*All opinions expressed in this blog post are strictly my own, I am not paid or endorsed by any of the following brands. This article may contain affiliate links to buy products that I use and love at no extra cost to you*
Last week while making two batches of buttercream for some upcoming cakes I had two different brands of unsalted butters. I didn’t think much about it but followed the same recipe for each batch. The difference was noticeable and got me wondering what is the best butter for Icing?
This may not be the most riveting of blog posts but the outcome was unexpected and definitely changed the brand of butter I will be using going forward and potentially yours as well!
I grabbed 3 different popular (Canadian) brands of unsalted butter and proceeded to make 3 batches of American buttercream being sure to use the same room temperature butter and whip it at the same speeds for the same amount of time! The recipe I used is below! Here are my results for what the best butter for icing is!
Firstly I tried Dairyland butter which was $5.69 per lb at our local grocery store. This unsalted butter had a more yellowish tinge than the other butters. It didn’t whip up as fluffy, it made approximately 2 cups LESS buttercream when completely whipped. This in turn made a very dense buttercream that was very hard to spread on a cake. It would even stick and rip the cake layers it was not easy to work with. It was not as smooth as the others and had a more grainy sugary texture than nice and smooth.
The next batch was the cheapest unsalted butter at $3.59 for a lb. this price could have come in lowest as I found it at Costco so thought I’d try it out! (I have never seen it in the grocery store or it could be more expensive?!
I was amazed at the outcome! It was very white in colour, made about 2 CUPS more buttercream than the Dairyland! (It was way fluffier, incredibly soft and smooth and so easy to spread!) for the price I paid I was blown away! I would expect less from a cheaper product but this was not the case!
The last brand was Lactania Unsalted Butter. This block not on sale was $7.59 and was the most expensive of this test. It whipped up beautifully also making about 2 cups more buttercream than the Dairyland and the same fluffiness as the cheapest Beatrice butter. Although the Beatrice seemed slightly smoother and had a wonderful mouth feel (no buttery residue left after eating some). It was wonderfully fluffy and smooth and was also very white in colour.
Both Lactania and Beatrice would be interchangeable in a recipe however I found the Beatrice to be slightly smoother, and a better mouth feel after eating it. While Beatrice barely squeaked by Lactania as the best butter I would choose Beatrice hands down EVERY TIME because it also cost half as much! Beatrice Unsalted Butter is definitely the best butter for icing!
Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
This fluffy, smooth buttercream will become your go to frosting again and again. It is very easy to make and pipes like a dream!
Ingredients
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 7 cups confectioners sugar sifted
- 1 Tbsp clear vanilla extract
- 4-5 Tbsp heavy whipping cream
- 1/2 tsp salt
Instructions
-
Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and using the paddle attachment beat for 3 minutes until the butter is very pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Scrape down the bowl as necessary. (If you have the paddle with the spatula on it, it is worth its weight in gold!
-
For completely silky buttercream sift your confectioners sugar to rid it of any lumps. This step is messy but gives a much silkier frosting!
-
Alternate adding 1 cup of powdered sugar mixing on low then 1 tbsp of heavy cream and then turn the mixer up to medium for 30 seconds to aerate the frosting. Keep repeating until all the powdered sugar is added and then add the vanilla and salt. If the frosting is a bit thick add more heavy cream or if it seems a bit thin add more powdered sugar until it reaches the consistency you like!
-
Mix on low for 2-3 minutes at the end to beat out any small air bubbles. *I did not do this step which is why you can see tiny bubbles in the frosting but I like it fluffy!
