already made it clear that Italian buttercream did not have corn syrup. I believe that makes this a hybrid of Italian and French.
Disaster!! Never got thick and creamy. I did something wrong…possibly not mixing egg whites long enough, but don’t want to waste another lb of butter to try it again. I’ll stick with my powder sugar, butter, with a little milk and vanilla.
Sorry it didn’t work for you! Italian Meringue buttercream is definitely worth the process. Not sure why it didn’t work for you. I’ve made it several times and it always comes together perfectly.
The problem probably was putting butter to a hot meringue mixture… witch makes the whole cream runny and all nasty