Buttercream

Buttercream

A layer cake with buttercream icing and decorations
Type	Icing or filling
Main ingredients	Fats (usually butter; sometimes lard or margarine), powdered sugar

Buttercream (also known as butter cream, butter icing, and mock cream) is a type of icing or filling used inside cakes, as a coating, and as decoration. In its simplest form, it is made by creaming butter with powdered sugar, although other fats can be used, such as margarine or lard. Colorings and flavorings are often added, such as chocolate, fruit purees, and various extracts. Buttercream is a common topping for cupcakes, sponge cakes, butter cakes, and other desserts.

Whether buttercream with no butter or a butter equivalent can rightly be called buttercream is debated among bakers, pastry chefs, and cake decorators.

Simple buttercream (also known as American buttercream, decorator's buttercream, and decorator's frosting) is made by creaming together fats (butter, margarine, or vegetable shortening) and powdered sugar to the desired consistency and lightness. Typically twice as much sugar as butter by weight is used. Flavorings, in the form of extracts and oils, may also be added. Some recipes call for non-fat milk solids or meringue powder; these add a creamy texture without any decrease in stability.

The icing can form a thin crust after prolonged time at a cool temperature, which prevents sticking. This is due to the high sugar content and may be prevented with the addition of invert sugars such as glucose or fructose, which many bakers use to make imprints in for piping and lettering. Compared to other types of buttercreams, simple buttercream has a high proportion of sugar content, making it the sweetest of all the buttercreams.