How to get super white Buttercream
- Sandy Bhogal
- Jan 14
- 4 min read
An easy way to achieve super white buttercream for your cakes and cupcakes.
Let's discuss buttercream. So, what exactly is buttercream? It’s a frosting made primarily from butter and sugar, and it’s often used to decorate, fill, and coat cakes.
Buttercream comes in several varieties, including American, Swiss Meringue, Italian, German, and French. Among these, American and Swiss are the most popular choices for cake makers and decorators. American buttercream is known for its sweetness, while Swiss Meringue buttercream has a smoother, less sweet texture with a silky finish.
One of the biggest challenges bakers and decorators encounter is getting that perfect white buttercream. After months of experimentation, I’ve finally discovered the best method for achieving a stunningly white buttercream. Keep reading for my top tips and tricks to create a brilliantly white frosting.
To begin with, I realized that not all butters are created equal when it comes to their colour. Here in the UK, there are several well-known butter brands, such as Lurpak, President, Anchor, Muller, and various supermarket own brands. The difference in colour, I discovered, is primarily influenced by the diet of the cows. Cows that are fed a grass-rich diet, which is high in beta carotene, tend to produce milk with a more pronounced yellow hue, leading to butter that has a distinctly yellow color.
After experimenting with a range of butters available on the market, I found that both Lurpak and President were the lightest in colour compared to others. This discovery was key in my search for the perfect buttercream, as it allowed me to start with a more neutral base for achieving the bright white result I was aiming for.
So here are the ingredients and technique to create a super white buttercream.
Ingredients
500g Unsalted Butter
800g Icing Sugar (Silverspoon)
3/4 Tablespoon Vanilla Extract
4 Tablespoons of Double cream
Pinch of salt
METHOD:
Method to achieve a white buttercream:
Start by adding the butter to your stand mixer, and attach the paddle. Mix the butter on medium speed for 18 minutes. As you mix, you’ll notice the butter will whip up and gradually lighten in color.
Once the butter has softened and lightened, gradually add your powdered sugar in two parts. After each addition, mix for about 2 minutes on medium speed to fully incorporate.
Once all the powdered sugar is mixed in, remove the bowl from the stand mixer. Use a spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure all the icing sugar has been fully incorporated into the butter.
To loosen the mixture and create a smoother, creamier texture, add a small amount of double cream. Then, mix on low speed for an additional 2 minutes.
When adding vanilla to your buttercream, it’s best to portion out the buttercream you’ll use for the filling and crumb coat first—unless you’re using clear vanilla. The goal is to keep the final outer layer of buttercream as white as possible. Adding vanilla to all of the buttercream can darken it because of the extract’s color. For the outer layer, skip adding any flavoring to maintain its bright, clean finish.
After this step, you’ll notice the buttercream still has a yellow undertone. Now, here’s where the science comes in. To neutralize this yellow tint, you’ll need to add purple gel color. Why purple? On the colour wheel, purple is opposite yellow, which means it can cancel out the yellow undertone in the buttercream.
Using a cocktail stick, add a small amount of purple gel colour to the paddle attachment. Start with a very small amount, as a little goes a long way. Mix on low speed for about a minute. If the buttercream still appears yellow, add more purple in tiny increments, mixing after each addition until it reaches a whiter shade.
Be cautious not to add too much purple gel, as overdoing it can result in a gray or purple tint to your buttercream.
For an extra boost of whiteness, I like to add a couple of squeezes of Americolor Bright White gel color. This will really enhance the brightness, and you’ll be amazed at the difference in the final result.
Here’s a cake I made before lightening it, alongside the whitened buttercream. A bright white finish really elevates the cake’s appearance and makes it look so much more elegant.
Key tips to keep in mind:
• Start with the palest butter you can find.
• Whip the butter thoroughly until it becomes noticeably lighter in color.
• Add a small amount of purple or violet gel color to neutralize the yellow tones.
• Incorporate a touch of whitener, like Americolor, to achieve a bright, white finish.
Remember to take out your frosting for the outside of the cake before you add the vanilla as this will darken the buttercream. I use the vanilla buttercream for the filling and crumbcoat.
Let me know how you get on and ask away any questions.
Sandy
Kookies Kakery Cake School
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