This custard-based German buttercream is made with just a few simple ingredients. Perfect for those who like a rich and silky frosting that isn’t too sweet!
I’m so excited to be sharing a new buttercream recipe with you guys today! Last week I told you all about How to Make Pastry Cream and today I’m going to tell you how to use that to make a delicious buttercream.
As you know, I am a die-hard Swiss Meringue Buttercream fan. It is THE best buttercream, as far as I’m concerned, but it’s not for everyone. It’s a bit high maintenance and some people find it either too buttery or too sweet, or both.
American Buttercream, on the other hand, is super easy to make, but gritty due to the powdered sugar and usually very sweet.
There are a variety of different buttercreams out there and I’m going to be experimenting with a bunch of them this year. I’m kicking it all off today with this German Buttercream!
What is German Buttercream?
German buttercream is a custard-based buttercream that consists simply of pastry cream, butter, and any additional flavourings you may want.
This buttercream is perfect for someone who likes a creamy, buttery frosting, but one that has a very subtle sweetness. How sweet you make it is up to you — the sweetness will come from the pastry cream itself.
I kept the sweetness fairly mild in mine but you can increase the sugar if you like. Alternatively, you can add additional powdered sugar at the very end.
How to Make German Buttercream
This buttercream is very easy to make, but it does require some pre-planning as you need to make the custard (pastry cream) in advance and let it cool. Here’s the step-by-step process of making German buttercream:
Step #1 – Prepare Pastry Cream
Make your custard in advance and chill to set. Refer to my How to Make Pastry Cream post for a detailed tutorial.
Step #2 – Bring your Butter and Pastry Cream to Room Temperature
The pastry cream will be thick and gelatinous and needs to be rewhipped before use. I just do this by hand with a whisk. It smooths out very quickly.
Step #3 – Beat your butter until Pale & Fluffy
Don’t skip this step. Whip it for a good 3 minutes on high. I use a paddle attachment because I like that mine scrapes the sides of the bowl, but you can use the whisk attachment if you prefer.
Step #4 – Add Pastry Cream a bit at a time
Slowly add the pastry cream about 1 Tbsp at a time while the buttercream is whipping. This is kind of like adding butter to a Swiss meringue buttercream. Incorporate it slowly.
I just used a regular soup spoon to add it in, it doesn’t have to be precise.
Step #5 – Beat until fluffy and smooth
Once all of the pastry cream is incorporated, beat the buttercream on high for 2-3 minutes until it is smooth and fluffy. Taste it to see if you want to add any more vanilla or powdered sugar for sweetness.
Storage and Perishability
You can store German buttercream like any other. It will last for a week or two in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before use.
I like to store mine in an airtight container in the fridge, but if I’m freezing it I spread the buttercream on a large sheet of plastic wrap, wrap it up, flatten it, and place it in a freezer bag.
Who is German Buttercream best for?
Like all buttercreams, custard buttercream is not for everyone. It is best suited for someone who likes a frosting that is:
- rich and silky
- not too sweet
This frosting is very buttery, which is why it’s important to whip that butter very well at the beginning and then again once you incorporate the custard.
You want to lighten it up as much as possible.
Since the buttercream is made mostly of butter (yellow) and pastry cream (yellow-ish), it will be more on the yellow side. Again, whipping that butter will really help lighten it up!
Take a look through my How to Make White Buttercream for tips and tricks on how to neutralize that yellow color.
Flavouring German Buttercream
You have a few options here when it comes to flavouring the buttercream. You can infuse the milk — I talk about this a bit in my Pastry Cream post, but the flavour will be diluted a bit once you add it to the butter. Or you can just add in flavouring at the end like any buttercream.
Here are some flavouring options to add in at the end:
- 8oz cooled, melted chocolate
- 2 Tbsp Instant espresso powder (of instant coffee) dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
- 1/2 cup caramel or dulce de leche
- Beat the butter with 1 Tbsp lemon zest and then add more lemon juice at the end if desired
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried berry powder
- 1/4 cup peanut butter powder
I can’t wait to hear what you guys think of this German Buttercream recipe.
I love that it’s silky smooth, not too sweet, and that I can add more sugar at the end if I want it sweeter. It’s much easier than Swiss meringue buttercream, but does require a bit of prep and planning.
If you find most frostings too sweet, but want something more stable than whipped cream, this is the frosting for you! Let me know if you try it!
Looking for more tutorials?
- How to Make Lemon Curd
- How to Make Caramel
- How to Make Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- How to Make Simple Syrup
- Homemade Cake Release (How to Prepare Cake Pans)
- How to Bake Flat Cake Layers
Tips for making German Buttercream
- Be sure to read through my How to Make Pastry Cream post for a step-by-step tutorial on how to make the custard portion of this buttercream.
- Add powdered sugar or more vanilla at the end to taste if desired.
- The pastry cream will last for 5-7 days in the fridge. It should not be frozen on it’s own.
- The buttercream will last for 2 weeks in the fridge or can be frozen for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before use.
German Buttercream
Ingredients
Pastry Cream (Creme Patissiere):
- 2 cups milk divided
- 1 tsp vanilla or vanilla bean paste
- 1/4 cup cornstartch
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large egg yolks
German Buttercream:
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- powdered sugar to taste, if needed
- vanilla to taste, if needed
Instructions
Pastry Cream (Creme Patissiere):
- Place 1 1/2 cups milk and the vanilla into a medium saucepan. Cook over high heat, stirring often until it just starts to simmer. Remove from heat.
- In a medium bowl, whisk remaining 1/2 cup milk, egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
- While whisking vigorously, slowly pour the hot milk into the egg mixture.
- Return mixture to saucepan and cook over high heat, whisking constantly, until it thickens and comes to a boil.
- Pass through a strainer and into a bowl. Place plastic wrap directly on top of the custard to prevent a skin from forming.
- Cool to room temperature then place in the refrigerator for a couple hours to set.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Do not freeze.
German Buttercream:
- Ensure pastry cream and butter are at room temperature. Whip pastry cream by hand until smooth.
- Using a stand mixer or hand mixer, beat the butter on high until pale and fluffy (3 mins). Add the room temperature custard 1 Tbsp at a time, incorporating well after each addition. Add powdered sugar or more vanilla if desired. Beat for 2-3mins until smooth and fluffy.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or freeze for up to 3 months. Allow buttercream to come to room temperature and rewhip before use.
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Notes
- 8oz cooled, melted chocolate
- 2 Tbsp Instant espresso powder (of instant coffee) dissolved in 1 tsp hot water
- 1/2 cup caramel or dulce de leche
- Beat the butter with 1 Tbsp lemon zest and then add more lemon juice at the end if desired
- 1/4 cup freeze-dried berry powder
- 1/4 cup peanut butter powder
Hilary says
What is the ratio of pastry cream to butter? I have a pastry cream I’ve been making forever that I’d like to use.
Olivia says
Hi Hilary! How much milk does your pastry cream recipe use? I would use the same amount of butter.
Franziska says
I made the pastry cream today and it’s just about cooled down. I want to make the buttercream tomorrow morning to fill and crumb coat my cake. Would you advise to keep the pastry cream in the fridge tonight or leave it outside?
Olivia says
Hi Franziska! Definitely refrigerate overnight. Take it out in the morning when you take out your butter.
Franziska says
Thank you!
Lisa says
Super excited to try this recipe. Can you make it chocolate by adding cocoa? Or no?
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! Yes, you can add 1/4 cup cocoa powder with the hot milk mixture and/or add some melted chocolate (or finely chopped chocolate) at the very end when bringing the pastry cream back to a boil.
Jean Croyle says
Can you use browned butter when you make french butter cream?
Olivia says
Hi Jean! For French and other meringue buttercreams you can replace some of the butter with browned butter. I did it here with a Swiss meringue: https://livforcake.com/brown-butter-cake/
Mariella says
Hi!
Can you dye this buttercream? Which kind of dye would u use?
Olivia says
Hi Mariella! You can for sure. regular gel color or a powdered coloring should work fine.
Sybil says
The metric conversion link on this recipe is not accurate! I imagine that it is not adjusting for specific ingredient. I made the custard using metric and thought it tasted too constarchy and was thicker than expected. Converted the 1/4 cup cornstarch on Calculateme and 1/4 cup cornstarch is 30 grams but your link gives me 59.15!!
Olivia says
Hi Sybil! Thanks for letting me know and sorry your pastry cream came out too thick! The metric conversions are calculated automatically and while they are accurate most of the time some errors crop up. I’ve updated the amount in this and other recipes that use cornstarch. Thanks again!
Merle says
Hi! I’m not really a baker, and I don’t really know much about different types of frosting, but in preparation for my first time making macarons, a frosting using egg yolks was perfect! Also, the methods on this blog are simple and easy to follow for a beginner like me. However, I don’t have any cornstarch so I found a way to substitute in flour. Also, I didn’t want to make *too* much, so I made a rather small batch of custard. Since I didn’t use the exact measurements of the pastry cream recipe, I was wondering if there was a pastry cream-to-butter ratio so I could determine the amount of butter that way?
Olivia says
Hi Merle! So happy you liked this recipe 🙂 You can scale the recipe up or down by changing the Servings. In terms of ratio I would use the same amount of butter that you do of milk to make the custard.
Ari says
Hi! I was wondering at what step should I add the freeze dried strawberry powder? Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Ari! I would add it in right at the end.
Aida says
Do you think this will work for Russian piping! American buttercream is too sweet 🙁
Olivia says
Hi Aida! I think it would work fine, but it is a little softer. Have you tried Swiss meringue buttercream? That would work for sure! https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Alissa says
Can you add fresh berries?
Olivia says
Hi Alissa! For best results, I would use freeze-dried berry powder as it won’t affect the texture as much. Or something like jam. You can try with fresh berries but I worry that the liquid would cause the buttercream to split and/or be too soft.
Melinda Perry says
Hey Olivia.
I am debating and would like some advice or your opinion. My daughter’s 4th Birthday is on the 12th and we will be outdoors.. but I would really like to have a buttercream that isn’t overly sweet.
Seeing as it’s my 4 years old Birthday I don’t want anything to sweet.
So I guess my question is.. would this buttercream be okay to have in.. +16-17 ° Weather? For an hour or 2? (That’s what the forecast says its going to be)
Olivia says
Hi Melinda! What I would do is chill the cake before taking it to the venue. The frosting will be firm once chilled and will soften over time as you’re outside, until you’re ready to dive into it 🙂 I would keep it out of direct sunlight though.
Marla says
I’m a little late to the party, but wanted to thank you for such a detailed recipe! This was my first time making German Buttercream, and I must say it is my new fav!! The pastry cream wasn’t ‘eggy’, and I didn’t add powdered sugar in the second step because it was perfectly sweetened already. I used this for filling my vanilla macarons.
Olivia says
Thanks so much Marla! I’m so happy you loved it 🙂
Neila says
The buttercream tastes amazing !
I used it on my macarons as well, but when I took them out of the fridge the next day the macarons had fallen apart due to the moisture. Also, the butter started melting after being out for only 30 minutes, I rushed them to the freezer in hopes to salvage them. Why is it melting so fast? It’s still winter here and pretty cold. I went back to look at the recipe to see if I missed anything. Not sure what I’m doing wrong. Help please! I really want to use this buttercream for my macarons. 🙂
Olivia says
Hi Nelia! I haven’t tried this one as a macaron filling myself, but it is softer than other buttercreams for sure. Though it really shouldn’t cause your macarons to be so soft that they fall apart. Especially in the fridge, the frosting should get quite firm! Did you make any adjustments to the recipe at all? Like using less butter?
Neila says
No, I used two sticks of butter. Thats what the recipe says right? I am trying it again today. After I whip the butter do you think that I should stick it back in the fridge for a bit? Just to help it firm a little more? Or, should I add some powdered sugar? If I do add powdered sugar how much should I add without making it too sweet?
Neila says
Wow! You were absolutely right. I only used one cup of butter. Thanks so much. I will try again!
Olivia says
Ah yeah, that would make the balance of ingredients off which would have caused the result you were seeing! Let me know how it turns out the second time 🙂
Susie J says
This was a fun new buttercream to try, I used it on the chia tea cake here and it was a delicious pairing! I used Fairlife Skim milk and it worked fine. I also ended up adding roughly a 1/2 cup powdered sugar to up the sweetness a bit (I’m too used to SMBC)! This was a great, fluffy and creamy change of pace to my standard Swiss meringue, definitely will be putting the leftovers into some macarons!
Olivia says
Hi Susie! Thanks for the awesome feedback. I’m so glad you liked it! 🙂
Victoria says
First time I made this it was perfect! But I had it in the fridge for about 10 days and I re-whipped after leaving at room temp for about 2-3 hours and it turned into a gloop! What could be the problem??
Olivia says
Hi Victoria! Was the frosting completely at room temperature? I tend to leave mine overnight as a large batch like this will take longer than 2-3 hours to come to room temp. Warming it up should help!
Marie Powers says
What buttercream recipe would you recommend for Russian tips besides American buttercream?
Olivia says
Hi Marie! American works really well because it’s very stiff. You can also try a Swiss Meringue buttercream: https://livforcake.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-recipe/
Kandi says
Absolutely delicious, and piped beautifully! My new go-to frosting recipe. I piped it on cupcakes, and it easily and generously covered 2 dozen, with enough left to frost a few more. Nothing but raves for the flavor and consistency. Perfect!
Olivia says
Hi Kandi! I’m so happy you loved this one. It’s a new fave over here to!! For an even easier version, you should give my Ermine buttercream a try.
Kandi says
Thank you Olivia, I will!
Hiba says
Heyy, i am really excited to make this buttercream for my cakes.
My question is that, can we cover the cake with fondant, frosted with german buttercream?
Olivia says
Hi Hiba! Yes, that will work fine. Be sure to chill the cake so the frosting is firm.
Nancy says
I love the taste and consistency of the german butter cream. However I find that even though I make it exactly the same every time it’s 50/50 whether it will turn out. I have a problem with it looking like it is curdled or furry some of the time. I have tried googling it and no on ever mentions this and what causes it. I made a wedding cake with it and made batch after batch. Some turned out and some didn’t. Some turned out but when I beat it again when it came out of the fridge the next day it curdled. Adding an extra bit of vanilla made it curdle. Taking too long icing it made it go funny. Might be the most temperamental icing I have ever used. Can you shine some light on my problems. I love the icing but am pretty scared of it after so many hits and misses.
Olivia says
Hi Nancy! So strange — is your custard and butter completely at room temperature when you make it? The frosting can break if the temperature is off as things won’t emulsify properly. Same goes for using the frosting after refrigerating. It must be completely at room temperature before you rewhip it. Have you had problems with it when you try to use it right away or after refrigerating or both?
Elitsa Yordanova says
Hello Olivia! I had exactly the same issues. This frosting is so good, but risky for me too. Could you please tell me what you mean with room temperature? Because I will start the air condition if I had to😊 at home is usually not more than 24 degrees!
Your pictures looks fantastic!
Olivia says
Hi Elitsa! Room temperature butter is about 65-70F. Soft but still slightly cool to the touch.
Barbara Fisette says
This video was very hard to follow. Just wanted the ingredient recipe with written instructions.
Olivia says
Hi Barbara! You can hit Jump to Recipe at the top of the page and it will take you right to the ingredients and directions. The blog post itself though has a very detailed step-by-step tutorial.
Emily says
Do you think you could replace some of the pastry cream with lemon curd to make a lemon frosting? Also if I wanted to add some white chocolate would that be better melted and drizzled in or added to the pastry cream? How do you think this would hold up in heat as compared to American buttercream? I personally hate American buttercream, but I’m experimenting with options for my sister in law’s wedding. She didn’t love the swiss buttercream I used in her tester cupcakes so I’m hoping something richer will work for her. SORRY for all of the questions!
Olivia says
Hi Emily! No worries about all the questions. Let me try to answer them for you 🙂
– You can definitely replace some of the pastry cream with curd. They are similar in consistency so it should be fine.
– I would add the white chocolate at the very end. Make sure it’s cooled completely.
– Re: heat — probably not as well as an ABC due to the texture. How hot are we talking?
What didn’t she like about the Swiss buttercream? You could always try mixing SMBC and ABC to get something in between 🙂
Emily says
THANK YOU SO MUCH
Why she doesn’t like SMB is beyond me. I think it’s perfect 🙂 but I think she found it too light and airy.
It’ll be an outdoor wedding in 2 weeks – so who knows. I think I’ll just keep them refrigerated until the last possible minute. An in between might work too!
Olivia says
The buttercream will get very firm in the fridge (like butter would) so I think it’s a good plan to keep it refrigerated as long as possible. The cake will need a good 2-3 hours (depending on how warm it is) to come to room temperature.
shazoo says
Love you And all your recipes… love the way you explain things in detail. You don’t miss anything at all when explaining the steps and on top of that tips on how to prevent things from falling apart etc…. perfect. Just discovered you and been looking at your recipes…. all my reading done for today. Thanks again…
Olivia says
Hi Shazoo! Thanks so much for your sweet comment 🙂 I hope you try some of my recipes soon!