If you're looking for a bright white buttercream, one that's smooth, creamy, and loaded with flavor, this is the post for you. You're about to discover a little-known treat--white chocolate buttercream.
How Many Types of Buttercream are There, Anyway?
Perhaps you've wondered! I know I have. A traditional American buttercream is a combination of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and heavy cream to thin.
I love a good buttercream, but if you've been following me for a while you know that I have a variation that I use most often, one I call my Dreamy Buttercream. It's got an addition of cream cheese and shortening, which offer tartness and stability.
My Dreamy Buttercream isn't the same as a traditional Cream Cheese frosting or even a simple Decorator's Buttercream.
Not everyone loves heavier buttercreams. For those, there's always Italian Meringue buttercream or Swiss Meringue, (which is delicious).
You can even make a simple seven-minute frosting, which is meringue based (light and fluffy).
All that to say, there are a ton of buttercreams out there. So, why one more? And why add white chocolate?
What is White Chocolate Buttercream?
White chocolate buttercream is a traditional butter-based frosting with the addition of 12 ounces of melted white chocolate.
It's a simple process, really. You melt the chocolate (or even almond bark) and let it cool. Then you whip it into your butter before adding the sugar and flavoring.
I was baking some adorable little Sparkling Cranberry cupcakes when I stumbled across this recipe. And all I could say after tasting it was, "Where has White Chocolate Buttercream been all of my life?"
I have a new favorite, y'all. And I play to use it the next time I'm baking for one of the grandkids. (They aren't huge fans of my cream-cheese based frosting, to be honest.)
This new one offers me a fun option, once I can't wait to use again and again.
White Chocolate Buttercream Ingredients
You will find a printable recipe card at the bottom of this post with measurements included. But here's a look at what you'll need. These are such simple ingredients. I'm guessing you already have most of them on hand.
- powdered sugar
- white chocolate chips (or almond bark)
- room temperature butter
- heavy cream
- vanilla extract
How to Make White Chocolate Buttercream
This comes together so easily. You'll be surprised you haven't made it before!
Start by melting down the white chocolate chips or almond bark. (I was on quarantine with covid when I made mine and only had almond bark on hand, so it had to do! I didn't really mind because it melts so beautifully in the microwave).
Place in microwave safe bowl.
Melt in 30-second ingredients in the microwave stirring in-between until smooth and creamy. You can't leave even one lump in this frosting or you'll clog the frosting tip.
Set aside to cool.
Place butter in a large bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer with whisk attachment and beat for three minutes until light and creamy.
Pour cooled white chocolate into the butter and whip until they are both fully incorporated.
Add powdered sugar, a cup at a time, beating until it comes together.
Add extract and thin with heavy cream, beating until it's the consistency you like. (You need to make sure it's pipe-able.)
Now your frosting is ready to use. It's great for layered cakes or cupcakes, which I happened to be making at the moment.
You can experiment with different tips to see which you prefer.
Throw on a few sprinkles and serve!
This buttercream should be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to a week. I haven't tried to freeze this buttercream. I'm thinking the addition of the chocolate might make it seize up, but I'm not sure.
What to Expect from this White Chocolate Buttercream
As I said above, this one is a real winner. Here are some of things I loved most about it:
- It's bright white. Like, really, really white. This makes it perfect for wedding cakes, birthday cakes, anniversary cakes, and so on.
- It's easy to make. It literally came together in minutes and was so easy.
- It's different from the norm. I always love it when I make something that's a little different from what guests expect.
- It's packed full of flavor. I love the addition of the white chocolate, which has a really mild flavor that breaks down the sweetness of the powdered sugar.
- It's creamy and smooth. This make it perfect for piping.
- It holds its shape. You can use tips with sharp edges and they will hold up well after piping, unlike many other buttercreams, which end up with soft edges once piped.
Variations on this White Chocolate Buttercream
This was so amazing exactly as it is but I'm already thinking of ways to mix it up a bit. Here are some ideas floating around in my brain:
Almond: I think that adding almond extract would take this up a notch and make it perfect!
Raspberry: Fold in half a cup of raspberry puree (or strawberry puree) to make a raspberry white chocolate frosting. (Sounds delicious, doesn't it?)
Lemon zest and juice: I think the addition of lemon would be lovely!
Milk chocolate: It might be fun to turn this into a chocolate buttercream with the addition of melted milk chocolate (or semi-sweet chocolate) chips.
Cakes to Pair with White Chocolate Buttercream
Now that I have this new buttercream to use, I'm already thinking of existing recipes that would be perfectly paired with the white chocolate buttercream. Here are some of my best ideas:
Best Italian Cream Cake: I always use a cream cheese based frosting for this one, but I think it would be delicious with white chocolate buttercream!
Easy DIY Wedding Cake: If you're looking for a bright white frosting for that wedding cake project, this would be ideal!
The Most Delicious White Cake from a Box: This is my go-to for wedding cakes, birthday cakes, and so on. I think it would be perfect with this new white chocolate buttercream.
Ultimate Chocolate Cake: This is my most-used chocolate cake recipe and I think it would be delicious with this buttercream recipe.
Southern Hummingbird Cake: This is another southern classic that would be lovely with white chocolate buttercream.
Easy Carrot Cake Cupcakes: Because this buttercream pipes so beautiful, it's going to be great on cupcakes like this classic carrot cake version.
Really, friends. . .the possibilities are endless. I think you're going to love this luscious buttercream with a plethora of great cakes and cupcakes!
That’s it for this post, friends!
I hope you enjoyed this delicious white chocolate buttercream recipe.
If you make this recipe and love it, don’t forget to leave a review and a comment below. And while you're at it, go ahead and pin some photos to your Pinterest boards!
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The Ultimate White Chocolate Buttercream
The Ultimate White Chocolate Buttercream from Out of the Box Baking.com
Ingredients
- 12 oz white chocolate chips (or almond bark)
- 1 ¼ cups room temperature butter, (salted or unsalted, your choice)
- 5 cups powdered sugar
- Pinch of salt if you use unsalted butter
- 3–4 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- Melt white chocolate chips (or almond bark) in 30-second increments until smooth and creamy. It’s important to have no lumps whatsoever.
- Stir well and set aside to cool.
- Cream butter for several minutes until it’s light in color and fluffy.
- Once the white chocolate is completely cool, pour it into the butter. Mix together until well combined.
- Add in five cups of powdered sugar.
- Now thin it out with a bit of heavy cream or milk until it’s a consistency you enjoy.
- Place frosting in a piping bag with the tip of your choice.
- Store in airtight container in refrigerator.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 36 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 218Total Fat: 15gSaturated Fat: 9gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 36mgSodium: 67mgCarbohydrates: 21gFiber: 0gSugar: 21gProtein: 1g
The nutrition information is a product of online calculators. I try to provide true and accurate information, but these numbers are estimates.