Please note: this recipe has since been updated. You can find the new and improved recipe here!
It’s official: with 3 posts written, posted and commented on, we’ve passed the halfway mark of The Battle of the Buttercreams. Only 3 more buttercreams to go before the test results are revealed!
Featured today: German Buttercream. Also known as Custard Buttercream…
I have to admit, I love German buttercream. I first tried it a couple of years ago and it was actually the second type of buttercream I ever made. I immediately fell in love with it! It’s creamy and fluffy and it has a gorgeous flavor. Perfect if you ask me!
But let’s not get ahead of things. Let’s first take a look at this buttercream’s main characteristics:
Color: pale yellow
Fat content: 36%
Sugar content: 39%
Texture: velvety smooth
Level of difficulty: normal
This buttercream is not difficult to make. If you can whisk a milk mixture that is heating on the stove, you can do it! I know that some people worry about making custard, because custard can split if its temperature exceeds 85°C/185°F. However, this particular custard contains cornstarch, which allows you to basically cook it without running the risk of ruining it. I still wouldn’t advise you to cook it for long, though. Only until the first few bubbles appear.
The thing that can be a bit tricky about this buttercream, is that it can split if either the base (the custard) or the butter are too cold when the two are mixed together. I usually leave the custard to cool to body temperature and make sure the butter has had time to soften and come to room temperature before I start adding the butter to the custard. However, sometimes it can be hard to control the temperature of your ingredients (for example, when you don’t have a lot of time to allow the butter to come to room temperature or if you’ve accidentally allowed the custard to become too cold). If this happens, the buttercream will look curdled when you mix in the butter and when you dip your finger in it, you can see tiny flecks of un-emulsified butter in the custard.
But no worries there! It’s easy to fix…
As soon as you notice the two elements aren’t emulsifying, just briefly suspend your mixing bowl over a pan of simmering water, making sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. As the buttercream heats, mix continuously to prevent the buttercream at the edges of the bowl to melt completely. Take the bowl off the heat after a minute or so and mix through before adding the rest of the butter. The buttercream should look smooth and shiny again. If it doesn’t, just warm through for another 30 seconds or until smooth and cohesive.
A simple fix, but it works every time!
Just be careful not too overheat it, because the butter may melt and then you’ll end up with a liquid mixture. If that happens, just place it in the fridge for about 5 minutes before adding the remaining butter.
Anyway, another great thing about this type of buttercream is that it’s very easy to add different flavors to it. Truth be told, this can be said of most buttercreams, but because this buttercream has a custard base, it’s especially versatile. I’ve dissolved instant coffee powder into the milk before cooking the custard to make a coffee version, but if you use cocoa powder you end up with a chocolate version. And what about kardemom or cinnamon buttercream? Or rose buttercream? Why not flavor the milk with some tea or elderflowers before turning it into a custard?
Basically any flavor of custard can be turned into a German buttercream! The possibilities are endless…
So what did the testers think about it?
Most of my testers really loved this buttercream. Basically all of them raved about it’s delicate, mild flavor and soft, creamy texture. On the down side, some of them thought it was a bit buttery and one of my testers was really put off by this buttercream’s yellow color, while another said the color makes it look especially appetizing.
However, while the color of the buttercream didn’t seem to bother most of my testers at all, I can imagine that esthetically the color doesn’t really go with certain flavors, such as peppermint or coconut. People just expect those flavors to be white. So for those flavors an ivory buttercream may be a better choice. The color of this buttercream worked really well with the vanilla though!
On a piping-related note: because this buttercream is a little softer than other buttercreams, it’s a little more difficult to pipe intricate designs with it. Like the Flour Buttercream, the edges of this buttercream look really soft once piped…
But for a simple swirl, this buttercream is perfect!
Oh, by the way, as I was making this buttercream, the trusty €10 mixer that I’ve had for years broke, just when I was halfway through mixing in the butter. It actually looked quite spectacular with blue sparks shooting out of it!
Luckily, it broke in a good way: instead of shutting down, it wouldn’t stop mixing anymore! Only after I pulled the plug out of the socket did it stop… So instead of worrying about my broken mixer I finished mixing in the butter before running to the store to get myself a new one.
I mean, I was fairly comfortable using a broken mixer for 10 minutes, but I don’t want it to explode or anything in the future…
Anyway, enjoy!
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- 150ml milk
- 50g (or ¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 3 egg yolks
- 50g (or ¼ cup) granulated sugar
- 200g (or ¾ cup + 2 tablespoons) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- First, make a simple custard. In a small combine, combine the milk, 50g of sugar and the vanilla. Gently heat over low heat, stirring occasionally. In a heatproof bowl, combine the cornstarch with a little splash of the milk mixture. Stir to a smooth paste. Add another splash of milk an stir to incorporate. Whisk in the egg yolks and sugar until frothy and well combined. Once the milk mixture has reached boiling point and bubbles start to appear around the edges of the pan, slowly drizzle the hot milk into the egg mixture, whisking continuously. Once all the milk has been added, pour the mixture back into the saucepan and heat over low heat. Whisking continuously, wait until the first bubbles appear and the mixture has thickened. Pour into a clean heatproof bowl and place a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the custard to prevent a skin from forming. Allow to cool to body temperature.
- Once the custard has cooled sufficiently, mix in the butter, 1 tablespoon at a time, waiting until each tablespoon of butter is incorporated before adding the next. Use immediately or cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge until needed. Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or for up to 2 months in the freezer in a freeze-proof container or bag.
- To use buttercream that has been refrigerated, allow to come to room temperature (this takes about 3 hours in a warm kitchen) or microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each interval, until it's soft. Then mix through until it's spreadable again. Thaw frozen buttercream in the fridge overnight, then allow to come to room temperature before use and, once at room temperature, mix briefly until smooth.
- Serve at room temperature. If you've assembled a cake or decorated cupcakes, allow cake or cupcakes to come to room temperature before serving (about 3 hours in a warm kitchen).
New favorite food quote:
this one sounds really delicious. this is a great series!
Thanks Dina! Glad you like it 😉
I agree, this is a good series. I like learning about these different frosting varieties. Been following you on Food Gawker!
It was wooowww this german buttercream.,
But i made a small change to that.
Instead of milk i put heavy cream. (All i had on hand, not happen very often)
And i used 1 vanilla bean and 2 eggyolks and 1 whole egg.
I needed this butter cream to be more stiff and solid.
And the result was perfect. As solid as swiss cream. :)))))
Yippi i find my favorit buttercream. Thank u for sharing.
Hi Sara, it sounds like you came up with a recipe of your own 😉 It’s sounds perfect for piping! I’ve just made a new entry in my kitchen notebook, called ‘ Stiff German Buttercream’, so next time I’m making a buttercream cake that requires some piping (maybe a buttercream rose cake?) I’ll definitely give it a try!
🙂 i have made this butter cream3 times now. Loovellyyyy.
Trying to send u picture of it, but cant get true.
Hi Sara, thank you so much for your feedback! I’m also totally smitten with this buttercream. Its my favorite, by far! Why don’t you send me an e-mail with the picture in it? I would love to see how the buttercream turned out! 😉
I live in Quebec and we have an individual cake with an icing in the center that is an icon here. No one knows the recipe for this icing and for years I have been trying to figure it out. I always felt that it might have birds custard powder in it and google “buttercream with custard powder” and came upon your site. I’m sure now that this must be the answer. I have just purchased the ingredients and am anxious to give it a try. Thank you so much for your discussion on buttercreams, I will try it and let you know the results.
Nice to meet you, Darlene! That cake sounds really interesting and delicious. What’s it called? I would love to try it sometime! Can’t wait to find out if the German buttercream is the icing you’ve been looking for 🙂
Hi Nila,
I love your posts about the various types of buttercream, really helpful!
Although I make my German buttercream a little differently. That way there are even more flavourful varieties and the consistency is better pipable 🙂
For 12 cupcakes:
250 ml liquid (milk, juice, wine, ect.)
25 g cornstarch
2-3 tablespoons sugar
125 g soft butter
powdered sugar depending on how sweet you want your buttercream.
Take 2-3 tablespoons of the liquid and mix it with the sugar and the cornstarch. Bring the remaining liquid to a boil. Take it off the heat and stir in the starch mixture. Put it back on the heat for another minute (keep stirring). Pour it in a bowl and put foil on it. Wait until it’s cooled down. In another bowl mix butter until white and fluffy, then pour in the powdered sugar and keep mixing until it’s well incorporated. Add in the custard one tablespoons at a time. The buttercream is immediately pipable.
Thanks for sharing Antje! I can’t wait to give your recipe a go 😉 I’m going to try making it with orange juice! By the way, have you ever actually tried buttercream made with wine? Is it good?? I wouldn’t even know how to use it 😉 But the recipe sounds delicious. I guess the powdered sugar makes the buttercream a little thicker, right?
Thanks again!
No, I haven’t tried one with wine before. But I think a red wine buttercream would go well with chocolate, cinnamon or other spices. I found a recipe online with 150 ml wine, 100 milk and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Unfortunately it’s written in German, so I don’t know if it’s really helpful, or not:
http://ninas-kleiner-food-blog.blogspot.de/2010/12/rotwein-cupcakes-mit-rotwein-zimt.html
Hi Antje, thank you so much! I’ve had German in high school, so I guess I can figure it out. Besides, there’s always Google Translate, right 😉
I just wanted to point out that mocha is chocolate and coffee, and not just coffee. 🙂
Is it? Where are you from? Here in the Netherlands, it’s just coffee-flavor 🙂
I thought it was an Italian term… But thanks for commenting! I don’t want my site to be confusing, so I’ll just change it to ‘coffee-flavored’ 😉
This sounds soooo yummy. Would this garden enough when chilled to cover with fondant?
Harden!
Hi Cara, that depends. Do you intend to crumb coat a cake with the German buttercream and then cover the cake with fondant? Or do you want to pipe, say, buttercream roses and cover them with pouring fondant? If you’re doing the cake-thing, I’d say go for it! Anything else, like buttercream truffles with poured fondant, I’d recommend adding more butter to the buttercream to make it a bit firmer.
Hope this helps 🙂
Hi Nila, thanks for all the recipes and i loveeeeeeee your blog!! Is this buttercream good for macarons? (im looking to make a earl grey flavoured filling n also use the leftover yolks haha) or what buttercream do you recommend to use in macarons?
Thank you!
Hi Annie, I’m so glad you like my blog 🙂 You can certainly use this buttercream as a filling for macarons, but bear in mind that this buttercream is quite soft and that it might spill out of the sides of the macaron when you bit down. You could add a little more butter to fix this, or use a firmer custard base, such as pastry cream, to make the buttercream a bit firmer.
Because you want to infuse the buttercream with earl grey flavor, I agree that the German buttercream is probably your best option, because it’s easy to flavor the custard with tea.
Please let me know how they turn out!
Hi! I absolutely love all your posts on the different buttercreams and have found them to be super helpful. I make macarons and really love this buttercream but, as you know, it’s not very firm. I saw your reply above about using pastry cream and would like to try it out but I was wondering how to incorporate the pastry cream to this recipe. I’m not sure what ratio of butter to the pastry cream recipe should be. There’s also only half of the amount of sugar in the pastry cream recipe compared to this one so I’m a bit lost and wondering if that will turn out okay. Any help would be appreciated 🙂 Thanks for your posts!
Hi Iris, you can make the pastry cream (either the plain or vanilla version) and add more sugar to taste if you like it a bit sweeter. Just add the extra sugar to the heating milk.
Once you’ve mixed up your pastry cream and allowed it to cool, whip softened unsalted butter in a bowl until fluffy and smooth, then add the pastry cream one spoonful at a time while you keep mixing. I’d start with 200g (7 ounces) of butter for 1 cup of pastry cream, but you can add even more. More butter will also make the buttercream a bit firmer.
Hope this helps 🙂
I just made it and it worked beautifully! Thank you so much for your help!! 🙂
I made this buttercream along with flour buttercream. The flour buttercream came out great, but my “custard” for this one didn’t come out right! I don’t know what I did wrong. 🙁 I made this twice and it came out really liquidy. My mixture didn’t thicken. It was kind of frothy with bubbles but there’s no thickness to it. I’m sad that I can’t taste this amazing buttercream everyone likes. :(((
Hi Emma, I’m sorry this recipe didn’t work for you. A frothy mixture may indicate that you didn’t cook the milk-and-egg mixture long enough for it to become a custard. Try gently heating the mixture until the froth disappears completely and the custard comes to a boil. Hope this helps! 🙂
Dying to try my hand at a buttercream so I LOVED this series to help me pick a good one to try, but I was wondering you mention adding flavoring to suit tastes such a chocolate is there a rule of thumb for how much flavoring to add so it won’t become overpowering? Also €10 mixer what a score! Was it a simple hand held mixer? Oh and thanks for adding conversions in parentheses for us yanks!
I’m glad you like the series Alison! About your question: there’s not really a rule as to how much and which flavorings you can add to buttercream, but if you want to develop your own recipe, I’d advise you to always make a test batch first!
If you want to make a chocolate German buttercream, chop some of your favorite chocolate into small pieces, place them in a heatproof bowl, and add the hot custard to it right after you made it. Start with a little, you can always add more melted chocolate if you’d like a stronger chocolate flavor. The chocolate will melt and flavor the custard, and once it has cooled to room temperature, you can mix it with butter to make buttercream.
And yes, it was a simple hand held mixer, but still: score! 🙂
Hi there,
I need some advice here.
How will the german buttercream looks like if the butter doesnt incorporate into the custard well enough?
Cause the german buttercream that i made has alot “tiny white lines”. It is a failure?
Your kind advice and attention would be greatly appreciated.
With regards,
Curiosity
Hi ThirdBug, German buttercream that has separated will have tiny specks of undissolved butter in it. The tiny white lines you told me about might just be that…
You can fix separated German buttercream by transferring the buttercream to a heatproof bowl and gently heating it over a pan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water) for 10-20 seconds while mixing it with an electric hand mixer. The heat will warm the buttercream, and the specks of butter will melt into it. Remove it from the heat, and mix for 1-2 minutes, or until the buttercream looks smooth. Repeat the heating-process if necessary, just make sure the buttercream doesn’t get too warm, or it will melt completely.
Oh, and have you seen this? 😉 It’s much easier to make German buttercream using the beaten butter method!