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What's The Difference Between American, Swiss & Italian Buttercream?
• Lynsey Macdonald
Buttercream - a cake artist’s best friend! But do you know your Swiss Meringue from your American? With a handful of exciting new products on the market that make Swiss Meringue Buttercream a breeze, we wanted to address one of our frequently asked questions. "Which buttercream is best for me?!"
Here, we’ll be exploring the top 3 buttercream options. American Buttercream v. Swiss Meringue Buttercream v. Italian Meringue Buttercream. You’ll be a Buttercream Boss in a swish of your whisk!
The Difference Between American, Swiss & Italian Buttercream?
A quick summary! The rest of the post will explore each type of buttercream in more depth. But if you're keen to know the basic differences, here are a few!
- American buttercream is sweeter than Swiss or Italian. It forms a "crust" when exposed to air - perfect for painting and piping on.
- Swiss Meringue buttercream is silky smooth and light. It's perfect if you're looking for a slightly less sweet buttercream. It is, however, more time consuming to make than American buttercream.
- Italian Meringue buttercream is the least sweet of the three. Although the most technically complex of the three to make, it is deliciously silky and can withstand the highest temperatures. Ideal if you live/work in a warmer climate.
Comparing different types of Buttercream
We've created this table to help you understand the main differences at a quick glance! So, if you're curious about which buttercream is the least sweet, which is the easiest to make and which lasts the longest, look no further.
| Comparing Different Buttercreams | American Buttercream | Swiss Meringue Buttercream | Italian Buttercream |
| Complexity | Beginner Friendly | Moderate | Most Advanced |
| Time to make | Fastest (10-15mins) | More time consuming (30-45mins) | Most time consuming (about 45mins) |
| Sweetness | Sweetest | Sweet | Least Sweet |
| Smoothness/ texture | Forms a crust/slightly grainy and heavier | Smooth and light | Silky smooth even in hot weather |
| Stability in hot weather | Least stable (most likely to melt) | Stable a little above room temperature | Most stable (least likely to melt) |
| How long does it last? | 1-2 weeks in fridge and 3 months in freezer | 1-2 weeks in fridge and 3 months in freezer | 1-2 weeks in fridge and 3 months in freezer |
American Buttercream
American buttercream is the easiest type of buttercream to make. It’s the most popular frosting for home baking because it only requires three basic ingredients: powdered sugar, butter, and a small amount of milk. The ratio is 2:1 sugar to butter, making it the sweetest of all the buttercreams and an unsurprising winner amongst kids! It is characterised by its pale cream colour (add a splash of whitener to achieve a bright white tone), and it takes flavour well. Vanilla, Caramel, or perhaps a drop of bubblegum - we won’t judge!
Gel colours tend to work best for colouring this type of buttercream and getting those bold pops of colour you need for your creations.
American Buttercream forms a ‘crust’ after it has been exposed to air, which means it can be painted onto and used to pipe a huge variety of shapes and textures. American buttercream is frequently used to crumb coat tiers before it is covered in sugarpaste. Because of it’s crusting nature, it gives the sugarpaste a solid foundation for those sharp and smooth edges that we love so much!
Read our full guide here - How to make Buttercream
Swiss Meringue
Also more simply known as Swiss Buttercream, this buttercream is popular amongst the professionals. It is more difficult and time-consuming to create than American Buttercream, but it’s silky smooth and light texture makes it worth the extra effort. Egg whites and sugar form the Swiss Meringue which gives this buttercream its name. These are whisked over a gentle heat and cooled before the all-important butter is added.
Temperature is paramount in the production of SMB, but the result is a soft and fluffy frosting which is delicious piped on cupcakes or between cake layers. Unlike American Buttercream, SMB does not form a crust, so it keeps its silky texture. If you aren’t a fan of overly sweet buttercream, this may be the one for you!
Swiss Meringue buttercream works best with oil based colours (check out our collection here!). The result is a super glossy buttercream, giving a high shine, smooth finish to your piping!
Read our full guide here - How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
Italian Meringue
Ingredients: Caster Sugar, Egg Whites, Butter, Vanilla Extract and Water
Italian Meringue Buttercream is the most difficult buttercream to make. If you are familiar with Italian meringue, you’ll understand that it involves boiling sugar and then whisking egg whites into this piping hot syrup. Because of the high temperatures involved, we only recommend it to the more advanced cake artists. IMB is the most stable of the three, meaning it can withstand high temperatures - ideal for cake artists who live in warmer climates. It is the least sweet of the three and like SMB, it has a deliciously silky texture.
