stiff buttercream frosting

This stiff buttercream frosting is perfect for piping intricate designs on cakes and cupcakes. I use a special technique for minimal air bubbles and the crispest, cleanest edges. Let’s learn how to make gorgeous decorations that truly pop!

Why I love it:

There are a million and one ways to make buttercream frosting. This one I learned from Kerry's Bouqcakes and it’s the best technique I’ve seen for making gorgeous, intricate frosting designs.

I use it specifically when I want ultra-crisp edges and stunning decorations that hold their shape, rather than droop or slide. Best of all, it's made with all butter. I want all of that real buttery flavor, and none of the weirdness of shortening.

It’s rich and indulgent and so smooth. Keep reading to learn how to make it with very few bubbles so your designs really pop.

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stiff buttercream frosting ingredients:

how to make stiff buttercream:

1. In a stand mixer, mix butter and vanilla bean seeds (if using) until broken up and smoothed: DON'T WHIP.
2. Add powdered sugar and slowly mix for 3 minutes. It will look like crumbly breadcrumbs at first, then it will slowly come together into a giant mass.
3. Increase mixer to high and immediately add 1 tsp boiling water. Mix 20 seconds and stop. This will bring the frosting together and melt away graininess from the sugar.
4. Divide into bowls and color if desired, otherwise transfer to piping bags and decorate!

tips for each ingredient:

Butter: Use salted butter for a richer flavor. The frosting won’t taste salty, but it will be deliciously balanced. Pull it out of the fridge 30 minutes before making the frosting: we want it to be cool room temperature. It should be moldable but not too soft and beginning to melt. If the butter sticks to the paper when you unwrap it, it’s too soft.

Powdered sugar: This recipe uses a lot of sugar. That’s how it’s so stiff, but it’s frosting-- isn’t sweet the point? Make sure to sift the powdered sugar before mixing it in. Our goal with this stiff buttercream is CRISP edges for piping. We don’t want lumps!

Vanilla: You can use imitation vanilla extract to minimize the color change, or pure vanilla for better flavor, or vanilla bean seeds for gorgeous specks and maximum vanilla. You pick!

Boiling water: This step is key for smoothing out the frosting. Once the butter and sugar have mixed into a mass, we beat for a tiny amount of time with boiling water to remove any graininess. Don’t beat too much or you’ll get air bubbles!

more stiff buttercream tips:

• You can use a spatula to smash out any big air bubbles in the bowl before transferring to a piping bag.
• It’s stiff! Use a thick piping bag (cheap ones can break). If it feels too stiff to pipe, massage it with your hands to warm it up a bit.
• This is a crusting buttercream. Keep it protected from air so the surface doesn’t harden. When you’re mixing in the colors, keep the surface of the waiting bowls covered with a damp paper towel .Once the frosting is in a piping bag, you can take all the time you need to decorate.
• If you just want to spread the cupcakes with frosting and need it to be a little softer, don’t worry so much about the technique. Beat in heavy cream, a tiny splash at a time, until you reach your desired consistency.
• These are my favorite piping tips to use 1M, 4B, 6B and 199.

To mix in colors, divide the buttercream into bowls.

• Mix food coloring in with a spoon and stir rapidly, smashing the frosting against the bowl so you don’t introduce air bubbles.

To create shades of 1 color:

1. Divide the buttercream into bowls.
2. Make the darkest color with however much food coloring you need.
3. Use a spoon to stir quickly and against the bowl to mix color and smash out air bubbles. It’s stiff and you’ll probably break into a sweat. 
4. Then use that dark colored frosting to mix with the other colors to create shades. I even add the tiniest bit of colored frosting to my “plain” bowl. It doesn’t look colored, but it makes all the frosting feel cohesive.

how much frosting does this make?

This makes 3 ½- 4 cups of stiff buttercream frosting.

This is enough for 1 dozen cupcakes (with generous ¼ cup frosting each), 2 dozen cupcakes (with 2 tbsp of frosting), or a 9-inch 2-layer cake with a crumb coat and moderate layer of frosting. 

This recipe is easy to scale up or down, as needed! If you are scaling it, I strongly recommend you use a digital cooking scale for measuring!

Can you freeze this frosting?

You can freeze any extra buttercream! Freeze it in a reusable glass or plastic container for up to 3 months. If there’s a lot of extra headspace, cover the frosting surface with plastic wrap to minimize freezer burn.

Thaw it overnight in the fridge, then let it sit at room temperature for an hour or so until it’s soft enough to pipe.

Put this buttercream on these cake and cupcakes:

pistachio cake

4th of July cupcakes

chocolate olive oil cake

chocolate guinness cupcakes

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