The Ultimate Guide to Different Cake Frosting Types
When you think about cake, you probably also think about frosting. They go together! Whether you're making a homemade cake or gearing up to order something special from a pro, understanding the different types of frosting available (and how they can affect the end result), will make it a lot easier to create something special—and execute your dream design. The cake and frosting should complement each other, so it's a good idea to think through the overall feel you're going for before you start making selections.
Although the flavor and texture of the cake layers themselves are, of course, important to the overall cake, the frosting used to cover the cake is also an essential component. Frosting adds flavor, texture, and moisture to the cake—and makes it pretty! When you’re making or ordering a cake, you have a lot of different cake frosting types from which to choose. If you're working with a professional baker, you'll need to speak with them about the options they offer. It's possible that something you'd like to use on your cake just doesn't make sense and also totally possible that they'll suggest something delicious and beautiful that you never would have thought of on your own. Maybe it's a traditional buttercream, but a version you've never heard of before (German buttercream is so smooth and creamy with a custardy flavor, but it's probably not one that you know a ton about, for example), or maybe it's a less-common frosting that's become the baker's signature. You never know what you might find if you don't explore all of your options!
If you're making the cake yourself, you may have an idea of the kind of frosting you want to use—and it might be something with more simple ingredients that you've made before. But exploring new techniques (mirror glaze, anyone?) can help make you a better home baker and make your cakes, cupcakes, and other gorgeous treats more delicious and unique.
From velvety buttercream to tangy cream cheese, rich ganache, or fluffy whipped cream, there’s a frosting that’ll be perfect for your cake. Here’s what you need to know about some of the most popular, delicious frostings out there so you can figure out which might be best for what you’re making.
Most Popular Types of Frosting
There are so, so many different types of frosting out there that it can be hard to know what might be the best choice for your specific project. The type of frosting you ultimately choose may very well depend on other decisions you've made (or will make) about your cake. The occasion, flavor of the cake, size or shape of the cake, and more can all help you figure out which frosting type will work best. Here, we're breaking down some of the most popular types of frosting you might want to consider for your next cake (or explain a little more about what you might come across when placing an order).
1. Buttercream
Rich, creamy buttercream frosting is a classic for a reason. It’s smooth and sweet, super versatile, and easy to work with. It picks up food coloring really well, which means it's great for projects where you want vibrant, gorgeous colors to come through. You can also add a wide variety of extracts and other flavors to make it taste just about any way you want it to. There are tons of different types of buttercream, each a little bit different, but these three are some of the most popular:
American Buttercream Frosting: American buttercream is super sweet, so if you’re into more of a subtle sweetness, it’s probably not the frosting for you. Made from a classic combo of butter, powdered sugar, and a bit of milk or cream, it’s thick, fluffy, and nostalgic. Great for piping and super durable, this frosting is good for casual cupcakes, decorating layer cakes, and more.
Swiss Buttercream: The biggest differences between American buttercream and the more elegant Swiss version are that Swiss meringue buttercream includes (duh) a meringue base and that it’s less sweet. Glossy and gorgeous, Swiss meringue buttercream is so smooth and leaves cakes looking perfect.
Italian Buttercream: Italian meringue buttercream is so silky and creamy. It’s made with a base of egg whites and simple syrup whipped into a meringue and is the perfect choice any time you really want to impress. At ECBG we use Italian meringue buttercream to crumb coat and finish coat cakes. We believe Italian Meringue buttercream is the most stable when cold or room temperature which works best for stability and structure especially with wedding cakes. It is the best one to hold everything up and in cleanly.
Curious about other kinds of buttercream? Check out French buttercream, German buttercream, ermine buttercream, and more.
Best for: Layer cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more. This frosting is so delicious that you're going to want to use it on absolutely everything!
2. Cream Cheese Frosting
Cream cheese frosting is sweet and delicious, but also has a hint of tang to it from the cheese. It’s thick and creamy and feels indulgent, but the tang from the addition of cream cheese cuts through a bit of the buttery fat to make it feel a little lighter. This frosting is made from cream cheese, butter, and powdered sugar and works so well with a number of different kinds of cakes, cupcakes, and treats like bar cookies, blondies, and brownies.
Best for: Red velvet, carrot cake, or even a super-rich chocolatey cake.
3. Whipped Cream Frosting
Light, airy, and oh-so-fluffy, whipped cream frosting is one of a kind. Because it’s essentially just homemade whipped cream (made from heavy cream whipped to stiff peaks and lightly sweetened with sugar and flavored with vanilla extract), it’s pretty delicate, so it’s not a great fit for every single cake or dessert. It also can’t sit out in a warm room or outdoors in hot weather for too long because the whipped cream will melt. Keep your dessert chilled until it’s time to eat if you’re using whipped cream frosting—and remember that any leftovers you have won't hold up for very long in the fridge. The whipped cream frosting will start to melt or get grainy.
Best for: Shortcakes, icebox cakes, and all kinds of summer desserts.
4. Ganache
Super rich and indulgent, chocolate ganache frosting is really just a combination of chocolate and warmed heavy cream, making it so decadent and flavorful. The melted chocolate is sweet and rich and can be poured directly over a cake if you'd like. Use it as a quick glaze or let it cool and whip it in a stand mixer to make it spreadable. While semisweet, bittersweet, or dark chocolate versions are pretty popular, you could also use milk chocolate or even white chocolate to make a delicious, decadent ganache. This sweet, indulgent frosting adds tons of flavor (and some extra moisture) to your cake, cupcakes, or brownies. Whether you use the ganache as-is or you whip it up into a light, creamy, fluffy dream of a frosting, it'll be a frosting type you turn to over and over again. You're going to love it!
Best for: Chocolate cakes, brownies, and other decadent desserts.
5. Fondant
Fondant’s less like a cake frosting and more like a dough, making it easy to shape and mold to decorate your dessert. It’s not quite as delicious as some of the other cake frosting types out there, but it’ll give your cake a smooth finish and make your cake look super polished and professional. It's better for covering full cake tiers than doing super intricate decorating, though you can definitely use fondant for clean design work. Unlike many of the other frosting types on this list, this isn't one you'd make from scratch at home. Instead, you'd buy the fondant and then use it in your cake designs.
Best for: Wedding cakes, tiered cakes, or any desserts you’re planning to make into a sculptural work of art.
6. Royal Icing
Royal icing is thinner than many of these other cake frosting types and hardens when it dries (which is also a bit different than a lot of these other options). This type of frosting is made using egg whites, powdered sugar, and lemon juice, and is ideal for intricate design work on cookies and the like. It's also great because you can use gel-based food coloring for vibrant design work. This frosting isn't going to be the one you want to use to cover your cake (though it's great for cookies). Instead, you'd pick another cake frosting type for all over your cake and instead use the royal icing you mixed up for smaller, more detailed design work.
Best for: Sugar cookies, gingerbread houses, and small, intricate cake decorating.
7. Seven-Minute Frosting
You’re probably not going to find this one in every bakery, but it’s a fun, classic choice to make at home. This nostalgic, retro frosting requires you to whip egg whites, sugar, and a little cream of tartar over a bain marie (or double boiler) until thick, creamy, and delicious. This frosting is a bit like marshmallow, so it’s super comforting and fun and great for birthday parties or other occasions with kids. Pair it with a chocolate, brown sugar, graham cracker-flavored cake, or any of those other sweet, nostalgic flavors you loved as a kid (berries would be so delicious with Seven-Minute Frosting!).
Best for: Coconut cake, s’mores cakes, or any time your dessert needs a sweet vintage twist.
8. Glaze
Glaze is quick and easy to make and adds a sweet touch while making your dessert a bit fancier. Glaze is generally just a simple mixture of confectioners' sugar and milk or lemon juice (but it really could be any liquid!). Then, just pour the glaze over the cake or cookies you’re making and let it harden. Glazes are often used on more casual cakes like lemon loaf cakes, pound cakes, and the like, but they might also be a good match for something like a fancy fruit and vanilla custard tart. The glaze brushed over the fruit will make it shiny and more professional-looking.
Best for: Pound cakes, bundt cakes, cookies, loaf cakes, and more.
FAQs
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When thinking about which of all of the cake frosting types will be best for your dessert, you’ll want to consider what you’re making, the flavor of the dessert, where and how it’ll be served, how it’ll be decorated, and more. Once you get the full vision of what you want your cake to look and taste like, it'll be easier to pick the type of frosting that you think will go best with it.
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There’s a reason we all love buttercream frosting so much! It’s a great fit for so many different kinds of cakes, cookies, and brownies, and adds a sweet and creamy flavor and texture to anything you spread it on. Buttercream is the perfect frosting for an all-over base layer, creating beautiful flowers and other decorations, giving some of your decorations a bit more structure and stability, and so much more.
From birthdays to weddings to retirement parties and more, the cake (or other frosted desserts) is a show-stopping centerpiece, even if it's something simple. So many people love cake, and understanding your different flavor and texture options can help you select the perfect treat for your special occasion. Knowing the difference between various cake frosting types can help you pick the right one for your next kitchen project or cake order. From buttercream and ganache to cream cheese, glaze, and beyond, there’s a frosting option for you that'll make your cake polished and perfect.
