The Quick Trick To Fix Lumpy Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream is a favorite frosting option for many. The creamy, rich, buttery icing is great for topping cupcakes and decorating large, multi-layered cakes. Despite its obvious popularity, buttercream didn't hit the baking scene until the 1950s, according to Rise. It isn't hard to guess what makes buttercream stand out from other icings — the inclusion of butter. Adding butter to a regular icing mixture of sugar, vanilla extract, and milk turns it into a decadently creamy, rich frosting option that can be flavored and colored to your preference, and is easier for decorating due to its thicker texture. That's just American buttercream, though. Swiss, Italian, and French buttercream take it a step further with the addition of eggs.

That incorporation of butter, though, can be the icing's downfall. The temperature of the butter, the amount you include, when you add it, and more can all impact the final product, and it's much less forgiving than the simple sugar and milk mixture. If you've found yourself with a bowl of lumpy buttercream, don't worry, there's a simple solution to rescue the batch.

There are a few things that could go wrong when making buttercream. Despite the easy-looking outcome, the process is technical, and skipping steps can result in a lumpy, hard-to-use icing. Centrepiece Cakes by Kerry says to make sure your butter isn't too warm and liquidy but also that it isn't too cold and hard. Not sifting lumpy sugar or dumping it all at once could also give you a lumpy buttercream.

This is exactly what Kitchn attributes to most lumpy buttercream mixtures. Don't write off the mixture as ruined, though. While eating or using icing with uneven textured frosting is a bad idea, you can still rescue it. Don't overwhip it to break up the cold butter or chunky sugar; instead, add it to a food processor, which will help blend those mistakes. Once smooth, give it a quick run-in with a hand mixer or stand mixer to aerate the mixture again.