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Buttercream Won’t Set: How To Save the Cream

This will help if the buttercream doesn’t set

As the name suggests, buttercream is made with a lot of butter. The classic buttercream also usually contains custard powder. American buttercream, on the other hand, uses powdered sugar and milk. Many other ingredients and combinations are also possible. The success of the buttercream depends less on the ingredients than on the temperature of the butter used. If the temperature is not right, the ingredients will not combine properly and the cream will become too runny and curdle.

  • In this case, you need to adjust and change the temperature of the buttercream to allow the different ingredients to combine into one cream.
  • To do this, you can melt a small amount of coconut oil or palm oil in a water bath or in the microwave on low power. The melted fat then only has to be slowly added to the buttercream with the mixer.
  • If you don’t have coconut oil on hand, it sometimes helps to take off part of the cream and heat it slightly in the microwave. Then slowly add the warmed cream to the rest and mix everything with a mixer.
  • If the cream is still fluffy afterwards, remove another part and repeat the process.
  • When the ingredients have finally combined and the cream is smooth but still too runny for the piping bag, chill the cream for a few hours.
  • The amount of liquid that you have added to the butter, for example in the form of flavors or color, is also decisive in the end. For a thicker buttercream, use solid food coloring.

This is how the classic buttercream will definitely succeed

If the tricks just mentioned didn’t help and the cream is still too runny, then the only thing that helps is to prepare the buttercream again. There are a few tricks to help you succeed.

  1. The first thing to do is get the ingredients for your buttercream out of the fridge early. When cooking, everything should be at room temperature.
  2. For the classic buttercream, it is best to prepare the pudding in advance. Let it cool down to room temperature before you mix it with the butter, which is also at room temperature.
  3. First, without the pudding, beat the butter with the mixer until it is almost white. You should also stir the pudding again until it is creamy after it has cooled down.
  4. Add the pudding to the butter by the spoonful, slowly beating in. So both should combine well.

Tips for an American buttercream

The American buttercream is prepared without pudding and almost always succeeds. For them you will need butter, powdered sugar and a little milk, lemon juice or other flavorings. Again, all ingredients should be at room temperature.

  • Beat the butter with the mixer for about 3-5 minutes. The butter should be almost white at the end.
  • For 250 grams of butter you need about 400 grams of powdered sugar. Measure out and sift the powdered sugar.
  • Now slowly add the icing sugar to the butter and mix on the lowest level.
  • Once the sugar has been stirred into the butter, mix the entire mass again with the mixer at the highest level for 2-3 minutes.
  • If the buttercream is too thick for the piping bag, you can add 1-2 tablespoons of milk, or lemon juice for a fresher taste, to the cream.

Buttercream for cupcakes with cream cheese

If you want to decorate cupcakes or you want the buttercream to be a bit healthier and lighter, you can make a buttercream with cream cheese and powdered sugar. However, the cream cheese should have as high a fat content as possible so that the cream does not end up being too runny.

  1. Again, butter and cream cheese should be taken out of the fridge early and at room temperature.
  2. Beat a packet of butter with the mixer.
  3. Sieve 350 grams of icing sugar and slowly stir this into the butter with the mixer.
  4. When the powdered sugar is mixed with the butter, mix the mixture on the highest speed for about 2-3 minutes.
  5. Now add 150 grams of cream cheese to the cream and mix everything again. The buttercream with cream cheese is ready.
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Written by John Myers

Professional Chef with 25 years of industry experience at the highest levels. Restaurant owner. Beverage Director with experience creating world-class nationally recognized cocktail programs. Food writer with a distinctive Chef-driven voice and point of view.

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