What is buttercream? Simply put buttercream is an icing made with fat and sugar. So the question then becomes: What fat is best for buttercream? The fatty base in the buttercream frosting can be derived from egg (either the yolk or the white), butter or shortening. It is essential to start with a quality base to achieve superior icing.
Using egg as a base for buttercream is often referred to as an Italian buttercream if using egg white and French buttercream if using egg yolk. The resulting icing has a great butter taste and has a light and silky texture. The American buttercream is the term given to the buttercream frosting that uses butter or shortening as it's base. This type of fat gives the icing a thicker much heavier texture, as well as, a much sweeter taste. Also, depending on the particular recipe the American buttercream can "crust" when exposed to air for a long period of time, unlike the egg white buttercream.
Here's the skinny. Both types of buttercream have their pros and cons. The main question is what are you using the icing for? The egg based buttercream is great for a base and flavors very well. Butter/shortening buttercream
is easy to make and is excellent for making flowers. The key in either case is to make sure to use high quality ingredients because (again simply put) good ingredients equals great tasting frosting.
