Perfect Piping Buttercream Recipe (2024)

FAQs

How do you get the perfect consistency for piping buttercream? ›

If you stick your spatula into the buttercream, your frosting should maintain a stiff peak. If your buttercream is too thick and can't flow through a piping tip, add more milk – about 1 teaspoon at a time – to slightly thin it out.

American Buttercream for Piping Succulents & Flowers

Beat the butter on medium high speed for 3-5 minutes till light and fluffy. Add the powdered sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the vanilla. Beat on medium high speed for 2 more minutes to get all the air bubbles out.

Piping consistency royal icing is stiff icing that has been thinned down with a couple spritzes of water from the spray bottle. The icing still forms peaks, but the peaks are softer and fall after forming. When piping with this consistency, the icing should flow nice and smooth out of the tip.

Chill your cake first, apply the crumb coat, chill again and then frost it. If you are then piping design work, chill it again before adding the details. Keep the icing in the refrigerator when not using it, and only add cold icing to your piping bag.

Try not to overbeat the buttercream after all the ingredients have been added or you might add bubbles, which will ruin the texture of the icing. ... For the best results chill your cake and bring the icing to room temperature. You can also beat the buttercream for a few minutes to create great fluffy texture.

Buttercream melts from the warmth of your hands as you're piping along. Trick is to keep your hands as cool as possible or have two bags so they can be swapped over as one begins to soften. Keep the bags cool. Royal icing doesn't melt in the same way as buttericing because it's just sugar and egg whites.

Italian meringue buttercream is the most difficult to make but is worth it as it is the most stable of all buttercreams. In order to make Italian meringue buttercream you have to cook sugar to turn into sugar syrup, then stream the hot syrup into the egg white as they are whipped.

Mistake # 1: Using butter that is too firm or too soft

If your butter is too firm it will be difficult to combine with your icing sugar and you'll end up with lumpy buttercream. Too soft and your buttercream will be runny and oily, unable to hold it's shape particularly if you intend to use it for any kind of piping.

Keep the icing in the refrigerator when not using it, and only add cold icing to your piping bag. If it's an uncooked buttercream frosting—-basically just powdered (confectioners) sugar, butter, and a little milk—add more powdered sugar until it's the consistency you want.

How do you make piping frosting better? ›

Store-bought frosting can be too thin for piping frosting onto your cake. You'll need to thicken the consistency. Empty a can of frosting into a bowl and mix in 1 tablespoon of confectioner's sugar with a mixer, adding more sugar 1 tablespoon at a time until you reach the desired consistency.

Scrape down sides of bowl as needed. Add extracts and then with mixer running, add cream until desired consistency is reached. Continue beating on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes until frosting turns to a light, fluffy, smooth consistency.

This recipe for fluffy Whipped Buttercream Frosting is made with just 5 ingredients and is so easy to make. It's not super sweet, very creamy, and so versatile. Use it to ice your favorite cakes or pipe on top cupcakes.

Using less butter or more icing sugar, will not only result in an extremely sweet buttercream but one which may be too firm to easily fill or cover your cake and you may end up destroying the delicate crumb of your cake. It will also be very difficult to pipe with.

The goal for your buttercream should be a smooth, silky, easily spreadable consistency. It's this amazing consistency that makes smoothing out your buttercream while decorating so much easier.