The Best French Buttercream Recipe (Rich & Silky)

When it comes to cake decorating, there is a whole world of frosting beyond standard powdered sugar and butter. If you are looking for the absolute richest, most luxurious frosting available, you need to make French Buttercream. Often considered the most decadent of the meringue-based buttercreams, this frosting is famously smooth, shiny, and incredibly flavorful. Because it utilizes egg yolks rather than egg whites, it tastes very much like a thick, pipeable vanilla custard or pastry cream.

What is it

There are three main “cooked” buttercreams in baking: Swiss, Italian, and French. While Swiss and Italian buttercreams use egg whites to create a light, bright white meringue base, French buttercream uses egg yolks. To make it, a boiling hot sugar syrup is slowly streamed into rapidly whipping egg yolks to create a base called pâte à bombe. Once this mixture cools, massive amounts of softened butter are whipped in. The result is a silky, pale yellow frosting that is richer and more complex than any other buttercream.

Why you’ll love it

• Silky Texture: Because the sugar is completely dissolved into a hot syrup, this frosting is flawlessly smooth with absolutely zero grit.
• Custard Flavor: The egg yolks give it a deep, rich flavor that is far more interesting than standard American Buttercream.
• Less Sweet: Like its European cousins, it is incredibly buttery and rich rather than cloyingly sweet.
• Pipes Beautifully: Despite its soft texture in the mouth, it is remarkably stable and holds sharp definition for piping rosettes onto our elegant White Cupcakes or macarons.

Ingredients

Because this recipe relies heavily on technique, you only need a few high-quality ingredients:

• 5 Large Egg Yolks: Room temperature. This is a great way to use up leftover yolks after making a Chocolate Swiss Meringue Buttercream or an angel food cake.
• ½ cup (100g) Granulated Sugar & 3 tbsp (45ml) Water: These will be boiled together to create the sugar syrup.
• 1 cup (227g) Unsalted Butter: Cut into small cubes. It MUST be softened to room temperature, but not melting or greasy.
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract: Or use vanilla bean paste to add beautiful little black specks to the frosting.
• A Pinch of Salt: To balance the richness.

How to make

You will absolutely need a candy thermometer and a stand mixer (or electric hand mixer) for this recipe.

1. Whip the Yolks: Place the egg yolks in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whip on high speed until they are very pale, thick, and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
2. Make the Syrup: Meanwhile, combine the sugar and water in a small saucepan. Stir gently to moisten the sugar. Place over medium heat and do not stir again. Cook until a candy thermometer reads exactly 240°F (115°C) – the “soft ball” stage.
3. Temper the Yolks: With the mixer running on LOW speed, carefully and slowly stream the hot sugar syrup down the inside edge of the mixing bowl into the egg yolks. Do not pour it directly onto the whisk, or the hot sugar will splatter.
4. Cool the Pâte à Bombe: Once all the syrup is added, turn the mixer to medium-high speed. Continue whipping until the outside bottom of the bowl feels completely cool to the touch (this can take 5-10 minutes). Do not add butter while it is still warm!
5. Add the Butter: With the mixer on medium speed, drop the room-temperature butter cubes in one at a time, allowing each to incorporate before adding the next.
6. Finish: Add the vanilla and salt. Turn the mixer to medium-high and whip for another 3-5 minutes until the buttercream is incredibly smooth, creamy, and fluffy.

How To Serve

Because French buttercream has a pale yellow tint (thanks to the egg yolks), it is best paired with flavors where a bright white color isn’t strictly necessary. It is the traditional filling for French macarons, and it tastes absolutely divine layered inside a dense Chocolate Mayonnaise Cake or piped on top of our classic Vanilla Buttermilk Cake. If you want to flavor it, wait until the very end of the whipping process to fold in melted chocolate, espresso powder, or fruit purees.

How To Store

• Room Temperature: This buttercream is safe at cool room temperature (under 72°F) for 1-2 days. However, because it is so heavily butter-based, it will melt quickly in a hot kitchen.
• Refrigerator: Store leftover buttercream in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 week. It will harden completely. Before using, let it sit on the counter until it reaches room temperature, then re-whip it in your stand mixer until it is fluffy again.
• Freezer: It freezes beautifully for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, bring to room temperature, and re-whip before piping.

FAQs

Is it safe to eat the egg yolks?

Yes. The boiling sugar syrup (which is 240°F) cooks and pasteurizes the egg yolks as it is whipped into them, making the buttercream perfectly safe to eat.

Why is my buttercream soupy and runny?

This happens if you added the butter before the egg yolk mixture (pâte à bombe) had completely cooled. The residual heat melted the butter. Place the whole bowl in the fridge for 15 minutes to firm up the butter, then try whipping it again.

Can I make French buttercream bright white?

Unfortunately, no. Because the base is made entirely of yellow egg yolks and yellow butter, this frosting will always have an ivory or pale yellow tint. If you need pure white frosting, use our Buttercream White recipe.

Note

Ensure your butter is the correct temperature! If the butter is too cold, it will leave hard, waxy lumps in your frosting. If it is too soft or greasy, the buttercream will not hold its shape and will look greasy. It should yield slightly when pressed with a finger, but still hold its shape.

Nutrition information

(Estimates based on 2 tablespoons of frosting)

• Calories: 135 kcal
• Carbohydrates: 7 g
• Sugars: 7 g
• Protein: 1 g
• Fat: 12 g

Tips and Tricks

• Clean Bowl: Ensure your mixing bowl and whisk are completely clean and grease-free before starting, though egg yolks are far more forgiving than egg whites when whipping.
• Don’t Scrape the Pan: When pouring the hot sugar syrup into the mixer, do not scrape the bottom of the saucepan. Any crystallized sugar at the bottom will ruin the smooth texture of your frosting.
• The “Soup” Stage: When you first start adding the butter, the mixture might suddenly look soupy or slightly curdled. Don’t panic! Keep whipping. Emulsions take time, and it will eventually come together into a smooth frosting.