Russian Buttercream

Russian Buttercream frosting is an extremely glossy, smooth, and delicious frosting that also happens to be the easiest frosting to make.

When I first heard of Russian buttercream, or condensed milk buttercream, I was skeptical. As much as I appreciated that it was a simple recipe with only two ingredients, I thought there was no way it could taste good. I was wrong! 

Russian buttercream gives the silky smooth texture of Swiss meringue buttercream but without all the faffing around. Its flavor is sweet but not overpowering or sickly sweet like American buttercream.  

It spreads and pipes like a dream and holds its shape beautifully with a pretty, glossy sheen. And it is so versatile - you can add whatever flavor you like to it (like in my Espresso Chocolate Layer Cake and my Raspberry Cupcakes.) 

Through all this recipe testing, I have found that although the process for making Russian buttercream is incredibly straightforward, it can be fickle, so there are a few vital tips and tricks to keep in mind to give you the best chance of frosting success - and I'm going to share them all in this post. 

Ingredients

There are only two ingredients in a classic Russian buttercream. The classic recipe is already delicious, but the beauty of this buttercream is how well it mixes with other add-ins and flavorings, so you can add further ingredients to make whatever flavor you like. See the section below on flavor ideas. As standard, I always add a little bit of vanilla and salt, just for a little depth of flavor. 

• Butter - Use unsalted butter. Also, since the butter is such an integral part of the frosting, it's best to use high-quality butter. It's super important that the butter is completely at room temperature before beginning.

• Condensed Milk - A can of sweetened condensed milk adds all the sweetness to this frosting. I was concerned about the 'milky' flavor coming through, but it doesn't; it just makes it glossy and sweet. Make sure you get condensed milk and NOT evaporated milk!

• Vanilla - I find that a little vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste makes the flavor more interesting, whether you want a vanilla russian buttercream or you are adding more flavors in to the mix. 

• Salt - A pinch of salt always enhances the flavor of sweet things!

See the recipe card for quantities.

How to Make Russian Buttercream

Russian buttercream frosting comes together so easily, which is one of the reasons I love it so much.

Whip Butter

Put your softened butter in the bowl of a stand mixer and whip with the whisk attachment on high speed for 5 full minutes.

I usually stop every minute or so to scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. The whipped butter should look thick and glossy, and a lot paler in color. 

Add Condensed Milk

Turn the mixer down to medium speed and slowly add ⅓ of the condensed milk to the mixing bowl. It's important to add the condensed milk very gradually, otherwise, it will have a hard time incorporating properly.

Let the first third whip in completely, then add another third and whip together, then repeat with the rest of the condensed milk.

Whip More

Once all the condensed milk is added, turn the mixer back on high and whip for another minute. This is where the magic happens - the frosting should thicken into a fluffy texture and start to look like a beautiful, silky-smooth buttercream.

If it seems like it's not the right consistency, see my troubleshooting section below.

Add Flavor

Add the vanilla and salt, and if you are adding any additional flavorings or colors, add them now (see below for ideas!)

Whip until everything is combined. 

Types of Buttercream

There are so many different types of buttercream, and they are all great for different things. The main difference between Russian buttercream and other kinds of buttercreams is the ingredients. With only two main ingredients (plus whatever different flavor add-ins you want to add), it is the most simple frosting recipe.

Russian buttercream uses butter and condensed milk. Because the sweetness comes from the condensed milk, you don't need to add any powdered sugar or sugar syrup to the frosting, which all other buttercreams do contain.

Russian buttercream also has the wonderful silky smooth texture that meringue buttercreams are famous for, but you don't need to use any egg whites or sugar syrups to achieve this, making this the easiest buttercream by far! 

Other buttercream options include:

American Buttercream - Made with butter and powdered sugar, very sickly sweet and rich, thick consistency. This is what you would expect to find on most store-bought cakes. I don't actually even have an American buttercream recipe on my site any more because I just think it pales in comparison to all other buttercreams! 

Italian Meringue Buttercream - One of my favorites, made by whipping egg whites and then making a sugar syrup on a double boiler and slowly incorporating to make a meringue. Beautiful results, subtle taste and silky texture, but the process is a little more involved than other options. I use this recipe a lot, such as for my Pistachio Cake recipe.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream - Similar to Italian buttercream in texture and taste, but made by cooking the egg whites and sugar on a bain marie before whipping and adding butter. 

German Buttercream - Also known as custard buttercream. This is absolutely delicious but it is a long process as you have to first make a custard (pastry cream) and then whip it into the butter. I use this in my Vanilla Custard Cake recipe.

Cream Cheese Frosting - Similar to American buttercream but with the addition of cream cheese. This is amazing for fall desserts and things like Red Velvet Brownies.

French Buttercream - This is a similar process to Italian and Swiss buttercream, but using egg yolks instead of egg whites. This makes for a much richer, more custard-like frosting. Great for indulgent desserts like Pistachio Dacquoise. 

All of these frostings are fantastic for different purposes, but I love Russian buttercream for being able to create a high-quality, glossy buttercream with a very easy process.

It all comes down to personal preference and how much time you are willing ot invest in your frosting. But I know for sure that this easy Russian buttercream recipe has become a staple in my repertoire, as it is the perfect frosting for balancing impressive results with a quick and easy recipe.

Video

Check out this video of my Coffee Cupcake recipe which features the Russian Buttercream, to see how it is made and get a close-up look at how dreamy it is to pipe!

Equipment

Stand mixer with whisk attachment - You could technically use an electric hand mixer to make this recipe, but you'll end up with very sore arms!

How to Use

Russian buttercream is smooth enough for frosting cakes beautifully and sturdy enough to pipe intricate designs with a piping bag and tips - it pipes like a dream. 

This recipe yields enough to frost 12 cupcakes. In order to fill and frost a 3 layer, 8 inch cake, I doubled the recipe. But for smaller cakes, one batch will do.

You can also use Russian buttercream in other kinds of baking - such as a filling for macarons or sandwich cookies.

Flavor Ideas

The natural sweet flavor of this easy sweetened condensed milk frosting is delicious plain, like on my French Vanilla Cake recipe. But it also flavors extremely well, making it a very versatile frosting option. Here are some ideas on flavors you could add: 

Berries - I LOVE the color that is created when you add a little raspberry coulis or strawberry puree to Russian buttercream. And it really shows off the flavor, too. Check out my raspberry cupcake recipe to see how it looks.

Pistachio - Add a tablespoon of pistachio paste for a creamy pistachio frosting.

Coffee - Add 2 teaspoons of espresso powder dissolved in 1 tablespoon of hot water for an irresistible coffee buttercream like my Coffee Cupcakes or my Chocolate Espresso Cake. 

Chocolate - I have an absolutely irresistible chocolate Russian buttercream recipe for a decadent and easy chocolate frosting. 

Coloring

The natural color of Russian buttercream is a very pale yellow color. It's not quite white because of the butter, but it's a very subtle, neutral color. It takes on color very well, so you can use it for all kinds of themes. 

When adding other ingredients to the frosting, it typically takes on the color of the ingredients really nicely, as you can see in my Raspberry Cupcakes recipe. But you can also easily add a tiny amount of different gel food colorings to get whatever color you want.

Storage

Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. The Russian buttercream will be good for 1 week like this. When you want to use it, let it sit on the counter to come to room temperature again, then whip it up a little just to get the lovely texture back.

You can technically freeze Russian buttercream, but it can be a little finicky with extreme temperature changes, so it may lose a little bit of its creamy consistency. If you do freeze it, let it come to room temperature on the counter and then whip for a minute to make it smooth again. 

More Frosting Recipes

Here are some more fantastic frosting recipes you might like to try: