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Buttercreams

30 Apr 2026

Once you learn the differences between meringues and what you should look out for, buttercream can be straightforward and easy to work with.

Here is a quick breakdown on buttercreams and all the different versions


 

What is buttercream?

Buttercream is a frosting that uses butter as the primary fat. That prominent buttery flavour you get from each bite? The butter. It also gives that creamy texture and stability.

How can I decide on what buttercream to use?

It is all up to personal taste, but you can rank each buttercream by sugar levels (how sweet you like it).

What are the different types of buttercream?

American Buttercream

This is the most common and simple type of buttercream to make. It’s made with butter, powdered sugar, and milk or cream. This buttercream is very sweet, and stiff. This one is ideal for piping and decorating as it forms a very light crust.

Swiss Meringue

This one isn’t as sweet as American Buttercream, but it is very silky, and stable, making it the perfect covering for wedding cakes. This style is made with egg whites, sugar, and butter.

Italian Meringue Buttercream

This buttercream is considered the lightest and most stable. This one is less sweet and used more for delicate, high end cake decorations.

French Buttercream

French is similar to Italian, but instead it uses the egg yolks (you could make French and Swiss buttercream without any egg waste). Used mainly for fillings for pastries, this is extremely rich and creamy.

Ermie Buttercream

Also known as flour buttercream, this is a cooked frosting made with flour, milk, butter, and sugar. This buttercream has a texture similar to whipped cream and is less sweet.

German Buttercream

Perfect for pastries, this is a custard-based buttercream that is super rich and creamy.

Russian Buttercream

Made of a very simple mixture of butter and sweetened condensed milk. This one is fast to make with a strong dairy-forward flavour.

Korean Glossy Buttercream

Often based on the Italian Buttercream method, this one is designed to be translucent and glossy. Commonly used for making realistic piped flowers.


Where can I get buttercream?

Lollipop Cake Supplies has a wide range of buttercreams available in store at Eatons Hill. Including our popular Cake Cream Swiss Meringue Buttercream, Colourmill Gloss Frost, Over the Top and more!

Not a Brisbane local and want to have it delivered? Shop online with us and we can have your cake decorating supplies delivered right to your door!

Find the range here

Need to add some colour to your buttercream? We also have a wide range of food colours available in store and online.

Want to try it yourself?

Check out our recipes here