One of the number one questions I get from blog readers and social media followers is what kind of buttercream I use for my cakes. Regardless of the flavors I’m working with, the base of every frosting recipe I write is American buttercream. Specifically, one that I’ve tweaked to be less sweet than standard, customizable to suit any flavor profile, a breeze to make, and a total dream to work with. This post will focus on how to alter any of my buttercream recipes (or really, any American buttercream recipe) to be the perfect consistency for different kinds of cake decorating scenarios. I’ll even take it a step beyond and show you how to fix common buttercream problems should they ever occur. This way, you’ll always know just what to do when it comes to making the perfect batch of buttercream!
Here’s a quick video that explains the differences between each buttercream consistency and shows you how to make it before we get into the details below:
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3 Types of Buttercream Consistency
There are three different consistencies of buttercream that each play a different role in cake decorating. All of the info you’ll find on this post can be paired with any of my buttercream recipes, since they’re all American buttercream recipes. If you’re wanting to work with a different type of buttercream (such as Swiss Meringue, Whipped Cream, etc.), you’ll want to search for info that’s specific to your buttercream type. Here’s everything you need to know about when to use each consistency and how to make it:
Medium Consistency
I’m starting with medium consistency because it’s the consistency you’ll end up with when you make my vanilla buttercream recipe as-is. It’s also the most versatile of all the consistencies – perfect for filling and stacking a cake, crumb coating, frosting a smooth buttercream finish, and even decorating cupcakes with piping tips.
If you’re working with an American buttercream recipe that isn’t one of mine, you can check to see if your buttercream is medium consistency by dipping your spatula into it and observing the shape of the peak. It should be a soft peak that holds its shape for at least a few seconds when you turn it right side up.
Thin Consistency
Thin consistency is perfect for a few things: painting with buttercream (this floral buttercream cake is a good example), writing out a message, or for frosting a super thin final layer of buttercream onto your cake. The second reason is more of a cake hack, which I shared in this YouTube video on how to get an extra smooth buttercream finish.
To make your buttercream thin consistency, add it back into the bowl of your stand mixer (if it’s not already there) and mix it on low speed while you add room temperature milk, 1-2 teaspoons at a time, until the desired consistency has been reached. To test it, you should be able to dip your rubber spatula into the buttercream and it will come out with super soft peaks that don’t really hold their shape, but also aren’t melty (see the troubleshooting tips below if it is). This consistency should spread very easily, which makes it perfect for more painterly textures.
Stiff Consistency
If you’re piping buttercream flowers, especially ones with petals that need to stand upright, or piping intricate designs like a lambeth cake, you’ll need a stiff consistency buttercream. Thickening your buttercream when necessary will help it to hold its shape and prevent your piping from looking droopy.
Another time that stiff consistency comes in handy is in the filling and stacking process, when you’re working with a soft filling that needs a piped buttercream dam around it to uphold the weight of the cake layers above. By slightly thickening your buttercream for the dam, it will be extra effective against the weight of gravity. This way, your filling won’t bulge out between the layers.
To create a stiff consistency buttercream, add powdered sugar to your batch of buttercream, 2-3 Tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. You can add as much powdered sugar as you’d like depending on how thick you want the buttercream. If you are concerned about making it too sweet, you can use cornstarch as an alternative. It won’t add any flavor to your buttercream.
To test the consistency, you should be able to dip your rubber spatula into the buttercream and it will come out with stiff peaks that hold their shape. It should pipe easily without having to put a lot of pressure on the bag and the piped details should not look frayed. If they do, you’ll want to thin out the buttercream slightly (see details on that in the next section).
How to Fix Buttercream
When you’re altering buttercream consistency, it’s entirely possible to overdo it. The good news is that whether you make your buttercream too thick or too thin, it’s easy to fix. I’ve thrown in some additional common problems just in case you need troubleshooting tips for those too:
If it’s Too Thick
You’ll know your buttercream is too thick if it’s ripping the cake layers while you’re trying to frost with it or the details look frayed when you pipe with it (like in the picture below). To fix it, simply add room temperature milk, 1 tsp at a time, until the consistency is just right.
If it’s Too Thin or Runny
There are a few ways you’ll know your buttercream is too thin: it looks soupy, bulges out from between your cake layers when used as a filling, or the details droop when you try to pipe with it. Buttercream might end up too thin if you add too much liquid or if you’re working in a warm kitchen. Butter starts to break down above 75 degrees, so any environment above that will have an effect on your buttercream consistency.
To thicken your buttercream when you’ve added too much liquid, simply add more powdered sugar, 2-3 Tablespoons at a time, until the desired consistency is reached. If it’s more of a matter of the kitchen temperature being too warm, pop your buttercream into the refrigerator for about 10-15 minutes. Then, remix it in your stand mixer on low speed for a minute or two to bring it back together. The refrigeration should help the butter in the recipe firm up and stabilize the whole batch.
If it’s Filled with Air Bubbles
Sometimes when you’re making a batch of buttercream, extra air can get trapped inside, resulting in visible air bubbles throughout the mixture. This mostly happens when the buttercream is whipped on too high of a speed after adding the powdered sugar. To fix it, place the buttercream into an airtight container, let it rest at room temperature for about 20 minutes, then add it back into the bowl of your stand mixer and let it mix on low speed for about a minute. I don’t know why this works exactly, but the whole process somehow forces out all the extra air like magic.
If you didn’t realize your buttercream had air bubbles in it until you started frosting the cake, fear not. Frost a super thin layer of buttercream, air bubbles and all, and place the cake into the refrigerator while you fix the rest of the buttercream using the process described in the paragraph above. By the time you’ve got a smooth buttercream to work with, your frosted cake should be chilled to the point where you can frost an additional layer of buttercream over the top and fill in all of the air pockets in the buttercream layer beneath.
To prevent air bubbles in the future, always mix on low speed from the time you add the powdered sugar until the end of the recipe. Low and slow is the ticket.
If it Looks Curdled
Typically, the buttercream becomes curdled if you start with butter that’s too soft or add milk that’s too cold. Both of these ingredients must be at room temperature for the buttercream to have a cohesive, smooth consistency. To fix it, place the entire batch of buttercream into the refrigerator for about 20 minutes, then re-mix it with your stand mixer for 2-3 minutes. It should look well-blended and smooth at this point.
If it Feels Grainy or Gritty
Buttercream looks and tastes gritty if you haven’t given the powdered sugar enough time to dissolve. The powdered sugar will dissolve easiest if you sift out any large lumps prior to adding it. To fix the grainy consistency, add 1-2 additional teaspoons of room temperature milk and mix the buttercream on low speed for an additional 1-2 minutes. This should help the powdered sugar dissolve completely.
Hopefully this post solves every buttercream consistency question you could ever have! But, if you’ve got more questions, feel free to post them in the comments below. I’m happy to help!
Hi Whitney!
Thank you for your tutorials – they are the most helpful that I’ve found. would one batch of the buttercream be enough to fill, crumb and decorate a 3 tier 6 inch cake? Thank you, Katie
Hi Katie! So happy these tutorials have been helpful! You’ll want to double the recipe to have enough for filling, crumb coating, and decorating a 3-layer 6-inch cake.
Hi,
When I made the buttercream , it was white and fluffy, however when I took it out from refrigerator, it became yellowish and no longer smooth. Any idea what’s the reason!
Hi Runa! I’m not sure why it would turn yellow in the refrigerator but it does tend to look more air bubbly after refrigeration. It’s an easy fix! Once you bring it back to room temperature, remix it with your stand mixer on low speed to bring it back to a smooth consistency. If you need it to be really white in color, I’d recommend adding a little icing whitener like this: https://amzn.to/3FgcqBe
If my buttercream is both soupy and grainy after adding a lot of food dye, do I fix the soupy or the grainy first?
Hi Tish! That sounds like a lot of food dye if it’s changing the consistency that much. What color are you trying to make? And what buttercream recipe are you using? Answering those questions will help me determine how to fix the buttercream.
Hi Whitney!! Thank you so much for your wonderful tutorials and your beautiful cakes that inspire me. I was wondering how long I could leave a fully frosted cake in the fridge? I have a tight schedule, so I was wondering if I were to decorate it 2 days ahead it would still be good by the time I need it. Thank you! Love your recipes soooooooo much.
Hi Addie! You can definitely decorate a cake 2 days ahead and store it in the refrigerator. Here’s a more detailed post on making cakes ahead of time: https://sugarandsparrow.com/making-cakes-ahead/
Thank you for all the helpful tips and information.
I work in a kitchen/Bakery. And it’s HOT in AZ. Having trouble with buttercream. Should I start with cold butter from the fridge? Mine is ending up like icing. Help me not look like a first time baker.
Hi Gina! I would use this recipe to make the buttercream more heat stable: https://sugarandsparrow.com/buttercream-recipe-for-hot-weather/. If your kitchen environment is extra warm and you find that the buttercream is a little too soft to work with, refrigerate the buttercream in the bowl for 10-15 minutes and then remix it with your stand mixer. This will make it more firm but spreadable and easy to work with! Hope that helps!
The method for removing air bubbles didn’t work for me :-(. I followed exactly as written. I’m going to try again after I’ve chilled the buttercream (need to because not frosting for a couple more days) and brought it back to room temperature. I’ve also seen the tip to try to smash out the air bubbles with a spatula but I haven’t had luck with that either. Any other tips?
3 times I’ve made buttercream and had the air bubble problem. I’ve been really careful to not over mix and follow your exact instructions (vanilla buttercream recipe). Is it possible I’m over whipping the butter in the first stem? I though air bubbles came from over mixing the sugar in, but I’ve been careful with that (or so I thought)
Hi Elizabeth! If you’re still finding air bubbles in your frosting after letting it rest and remixing it on low (stir), it might need more milk added to thin out the consistency. Try adding room temperature whole milk, 1 tsp at a time, while the buttercream mixes on low/stir. That should get rid of any remaining air bubbles and leave you with a smooth buttercream frosting.
Do you use a cake board under your cakes or just a cake circle?
Sometimes I use an acrylic cake disc underneath the cardboard cake circle if the cake won’t be easy to transfer to a stand or box after I’m done decorating. These are the cake discs I use: https://amzn.to/45bZJ3q
Thank you so much for the tutorial
Hi! I’ve started having issues with grainy texture in a variety of recipes I’ve used. I’m thinking this might be because of the sugar. In Aus there is icing mixture (has a tiny amount of corn starch to prevent caking) or pure sugar. Could this be the source of the issues. Should I use pure sugar?
Hi Brittany! You’ll want to use icing sugar for frosting recipes that call for confectioner’s sugar or powdered sugar. Sometimes American Buttercream recipes can be grainy when they haven’t had enough mixing time to dissolve the sugar. I’d recommend next time mixing on low speed for an additional 1-2 minutes to let the sugar dissolve. Hope that helps!
So glad to have found your blog! Every time I color my buttercream, I seem to either mix all of the consistency away or it separates and has streaks in it (I am using Wilton gel coloring and it seems to take a lot of color). Do you think adding more powdered sugar and remixing in my stand mixer would help with this? Thanks so much!
Hi Alex! Yes, if you find that the coloring is thinning out your buttercream, you’ll want to add more powdered sugar a little at a time until you’ve got the perfect consistency. Hope that helps!
I am just learning to bake cakes and make buttercream frosting and I found this website through looking at her YouTube videos. I really think your methods will make me a pro soon. Thank you.
I’m cheering you on, Bryant! So happy my videos have been helpful!
How can get my butter cream really white , mine always looks yellowish
Hi Rebeca! I always whip the butter for at least 7 minutes at the beginning of the recipe, which makes it much more white to begin with, then sometimes I’ll add a little AmeriColor Bright White at the end of the recipe if I need it extra white: https://amzn.to/3Jyec0f
Your tips was so helpfull to me, since im planning to bake my sons wedding cake. Thankyou so much. i Plan to bake a 3 tiered cake..wish me luck
Yay, Sureyah! I’m so happy these tips helped and I’m cheering you in making your son’s wedding cake!
How do you recommend storing the cake when done decorating? For example, I am thinking about making a birthday cake the day before the party. How would you recommend storing it? In the past I put it in the fridge but the frosting became really hard and didn’t thaw in time.
Hi Stephanie! I usually store a decorated cake in the refrigerator in a box and take it out 1-2 hours before serving to let it come to room temp. Hope that helps!
Do you have recipes for stabilized Whipped Cream for cakes
Hi Freda! I use a stabilized whipped cream in this cake recipe and I love it: https://sugarandsparrow.com/strawberry-shortcake-layer-cake/
I love your buttercream it is so good. I was wondering when I store the buttercream and use it in a few days can you bring the consistency back to crumb coat your cake but have alot left over can you store it again and when you goto frost your cake take it out and use it after you let it sit and re- whip it or would the frosting me no good anymore?
Hi Jess! I’m so glad you’re loving my buttercream recipe! You can absolutely re-store the buttercream in the refrigerator after crumb coating. Just be sure to use it within two weeks of making it.
Hello dear. Thank you so much for your tips.
I am a home baker and it’s always a mess when making butter cream. I never get the right consistency, it’s either too hard or it’s soupy or just doesn’t sit on the cake. It’s never smooth, and like how a butter cream should be.
What am I doing wrong ?
Hi Nayla! What kind of buttercream are you making? Have you tried my recipe? This one should be really easy to make and smooth: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-buttercream-recipe/
I am a home baker and I’m self-taught through tutorials like this one. I have learned so much just by watching your videos and just wanted to tell you how very much I appreciate you and the videos. I don’t know where I’d be without your help. Thanks so much!
You made my day with your kind words, Stephanie! I’m so happy you’re learning!!
Thank you so much, Whitney!
Of course, Laura!