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
Italian Buttercream Frosting
Perfect Italian Buttercream Frosting is a rich, smooth, and incredibly delicious traditional icing that is the best choice to decorate cakes and cupcakes.
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RECIPE VIDEO WILL AUTOPLAY
Hover to scale: 12 servings
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
Makes about 4 cups - more than enough to frost a two layer 9-inch cake
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.
NUTRITION INFORMATION
Serving: 4tbsp | Calories: 369kcal | Carbohydrates: 23g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 30g | Saturated Fat: 19g | Cholesterol: 81mg | Sodium: 27mg | Potassium: 29mg | Sugar: 23g | Vitamin A: 945IU | Calcium: 10mg
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This recipe was originally published in September 2014 and has been updated with helpful information and cooking tips. Don't worry - the recipe hasn't changed!
renee
Hello, how many tablespoon does 185g of egg white equal
Krissy
https://www.google.com/search?q=how+many+tablespoon+does+185g+of+egg+white+equal&oq=how+many+tablespoon+does+185g+of+egg+white+equal&aqs=chrome..69i57.1453j0j8&sourceid=chrome&ie=UTF-8#q=how+many+tablespoons+is+185g+of+egg+white+equal
Anna
what happens if i used salted butter? It's all i have... would it taste weird?
Krissy
I never think salted butter tastes weird. Just different. But, because it's sweet, I'm sure it will work!
Rebecca Gomez
I wonder if I could make this with coconut sugar?
Krissy
I typically don't mess with the ingredients when its something like this because its more of a chemistry experiment and you have to be pretty exact.
Nadia
Hi! This recipe looks yummy and perfect but I messed up on the 1st try... when melting the sugar it turned brown, it did not stay clear as shown.. what did I do wrong???? When pouring into the egg mix it turned into hard rock candy :/ thanks
Krissy
You must have heated it too much. You have to be exact with the temp.
Linda H.
Temperature for the sugar mixture also depends on your altitude above sea level. If you live a few thousand feet or more above sea level, you have to adjust the temperatures for cooking any kind of sugars/sugar mixtures. I live at 6,000 feet or so above sea level & my adjustment is 12° less than the temp listed (so I would bring my sugar mixture to 223°F instead of 235°F). I would say if you're at 3,000 ft. or above to start adjusting temps. The adjustment is down 1° for every 500 feet above sea level or down 2° for every 1,000 feet above sea level (that's why I adjust down 12°). Hope this helps for anyone who had problems with sugar mixture cooking too much/overcooking!
Krissy
Thank you for the info!
Bridgette
How well would this transport? Like in a car in the middle of summer???
Krissy
It can't get too hot. I'd say the frosting needs to stay under 72F.
Joy
It IS primarily butter, right? So, I'd be cautious about putting it in the car, in the middle of summer. But maybe that's just me. Maybe a cooler, with ice packs might work.
Lucia
Can this be colored? or would you need to use a special medium to add to the color then to the frosting?
Krissy
I would us a gel instead of a liquid
Ollie
You make this look so easy =)
Sandra braun
Tried this. Still clumpy and not coming together. Did I do something wrong??
Krissy
keep mixing!
Juana SMALL
This worked amazingly!! ?? Thank you for posting this recipe this is such an amazing one!
Paula
Hi, thanks for sharing this fantastic buttercream recipe. Can you use this buttercream for a wedding cake instead of the traditional buttercream?
Krissy
Of course!
Diane
Italian meringue(which this recipe actually is) is all that oI pretty much use for my wedding cakes. Because it is butter only it will not hold up so well in the heat so I do substitute some shortening in place of butter for the stability wAnd does not change the light flavor
Tricia
First off let me just say AMAZING!!! Now that I've made it how best to store for use a few days later???
Ashley
Hi Krissy, I have been looking for a new buttercream to try as the traditional icing is just too sweet especially when covering your cake with fondant, most people will peel off the fondant before diving into a peice of cake then only having a few bites, so I'm eager to see if this is less sweet. I'm going to be making my moms birthday cake in the next few days and it's going to be fairly tall but only 8-9 inches round as I'm going to be painting a picture of her on it. I was going to make a raspberry buttercream for the filling and crumb coating now I'm wondering if I could adapt this buttercream with the raspberry purée afterwards? Do you think it would hold well together? Also, would you be able to paint on the buttercream or do you think adding a thin layer of fondant would be nescessary for the art work? I know this is a long post and I'm sorry for taking up soooo much room! Oh, last one I promise! I have to travel about 7-8hrs on the road to get to my moms how well do you think it would hold up in a car, and do you have any suggestions on the best way to transport it that distance? Thanks again for sharing this recipe, I will for sure let you know how it turns out if you think I should go for it with the raspberry purée!
Krissy
Well, I totally suck for letting my comments build up without responding to them. I'm super sorry for the delay, esp since you were asking about a specific event. I was gonna recommend adding freeze dried raspberries. Also, this frosting holds up great for travel with or without fondant if its refrigerated.
Mary Law
A whole POUND of butter? I can hardly believe this! I want to try it, but I'm not a real baker, I just love to bake.
christie jones
I just made my parents the most amazing annversary cake ever!!!! I have never made a buttercream like this. It came out perfect and I LOVE the taste. So light and airy!!! TThank you so much!!! This buttercream is diffently a keeper!
Shelly
Turned out just like the picture. Definitely taste like butter with a slightly sweet taste. It frosted 36 cupcakes. I live at 4600 feet above sea level so I took it to 225 degrees.
Fathiya
The frosting looks really beautiful n smooth, must da iced cake be refrigerated? When the cream made a head of time, must you store it in the fridge or can just keep at the counter untill use?
Krissy
I like to refrigerate but make sure its at room temp before using/eating.
Kristin Whittaker
Do You think this icing could be made ahead of time and frozen for easy use later on?"?? Thank you for you help. Can't wait to try this!
Krissy
I've never frozen it. If you try it, will you come back and let me know if it works? thanks!
Nichole
Hi Krissy, your first paragraph mentioned that this recipe freezes well. Can we get an update on how to use this buttercream after freezing? Thank you!
Krissy
I just thaw in the refrigerator and give it a quick whip with a whisk. Works well if you make extra.
Faria
Hello ! Does this recipe yield enough buttercream to decorate 30 cup cakes ? Thanks in advance.
Krissy
Yep!
CathyT
I am making a cupcake wedding dress for a shower the nite before and won't have the space to refridgerate it. Do you think it will hold its shape for about 14 hrs at room temp? Thinking about chilling the indiv cupcakes before frosting them may help? Cranking the A/C in the car for transporting?
Krissy
Hi Cathey, I think if the temp isn't above 72 you should be fine. Let me know how it works! -Krissy
Stephanie Lambert
Okay, so I am obviously impatient. The first time I made this frosting I was disappointed because it was runny like thin cream. I live in Australia, and I assumed I had too many things different to those in your recipe: I used white sugar (should I have used raw??), I used glucose syrup instead of corn syrup (corn syrup isn't widely available in Australia, as in, I've never seen it in the shops!), and I used my Thermomix instead of a bench mixer. HOWEVER! I was determined to not give up, so I gave it another go, then when it was the same consistency as last time, I just left the Thermomix running. After about 10-15 minutes of mixing on speed 3, it separated, then BOOM! PERFECT BUTTERCREAM!! So light and fluffy - I can't wait to decorate my cake tomorrow! Thank you so much, and thanks for telling everyone in the comments to KEEP MIXING! It does work ?
Krissy
Awesome Stephanie. Thank you so much for trying it again and THANK YOU for coming back to let me know!!! -Krissy
Deanna Flahart
KRISSY, CAN YOU USE A MERINGUE POWDER INSTEAD OF RAW EGGS. TO MAKE THE ITALIAN BUTTERCREAM?
Krissy
Hi Deanna, I've never tried but I'm pretty sure you can. If you try, will you come back to let me know if it worked? Thanks, Krissy
Tara
Love the out come of this recipe.looks great , tastes great and very easy to whipp...
Thanks for sharing such a wonderful reciepe!!
Heather
Can this be made with a butter substitute? We have to be dairy free due to allergies, and I’m hoping to make a “fake butter” buttercream but American buttercream is way too sweet (though it does work with Country crock)
Krissy
Hi Heather, I have no idea if it would work. Maybe you want to try to make a half batch? Either way, will you let me know? thanks, Krissy
Chloe
How many cupcakes do you think this frosting will make? Thank you.
Krissy
Hi Chloe, it depends on how high you want your frosting! This recipe can cover anywhere between 12-36 cupcakes depending on volume.
Sam
I was looking for new buttercream recipe and stumbled across is. Thank you so much! always gave up on my Italian buttercream as it looked broken, not one ever told me it would do thathe do to wait it would come back together,. I didn't use corn syrup, just adjusted the water, perfect buttercream. Thank you so much!
Syl
Hi! Please help! I'm a baker and will be decorating a cake tonight for a customer. I tried this recipe X5 because I need a lot and it's been mixing and it's still in a liquidy state
Krissy
I'm so sorry I didn't get to your comment in time. I took some time off for the holidays. Did it come out for you? There have been many times I thought it wouldn't come together and it eventually does.
Marshall
Actually you can use margarine if you use Fleishmans stick baking margarine. It tastes good and contains NO Dairy, which is important for some people. The consistency is fine. If you use soft spreading margarin it won't be good because it won't harden when refrigerated.
Carolyn
This is great. First time making Italian buttercream with no real problems except it took a while for it all to come together when adding the butter. I’d mention that it takes roughly 15 minutes for you mixer to smooth out the frosting after adding the butter. And yes, it does take patience as well!! This was a fun recipe will definitely try again, now that I know what I’m doing. Husband rating to come afterwards 👍
Krissy
Yay! I love husband and wife ratings!
Deborah Patterson
Thank you for this buttercream frosting recipe, but will the sugar syrup mixture cool down to much if you cook it first,then let it sit while beating the egg whites?
Deborah Patterson
Love the buttercream frosting recipe but want the sugar syrup get to cold while sitting during the tI'm you beat the egg.whites up?
Krissy
Hi Deborah. That happened the second time I made it because I was making the video. Typically I like to try and time the egg whites with the syrup and have them both going at the same time. I could only do one thing at a time while filming and was worried it wouldn't work! I just reheated the syrup until it got to the right temperature and it worked like a charm!