I hate American Buttercream…so I invented a new frosting

My new American Buttercream uses less powdered sugar than traditional recipes, resulting in a smoother, less gritty frosting.

For the written updated recipe, plus all of my notes and explanations, go here:

The chocolate version of this recipe is here:

⭐️ If you need another quantity of frosting, please go to my Cakeculator and select "American Dreamy Buttercream" for the frosting. I have multiple sizes of this recipe.

INGREDIENTS👇🏼
For 3 cups
1 1/2 cups (340g) unsalted butter, softened slightly
2/3 cups (208g) light corn syrup or glucose syrup*
1 1/4 cups (141g) powdered sugar (unsifted ok)**
1/8 teaspoon fine salt (to taste, start with a pinch)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1-6 tablespoons of heavy cream, cold (optional, pls see footnotes)***
purple gel food coloring (optional)

*I use Karo light corn syrup, a syrup of sugars (glucose + maltose) derived from corn. (High fructose syrup is a different type of syrup and not what I’m using here. Actually I'd be really surprised if as a home baker you have the syrup; it's not sold in conventional grocery stores.) The “light” is just an indication of the color of the syrup, not the sweetness. You’ll probably be able to substitute other syrups here if you like, but corn syrup is a flavorless option that allows us to customize this recipe for different flavors later on. If you sub something else, know that corn syrup is less sweet than other syrups. Agave and honey are both very sweet (actually agave contains more fructose than high fructose corn syrup). If you have invert syrup, you could use that too, but that is also sweeter than corn syrup. You’ll likely have to use less than what I’ve written in this recipe.

**This is a little over the maximum amount of sugar that will dissolve in the water contained in the butter. If you want less sweet buttercream, use less. If you wish for a stiffer consistency or sweeter buttercream, use more. Just know the more you add, the more grainy the finished buttercream will be. Don’t worry, though; it will still be light years smoother than a traditional American buttercream.

***I've gotten feedback from you all and now have tested ways that you can tailor the texture of this buttercream. Some bakers like their buttercreams to lean towards buttery and prefer a denser feel for frosting cakes and piping. But if it's too much for you, add some heavy cream. Start with one tablespoon of cold heavy cream, then whisk on high speed. Keep repeating this process until you like the texture. The butter can emulsify more liquid, but you'll want to stop when it reaches a very firm and thick Greek yogurt-type consistency. If you get to the point where it looks too loose or perhaps broken, don't worry. Just add softened butter, one tablespoon at a time, then whip on high speed to reform the emulsion. (You may have to add a touch of powdered sugar to get the sweetness back up as well.)

🍯 The HONEY version of this buttercream can be found here:

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[allofthem]

I made this recipe once, and for some reason the powdered sugar didn't dissolve completely so it was still a bit gritty.
So on my second attempt, I heated up the corn syrup (90 seconds in the microwave), mixed in the powdered sugar, let that all cool down a little bit, and mixed it into the whipped butter in 3 parts.
Worked great, no grittiness whatsoever!

[thecolor]

"Moderation in everything, right?"

*Cuts to shot of EIGHT sticks of butter* 😆

[bearsmm]

She’s part baker, part scientist. Someone get this woman a cape and crown!!!! 🥰🥰

[duskderps]

I attempted this today, and normally I wouldn’t care to comment but I figure some people may be reading the comments to hear some other opinions - it looks great and the texture is really nice, but the ratios as-is are really butter forward and I can’t help but feel like I’m just eating sweet butter! It tastes okay, not the worst frosting ever, but I wish I had added more powdered sugar to hide the butter flavor more. (Which, of course, defeats the purpose a bit to keep it smooth and not grainy)

[saritshull]

I can’t tell you how much it helps me to see someone else have a scientific approach to baking.
It saves me having to do it 😅

[jmel]

I love that you described the honey version as glorious. That's exactly what I spontaneously say when I taste honey buttercream. Glorious!

[lindamakinson-mcnally]

I never, never, never like American am now a convert!!! I have been baking for over 40 years. I used to make french buttercream, a la Julia Child. Delish!! I then discovered Swiss Meringue...my go to frosting and an absolutely divine icing. That became my go to. I did get a lot of complements but one person told me that the icing wasn't sweet enough. I saw this video and decided to try it...I AM A CONVERT! Simple and delish! Made three types of cupcakes for a family picnic and froze them all a couple of days before the event. They all defrosted beautifully and the chocolate one was heavenly!! I used to do wedding cakes, I wish I had known about this icing back then. I am so very glad that I found your video. Thank you so very much!

[katvtay]

Oh my gosh, I have long wanted to do exactly this, but I’ve never taken the plunge. You are the first baker I have seen do it, and you explained so well why it works. Finally going for it!

[ExterminatorElite]

I used this recipe to *amazing* effect in an Earl Grey cake with a lavender buttercream. My spouse is not a fan of traditional American buttercream as it is way too sweet, and as I'm a relatively inexperienced baker the European buttercreams with meringue or custard and combining hot and cold looked way too fussy to mess with. This checked all of my boxes and the result was beautiful, stable, easy to work with, with a light and slightly tangy flavor that wasn't too rich and didn't overpower the Earl Grey cake.

I'd also concur with what you noted about graininess, which due to the especially high liquid content basically vanished after 24 hours. This was true even when I ran out of powdered sugar and resorted to granulated, and because I made my frosting a couple of days in advance, it was perfectly smooth by the time I assembled the cake.

Crucially, this frosting was very accessible to someone at my skill level- and made our guests think I was far more experienced than I really was! Seriously, this recipe is a game changer.

[nicolegarlick]

Here’s the deal… I don’t like frosting. I never have. And this frosting is DELICIOUS. I don’t have a kitchen aid, I have my mom’s 30ish year old Bosch. Whipped it up, and since I don’t have the paddles, smoothed it out with the dough hook. Weird, but it worked. This frosting is delightfully silky smooth, buttery (which I love!), and light enough I don’t feel like I’m chomping on sugar. I’ve always had gritty, over-sweetened buttercream problems. This one is fabulous.

[fruitpunch]

I tried this buttercream recipe three times now...let me tell y'all...if you are not a fan of the classic American buttercream and find it way too rich and way too sweet and thick....THIS! This is the recipe to use. I made a few cakes for my husband and his coworkers and everyone loved it and said it was perfect and not too sweet! Everyone was pleased with how they were able to enjoy a whole slice without wanting to gag from all the sugar and all the richness. THIS IS A MUST TRY! And this will be my go to frosting from now on.

[itzakpoelzig]

If you think that the corn starch is a factor in the grittiness of powdered sugar, you can make your own powdered sugar at home by putting regular granulated sugar in the food processor. It should dissolve more smoothly. You could also mix it with boiling water, rather than room temperature water.

[yudiatdn]

Condensed milk in buttercream is a dream, it’s so hot here in Bali so my buttercream would need shortening in it to be stable. I usually use 1:3 shortening to butter ratio then add sweetened condensed milk. Silky smooth butter cream that stand hot temp

[carolhewett]

Excellent "home economics" instruction. I'm 73 and helped my mother during the 50s and 60s in the kitchen to feed 8. Karosyrup both dark and light was an important staple back then. We even used it for homemade baby formula.

[kademadeintheshade]

She gives me big Adam Raguesea vibes. Finding relatable problems with foods, fixing them, while providing great explanations backed by science. Great work!

[bakingencanto]

When I started my pastry career, my mom challenged me to find an alternative frosting, Swiss meringue is my go to !

[monasty]

See this is exactly what I just commented about on another one of your videos. This science addition to baking and your teaching abilities had me glued to the video excited for every detail and sad that the video was going to end 😔! Love what you do thanks so much!

[baekaisoo]

Not only do your recipes impress us all, but I'm genuinely so amazed how you walk us through the logic and science behind everything!!! I could just watch your videos all day!!!

[Anjalena]

Just made this with a homemade raspberry-strawberry syrup for flavor. So yum! I'm autistic and have the same texture and taste issues with traditional American buttercream that she does. This recipe worked great. I even added an extra ⅓ cup confectioner's sugar and it's still not gritty. Thank you so much! 💕

[Red-Damsel]

It's like watching Alton Brown as a kid!! 😍 I love this so much!