Buttercream frosting

Buttercream icing is a creamy and sweet preparation made primarily from butter and powdered sugar, commonly used to decorate and add flavor to cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and other baked goods. Its soft and easy-to-spread texture makes it an essential ingredient for enhancing both the appearance and flavor of numerous recipes.

Buttercream icing has its origins in classic European pastry, especially in English and French traditions, where techniques were developed to combine creamed butter with sugar to achieve a sweet and velvety finish on desserts. From there, it has become popular all over the world and is a staple in the sweet cuisine of many Latin American cultures.

Among its properties, it stands out for its contribution of healthy fat (from butter), which provides a creamy and rich texture to the palate, in addition to sugar that adds sweetness and acts as a natural preservative in small amounts. It is a versatile icing that can be dyed with natural or artificial colorings and flavored with extracts such as vanilla, lemon, or almond.

In different Latin American countries, buttercream icing is also known as betún de mantequilla, cobertura de mantequilla, or simply buttercream (a widely used anglicism). All these terms refer to the same basic preparation, which may vary slightly in consistency and flavor according to the local recipe.