Cakes & pastry
Condensed Milk and Cream Buttercream
This buttercream combines a whipped butter-and-condensed-milk base with lightly whipped cream. The cream makes it less dense than a simple butter-and-condensed-milk frosting, but temperature control still matters. Use soft butter, stop the cream before firm peaks, and combine until smooth.
4 min read
A buttercream with an extra cream stage
Butter supplies the chilled structure, condensed milk adds sweetness and milk flavour, and the lightly whipped cream changes the texture. This is not the two-ingredient version often made only from butter and condensed milk. Preserve all four ingredient quantities for this formula.
The butter should be soft enough to whip but not melted. The cream begins cold for whipping. Prepare the components close together so neither waits for a long time while the other is made.
Compare this method with a meringue-based buttercream.
Recognise soft peaks before folding the whipped cream into the butter mixture.
Whip the components and combine
Condensed milk and whipped cream buttercream
Ingredients
- 150 g whipping cream, 33–35% fat, cold
- 250 g unsalted butter, about 82% fat, softened
- 120 g sweetened condensed milk
- 80 g icing sugar
Method
- Lightly whip the cream. Add the icing sugar to the cold cream. Whip only until the whisk begins leaving tracks while the cream is still fairly fluid. Set aside briefly while making the butter component.
- Whip the butter. Whip the room-temperature butter until lighter in colour and fluffy. Scrape the bowl so no dense patches remain.
- Add condensed milk. Pour the condensed milk into the butter in a thin stream or in three additions, beating thoroughly after each.
- Combine. Add the butter-condensed-milk mixture to the lightly whipped cream. Beat until the components form a smooth, homogeneous frosting.
- Smooth for use. If the frosting contains many air pockets, stir it with a spatula or use a paddle on low speed until smoother. Use at a soft, workable temperature, around 20°C (68°F), and refrigerate when not actively working with it.
Do not keep warming a cream that is already loose and shiny. Check whether a split mixture is too cold or too warm before trying to correct it.
Match texture before adding more ingredients
If cold butter remains in small pieces, the cream can look curdled even though the formula is correct. Gentle warming of the outside of the bowl while mixing can help a too-cold mixture come together. Work cautiously and stop before the butter melts.
If the cream is very soft, glossy and losing shape, more heat is the wrong response. Give it a brief controlled chill, then mix again. The aim is a smooth emulsion at a workable temperature, not the hottest or coldest possible mixture.
For gentle warming, hold a warm cloth against the outside of the bowl while mixing, checking the texture frequently.
Use it for filling, coating and piping
The finished frosting can fill sponge layers, top cupcakes or provide a smooth exterior. Apply it to a cooled, stable cake. If the cake itself is still warm or shifting, a firm buttercream will not solve the assembly problem.
Work with a small amount at a time and smooth the frosting before loading a piping bag. Whipping makes the mixture lighter, but visible air pockets can leave holes in a cake coating. Low-speed mixing or manual stirring at the end helps remove those pockets.
For fondant or cocoa-butter spray finishes, test the complete combination under the intended conditions. Chilling, surface moisture and the weight of the final decoration affect performance; no cream is universally heatproof or waterproof.
Keep the cream covered and refrigerated
This formula contains fresh cream, so treat it as a perishable dairy frosting. Keep it covered in the refrigerator and prepare it close to use. Do not transfer a storage rule for plain butter-and-sugar frosting to this different composition.
After chilling, allow only enough tempering for the butter to become workable, then mix gently to restore smoothness. If freezing as part of a planned workflow, test a small portion first and thaw in the refrigerator before adjusting the working temperature.
Choose cream labelled for whipping and real butter of the intended fat level. Low-fat cream, reduced-fat spreads and condensed-milk substitutes can change both the emulsion and the ability to hold a piped shape.
Common questions
Is this a two-ingredient condensed milk buttercream?
No. It also includes 150 g whipping cream and 80 g icing sugar, so its texture and handling differ.
Should the cream reach stiff peaks?
No. Stop when whisk tracks first appear while it is still fairly fluid.
Why is the chilled frosting hard?
The butter firms in the refrigerator. Let it reach a workable texture and mix gently before piping.
What if it splits?
First decide whether it is too cold and curdled or too warm and loose. Correct the temperature gradually rather than adding ingredients at random.