TOP 9 Cake Decorating Creams That Hold Their Shape

In this collection, I've compiled the best, tried-and-true frosting recipes for cake decorating. Want to enjoy decorating cakes and create masterpieces? Then you should choose one of these wonderful, stable frostings.

The choice of frosting depends on the type of cake layers, the filling (to ensure a harmonious flavor combination), and the desired cake design. A buttercream and egg white frosting will create luxurious flowers and beautiful patterns. Light buttercream is perfect for decorating the sides of the cake, while custard frosting will help give the finished product its perfect shape.

Buttercream for decorating cake with flowers

Buttercream is perfect for decorating cakes. It's very durable and can be easily tinted with food coloring. With this buttercream, you can easily transform a cake into a veritable blooming garden.

Ingredients

• Butter 82.5% - 200 g
• Condensed milk - 300 g
• Vanilla extract - 1 tsp (can be replaced with vanillin)

Cooking time: 30-40 min

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Place soft butter in a bowl.

Step 2

Beat the butter thoroughly with a mixer or whisk until white and fluffy.

Step 3

While continuing to beat the butter, pour in the condensed milk in a thin stream. Bring the mixture to a smooth consistency.

Step 4

Pour in vanilla extract and beat the mixture thoroughly again.

Step 5

The most delicate butter cream is ready for further use.

Step 6

To color our cream, you need to add a few drops of food coloring to it.

Butter cream for cake decoration

Light buttercream is a wonderful choice for decorating cakes. It's quite dense, yet airy and incredibly soft. This frosting is perfect not only for decorating but also for smoothing out cakes.

Ingredients

• Cream 33-35% - 100-150 ml
• Cream cheese - 300 g
• Powdered sugar - 100-120 g
• Vanilla extract (optional) - 0.5 tsp.

Cooking time: 1 hour

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Prepare the ingredients.

Step 2

Place the cooled cream cheese in a deep bowl.

Step 3

Add powdered sugar to the cheese.

Step 4

Beat the ingredients with a mixer at medium speed until smooth.

Step 5

Pour the well-chilled cream into the cheese mixture.

Step 6

Beat the cream with a mixer at medium speed until thickened.

Step 7

Place the cream in the refrigerator for 30-40 minutes to allow it to become even denser.

Step 8

The light buttercream is ready. You can use it right away to decorate cakes, pastries, and cupcakes.

Protein-custard cream

This is a recipe for a glossy, fluffy, and very popular meringue custard. It can be used to beautifully decorate any cake, adding original patterns, flowers, and anything else your imagination can dream up.

Ingredients

• Egg whites - 2 pcs
• Sugar - 170 g
• Water - 80 ml
• Citric acid - ¼ tsp.
• Vanillin - 1 g
• Salt - a pinch

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

We prepare the necessary ingredients.

Step 2

Pour sugar into a saucepan and add water. Turn on the stove.

Step 3

Stir the mixture until the sugar is completely dissolved. Once the syrup boils, let it simmer for another 5-7 minutes.

Step 4

Pour the cooled egg whites into a bowl and beat with a mixer.

Step 5

When foam appears, add a pinch of salt and vanillin to the whites.

Step 6

Beat the egg whites until thick and stiff peaks form.

Step 7

Check the syrup's readiness. To do this, take a plate of cold water and drop a small amount of sugar syrup into it. If the drop doesn't spread, it's ready. Add citric acid, stir, and remove from heat.

Step 8

Pour the hot syrup into the whites in a thin stream, whisking constantly.

Step 9

After adding the sugar syrup, beat our cream for another 10 minutes, until it cools completely, thickens and becomes glossy.

Step 10

This airy, snow-white, protein-custard cream is ready to use. It can be used to create gorgeous decorations for cakes, cupcakes, and other baked goods.

Thick mascarpone cream

This is a gorgeous mascarpone frosting recipe that's perfect for frosting and decorating a cake. It's quite stable, durable, and incredibly delicious.

Ingredients

• Mascarpone – 250 g
• Cream 33% - 250 ml
• Powdered sugar - 80 g
• Condensed milk - 90 g
• Vanilla essence (can be replaced with vanillin) - 10 ml

Cooking time: 30-40 minutes

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Pour mascarpone into a deep bowl.

Step 2

Add powdered sugar and vanilla essence to mascarpone.

Step 3

Using a mixer, beat the ingredients until smooth.

Step 4

Continuing to beat the mixture, pour in the chilled cream and condensed milk.

Step 5

Whip the cream until it thickens completely.

Step 6

We can immediately decorate the cake with the prepared mascarpone cream.

Wet Meringue Cream

The "Wet Meringue" protein frosting is a real find for pastry chefs. It's extremely stable, heat-resistant, and doesn't run. This frosting is ideal for smoothing and decorating cakes. The results will be stunning!

Ingredients

• Egg whites - 3 pcs (100 g)
• Sugar - 200 g
• Vanillin - 1 g
• Citric acid - ⅓ tsp.

Cooking time: 1 hour

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Pour the cooled whites into a bowl, add sugar and vanilla.

Step 2

Carefully mix the ingredients with a spoon or spatula and place the bowl in a water bath.

Step 3

Beat the egg whites with a mixer at medium speed for 8-10 minutes.

Step 4

When the whites have turned into a fluffy, stable foam, remove the bowl from the water bath.

Step 5

Add citric acid to the protein mass.

Step 6

Beat our cream at high speed for 3-4 minutes.

Step 7

The “Wet Meringue” protein cream is ready.

Step 8

You can color it with food coloring and start decorating your cake. Or you can make a light meringue out of it, perfect for decorating any baked goods.

Ice Cream

This is one of the variations on the beloved "Plombir" cream, which is ideal for decorating confectionery. The cream prepared according to this recipe is very stable and dense. It can easily be used to create any cake decoration.

Ingredients

• Sour cream 15-20% – 450 g
• Egg C1 - 2 pcs.
• Sugar - 140 g
• Starch - 50 g
• Butter - 210 g
• Vanilla powder (or sugar) - 2 tsp.

Cooking time: 2 hours

Servings: 1 (850 g)

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

We prepare all the necessary ingredients.

Step 2

Pour sour cream into a saucepan or pot with a thick bottom.

Step 3

Add eggs, sugar and starch to the sour cream.

Step 4

Mix the ingredients thoroughly to avoid lumps.

Step 5

Once the mixture is smooth, place the saucepan over low heat. Cook for 8-10 minutes, stirring constantly.

Step 6

As soon as the custard mixture has thickened enough and started to boil, stir it again and remove from heat.

Step 7

Cool the custard base. Cover it with cling film and let it cool at room temperature.

Step 8

Place the soft butter in a separate bowl, add vanilla powder and beat for 2-3 minutes.

Step 9

Add the custard mixture, cooled to room temperature, to the butter in portions, whisking thoroughly each time.

Step 10

This luxurious "Plombir" cream is ready to use immediately after preparation. It can be used to create flowers, patterns, and various cake decorations, as well as cupcake toppers.

Charlotte cream

This is a recipe for an incredibly delicious Charlotte frosting, perfect not only for layering cakes but also for decorating them. It's incredibly delicate and glossy, yet quite stable. This frosting makes it easy and quick to smooth out and decorate a cake.

Ingredients

• Egg yolks - 6 pcs
• Sugar - 420 g
• Vanilla sugar - 8 g
• Milk 3.5% - 300 ml
• Butter - 500 g

Cooking time: 2 hours

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Prepare the ingredients. Pour the milk into a heavy-bottomed saucepan.

Step 2

Add 370 g of sugar and vanilla to the milk and stir well. Place the saucepan over low heat.

Step 3

Beat the egg yolks well with a whisk, add the remaining sugar and stir the mixture until smooth.

Step 4

When the milk syrup boils, cook it for another 2-3 minutes, and then remove from heat.

Step 5

Pour the hot milk syrup into the yolk mixture in a thin stream, stirring continuously.

Step 6

When the mixture has become homogeneous, pour it back into the pan and cook over low heat until thickened, stirring constantly with a whisk.

Step 7

Pour the prepared custard base into a bowl, cover with cling film in contact and leave to cool at room temperature.

Step 8

Beat the soft butter at high speed with a mixer until it turns white and forms stable peaks.

Step 9

Add the cooled custard mixture to the butter in small portions, whisking thoroughly each time until smooth.

Step 10

The finished frosting is very stable and glossy. You can immediately begin decorating the cake with flowers, leaves, and luxurious designs.

Chocolate cream for cake decoration

This chocolate cream is very fluffy and quite dense. It holds its shape remarkably well, making it ideal for layering, leveling, and decorating cakes. This cream imparts a rich flavor and unparalleled aroma to any baked good.

Ingredients

• Sour cream 20% - 60 g
• Powdered sugar - 130 g
• Cocoa - 50 g
• Butter - 300 g
• Glucose syrup (molasses, invert syrup) - 50 g
• Thickener (gelatin) - 1 g

Cooking time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Servings: 1

Step-by-step recipe

Step 1

Pour the sour cream into a bowl.

Step 2

Add powdered sugar to the sour cream.

Step 3

Mix the ingredients thoroughly until smooth and place the bowl in a water bath.

Step 4

When the mixture warms up a little, pour glucose syrup or molasses into it in a thin stream, stirring continuously.

Step 5

As soon as the mixture becomes homogeneous, add cocoa to it and continue stirring.

Step 6

Cook the chocolate spread until it thickens. Then remove it from the water bath and let it cool to room temperature.

Step 7

Place the soft butter in a separate bowl and beat with a mixer until light in color.

Step 8

Add the cooled chocolate paste and thickener to the butter.

Step 9

Beat the mixture at medium speed with a mixer until smooth. Then refrigerate the cream for 30-40 minutes.

Step 10

The chocolate cream is ready. You can start decorating the cake right away.