Buttercream is a popular cake frosting in America, with four main types: American, Swiss Meringue, Italian Meringue, and French Meringue. Each type has its own distinct flavor and characteristics, with differences in ingredients and shelf life.
One of the most common cake frostings in America, buttercream can be purchased in several varieties or made at home. A creamy, easy-to-spread, delicious glaze made from common ingredients. With four main types to choose from, you’ll find just the right one for icing your cookie, cake or cupcake.
The basic ingredients in most buttercreams are butter, sugar, salt and eggs. American buttercream is the simpler variety and often does not contain egg. Making slight changes to the basic recipe and adding different ingredients changes the properties of the glaze. Color, texture, shelf life and flavor are slightly different for each type. The four main types are American, Swiss Meringue, Italian Meringue, and French Meringue.
The simplest type is American buttercream. This is the icing you’ll find on cakes at your local supermarket. When you buy a container of frosting in the baking aisle, you get the American version. Since its main ingredients are butter or shortening, sugar or other sweeteners, it has a very long shelf life.
When you buy cakes from a specialty bakery, the buttercream you’ll find there frosting is often Swiss meringue. This delicious frosting is easier to make than Italian meringue and has a longer shelf life than French meringue. Swiss meringue can keep up to five days at room temperature and two to three weeks if refrigerated. It adds egg whites and corn syrup to the American variety, giving it a lighter texture and flavor.
Bakeries also use Italian meringue butter for their confections. The ingredients are very similar to Swiss meringue, but the process is more complex. First, the baker has to make a Swiss meringue, then add it to the butter. The final product is similar to Swiss meringue, but Italian buttercream tends to be sweeter.
The fourth major type is French buttercream. It differs from the Swiss and Italian versions because it uses whole eggs rather than just whites. This gives the glaze a yellow colour. Egg yolks shorten shelf life, and French buttercream shouldn’t be stored at room temperature.
Whichever type you choose, it’s sure to add a delicious layer to your dessert. American, Swiss, Italian or French, each frosting has its own distinct flavor and characteristics, but they all share the ability to transform a cake into a delicious work of art.
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