Buttercream substitute

Substitutes for Buttercream with ratios

1. 2Ermine frosting (cooked flour buttercream)

   Different taste

   5 tablespoons flour, 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 cup butter

   The old-fashioned frosting on classic red velvet cake.

   What changes

   Cook the flour, milk and sugar into a thick pudding, cool it completely, then beat in softened butter. The result is silky and noticeably less sweet than powdered-sugar buttercream, closer to whipped cream in flavor with none of the grainy sugar texture. It also uses no powdered sugar at all, which is why it is the answer when the pantry has flour but no confectioners sugar.

   Best for

   red velvet cake, layer cake fillings, people who find frosting too sweet, piping simple swirls

   The base must be cold before the butter goes in, or the frosting soups. Whisk constantly while cooking so no flour lumps form, and press plastic wrap onto the surface while it cools to stop a skin forming.

2. 3Cream cheese frosting

   Different taste

   8 oz cream cheese, 4 tablespoons butter, 2 to 3 cups powdered sugar

   Uses a quarter of the butter of a standard buttercream and gives a tangy, less sugary frosting with a soft, thick body.

   What changes

   It spreads beautifully and fills layers well, but it is softer than buttercream, so tall piped shapes slump and it needs refrigeration. On a carrot, banana or spice cake the tang is an improvement rather than a compromise.

   Best for

   carrot cake, banana and spice cakes, cinnamon rolls, sheet cakes, rustic swirled finishes

   Use block cream cheese, not the spreadable tub, and beat only until smooth. Over-beating breaks the structure and the frosting turns runny with no way back except adding more sugar.

3. 4Stabilized whipped cream

   Taste and texture differ

   2 cups heavy cream, ¼ cup powdered sugar, plus 1 teaspoon gelatin bloomed in 1 tablespoon water

   Whip cream to soft peaks, add the sugar and the melted bloomed gelatin, then whip to firm peaks.

   What changes

   It is dramatically lighter and barely sweet, which suits fruit-filled and sponge cakes, and it pipes well enough for borders and rosettes. It will not hold detailed piping, it must live in the refrigerator, and it starts weeping after about a day.

   Best for

   strawberry shortcake, fruit-topped cakes, chiffon and sponge cakes, icebox cakes, anything that felt too sweet last time

   Instant vanilla pudding mix, 2 tablespoons per 2 cups of cream, stabilizes it just as well without gelatin and adds a faint vanilla note. Chill the bowl and beaters, and stop the moment it holds a peak.

4. 5Powdered sugar glaze or icing

   Taste and texture differ

   1 cup powdered sugar plus 1 to 2 tablespoons milk, cream or lemon juice

   The two-minute answer with nothing in the house but sugar.

   What changes

   It pours over a cake, sets to a thin firm shell and tastes purely sweet. What is missing is fat, so the cake reads drier and the mouthfeel is thin and sugary rather than rich. It cannot be piped, cannot fill layers and cannot hide an uneven cake.

   Best for

   bundt cakes, loaf cakes and coffee cakes, cinnamon rolls, cookies, last-minute finishing

   Add liquid a few drops at a time, since the line between too stiff and a runny puddle is about half a teaspoon. Lemon juice cuts the sweetness usefully and sets slightly firmer than milk.

5. 6Shortening-based frosting

   Different taste

   Use the same amount replacing butter with vegetable shortening plus ¼ teaspoon salt and 1 teaspoon vanilla

   This is what supermarket cakes use, and it exists for one reason: heat stability.

   What changes

   It holds a piped rose in a warm room for hours and takes color brilliantly because it is pure white. The cost is flavor and mouthfeel, since shortening tastes of nothing and leaves a waxy film that coats the roof of your mouth. Half butter and half shortening is the usual compromise.

   Best for

   outdoor and summer events, detailed piped flowers, pure white or vivid colored frosting, dairy-free frosting

   Add the salt and vanilla or it tastes flat, and consider a tablespoon of cream cheese or a squeeze of lemon to give it something to say. A high-ratio shortening from a baking supplier is far less waxy than the standard supermarket tub.