So I'm totally aware that this may be a dumb question, but I'm a beginner and I'd eager to learn more!!
So what other buttercream or frosting can I use to put on cupcakes or layered cakes? I use your typical powdered sugar butter and milk recipes, but there's gotta be more. Like flavors or textures consistency.
Again, I'm just new to this and I'm having a hard time doing some research on the topic.
Any tips or recipes that you'd like to share!?
Thanks in advance!!
You can flavor American buttercream just about any flavor you want. Then there are different types of buttercreams, some that involve cooking. Since you are just starting, it may be helpful for you to play around with different flavorings and gain confidence in that type BC before moving on to other types. Hope this helps, and good luck!
You can even add pureed fresh fruit to flavor buttercream. The possibilities are almost endless.
Yeah I've used a few flavors like. Mint and banana or raspberry. Mostly the extracts that you'd find in Walmart and similar stores. There's probably other options for flavors other than using extracts right?
I actually love the idea of using pureed fruit!! I'm definitely going to try that. Do you have a particular fruit you enjoy using most?
You could try SMBC (Swiss Meringue Buttercream) I've tried several recipes, but this one is my fav.
http://www.cakepaperparty.com/2014/04/foolproof-swiss-meringue-buttercream/
There is also Liz Marek's SMBC..but it's more like a mock version. Good for a beginner. sugargeekshow.com/recipe/easy-buttercream-recipe
And another of my favs is cooked flour icing. I doctor the recipe by adding a cup or two of icing sugar and some meringue powder. Helps icing pipe better and crust.
I have only ever used strawberries, Hunter, but I guess you could use just about anything. Just add gradually so your frosting will not become too thin. Freeze dried fruits are a fabulous option, too, because they do not add moisture. I have not yet tried it, but am definitely going to give it a try.
I made raspberry buttercream with real fresh raspberries..sooo yummy. Pulverized (in my mini food processor) freeze dried blueberries and cherries make a yummy buttercream too. Also thawed frozen bananas. Fun to experiment. And using good flavourings, like Nielsen-Massey or LorAnn’s brands. They have so many wonderful flavours, oils and emulsions. And you can mix flavours together...so many combos. I love cookies n cream, cheesecake, champagne, wedding cake, just to name a few..
Hunter! So glad to see another male presence on this site. I was asking the same questions back when I started. There are many types of buttercream frosting that you can dabble with.
Traditional buttercreams in the European style used eggs unlike our American/English buttercream.
The most popular options in modern times are the Swiss Meringue and Italian Merinue Buttercreams. They are very light, rich and creamy, like a buttery cloud. They're both similar but made with different techniques to produce a meringue, which butter is then whipped into.
Another option is French buttercream, I believe this one used to be more popular in past decades. Instead of egg whites whipped into a meringue, this option uses only yolks whipped into a foam. Since it uses the fatty yolks, it's even more decadent but a little heavier.
German buttercream, or creme mousseline in french, is pastry cream (custard) with butter whipped into it. Never tried it but an interesting option nonetheless.
The last buttercream I know goes by a few different names. Some people call it boiled frosting, flour buttercream, but the traditional name is Ermine buttercream. This was really popular in our grandparents' generation and the post-Depression era, I've found that many home cooks from then had their own recipes for it. It was the original pairing for red velvet cake before cream cheese frosting was a thing. Similar to German buttercream, you make a pudding (difference between custard and pudding is that pudding does NOT contain eggs) and beat butter into it.
It's worth taking note of the general pattern for these traditional buttercreams: They're all based on the idea of starting with some kind of a base, whether it's an egg foam or a cream, which butter is then added into and emulsified. This is very different from the way you make American buttercream. All you do with that is take butter/shortening and pump air and powdered sugar into it. The textures are very different, almost incomparable. American buttercream has its place in cake decorating and I still use it, but since you're asking about different textures, then you should know that there's nothing smoother and creamier than European buttercreams.
Your question isn't dumb at all-- how to top cakes/cupcakes is pretty daunting at first! I learned a lot from The Tough Cookie https://thetoughcookie.com/category/battle-of-the-buttercreams/ -- she actually has a series called The Battle of the Buttercreams where she talks about similarities/differences of each type and gives recipes and how-to's. You might also pick up a couple books ... The Cake Bible, The Cake Book and Wedding Cakes You Can Make are my three favorites for learning (if you don't want to or can't purchase, go to the library). For me, the Italian Meringue method and the cooked flour frosting have turned out to be the best and like everyone else said, the flavor combos are endless! Have fun!
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