Jack Bishop explains the difference in texture and taste across various types of buttercreams, from simple types like American buttercream to the more complicated French buttercream.
Discover more recipes through the America’s Test Kitchen App:
Get exclusive access to every recipe, review, and more via our homepage:
Buy The Complete America’s Test Kitchen TV Show Cookbook 2001–2026:
Discover the latest recipes, tips, and tricks from Cook’s Insider:
Subscribe to Cook’s Illustrated:
Subscribe to America’s Test Kitchen:
Watch full episodes of America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country for free on our new YouTube channel:
Watch More!
In The Test Kitchen:
The Taste Test:
Techniquely With Lan Lam:
Most Popular:
Follow America’s Test Kitchen:
Instagram:
Pinterest:
TikTok:
Facebook:
Twitter:
At America’s Test Kitchen, we investigate every aspect of cooking—recipes, equipment, ingredients, and techniques—with a goal to empower and inspire home cooks. Since 1992, our team of 50+ cooks, editors, and culinary creatives ask a lot of questions—and do a lot of testing—so that you get dependable, delicious recipes, comprehensive guidance, and thorough and unbiased equipment and ingredient reviews. You can find us in the pages of Cook’s Illustrated magazine, on our television shows America’s Test Kitchen and Cook’s Country, in dozens of best-selling cookbooks, and via the 14,000+ recipes, reviews, and classes available on our website and app. Whether you’re in search of a great weeknight meal or an impressive dinner-party dish, we’ve done the testing to deliver reliable recipes and comprehensive cooking info to your home kitchen. Bring your curiosity, and we’ll make you a better cook.
#AmericasTestKitchen #CookingTutorial #FoodScience
source
Related posts
25 Comments
Leave a Reply Cancel reply
You must be logged in to post a comment.


Can I just have those bowls of frosting?? For educational purposes only. I need to learn the subtle differences between them. I promise to give you my full report after analysis! 😁
Can you provide links to the recipes for the various buttercreams that you discuss in this video? Or at least provide us with the exact name of the item we should look up on your website or in your app.
Butter cream is my favorite i was raise on it my grandmother cakes.she was a baker in a bakery
I'll still have to eat them all to know for sure. Pass me a spoon.
French buttercream is elite. It has that deep custard taste reminiscent of creme brulee / frozen custard / caramel.
I just made a chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream today for my marble cake
Russian buttercream. He left it out.
I LOVE buttercream frosting! The sweeter the better!
My favorite is a pretty basic butter cream: butter, vanilla, a touch of heavy cream, and confectioner's sugar. It seems to be the American icing on this vid, but I have seen the exact same recipe on the BBC…
You’re missing Ermine, which is great if you don’t like overly sweet frosting.
The first one butter cream i can't stand
Very cool! Was hoping you’d include Korean buttercream – such a cool innovation
Italian, Swiss, are my favs, I will be trying the German and French soon . Yum yum
Thank you for this!
I don't know if it's actually considered a buttercream but there's a frosting that a lot of grocery stores use that has such a feather-light texture and pleasantly sweet flavor. The consistency isn't like a pie meringue but it's clearly a frosting but so light! Whereas when they use what they call "buttercream," it's a bit gritty and cloyingly sweet to the point I feel sick on one cupcake or piece of cake. I guess they just call this other stuff "whipped" icing and it is absolutely heavenly imho compared to the so-called buttercream. It might be made with hydrogenated fat honestly which yeah not so nice but I love the almost-Cool Whip but denser texture.
I really enjoy the informative aspect when it comes to butter cream. However, my mom raised my siblings and my myself on cream cheese frosting. I will always be a fan of cream cheese frosting over butter cream.
This video has Swiss and Italian buttercream swapped. Italian is cooked with a syrup. Swiss is cooked over a double boiler.
The frosting I've never liked is the stuff they putt on grocery store cakes and cupcakes. It doesn't go on this list, because I don't think it's a buttercream anyway. I believe they use vegetable shortening, because it give you a white frosting which can be used as-is or dyed sky blue without having any discoloration, unlike butter. But I just remember it would taste so horrible to me.
Thanks, ATK– good to know, and may try these different types.
Thank you!
Never been a fan of buttercream because it's so overly sweet. Will have to check out the Swiss buttercream.
I don't know if it is the added cornstarch or not, but I've never liked anything with a lot of confectioner's sugar. There's an "off" flavor I can taste. A sprinkling is fine for looks, but not when its the main sweetener.
American is best, don’t @ me.
My mom made an ermine frosting with both granulated sugar and confectioners sugar was the best!
My favorite frosting isn’t a buttercream at all. 7-Minute Icing. Absolutely delicious!