Freezing Buttercream: How to Keep Your Frosting Fresh
When you’re making a cake or cupcakes for a special occasion or decorating cookies for the holiday season, you may find yourself with leftover frosting. It would be a shame to let that sweet, creamy goodness go to waste, but how can you store it to keep it fresh?
Luckily, freezing buttercream is super simple and the perfect way to not only make sure you’re not letting ingredients go to waste, but also your secret weapon for saving time when decorating and ensuring you always have some for later use. This freezing buttercream how to is the guide you need to help ensure you’re freezing your buttercream correctly, keeping it fresh, flavorful, smooth and creamy, and ready to use the next time you’re baking.
Can You Freeze Buttercream Frosting?
Whether you have leftover buttercream you’re not sure how to store or you just like working ahead to save yourself some time, you may be wondering how to freeze buttercream. There are many different forms of buttercream, ranging from American to Swiss meringue to German, Italian, and beyond, and, lucky for us, most varieties of buttercream can be frozen for up to 3 months. Here’s the freezing buttercream how to you need to make sure you’re able to keep that smooth, fluffy texture you’re used to, even after thawing.
How to Freeze Buttercream Frosting
A step-by-step guide to freezing buttercream so it’s just as perfect as the day you made it:
Ready the Buttercream for Freezing: Before you freeze the buttercream you’ve made, make sure it’s smooth and mixed thoroughly. Just whipped up a fresh batch? Wait and let your buttercream frosting come to room temperature before popping it into the freezer.
Divvy Up the Frosting In Containers: If you plan to use less than the full batch of buttercream after you thaw the frosting, divide the frosting into smaller portions and freeze them individually so that you don’t have to thaw the whole batch just to only use a little bit. Put each portion (or the full batch of frosting, if you’ll use it up) in an airtight container, leaving just a little bit of space at the top. Smooth the top of the frosting and then place a layer of plastic wrap directly on the surface of the buttercream before topping it off with the lid. Alternatively, you can store the frosting in an airtight freezer bag. Just remove as much air as possible and then lay the bag on a flat surface to freeze so it takes up less space in your freezer.
Date the Frosting: Make sure you label the container or freezer bag so you know what type of frosting is inside and when it was frozen. That way you won’t have to guess later on.
Store: When you’ve packed up the buttercream, it’s time to put it in the freezer. The buttercream should stay good for up to 3 months.
The Best Way to Defrost Frozen Buttercream Frosting
Now that you’ve frozen your buttercream, you need to know the best way to thaw buttercream before you want to use it. The day before you’re going to decorate a cake, cookies, or cupcakes, you’ll want to place it in the fridge overnight to thaw it gently. You can’t hurry buttercream, so make sure you plan ahead. When it’s thawed, take it out of the fridge and let it sit at room temperature for about 5 hours before using it. You want it to be room temperature before whipping it. If you don’t want to wait that long, we suggest popping it in the microwave until it is soft and silky. If you whip it before it is room temp, or even soft, it will surely break. We call this process “tempering” the buttercream. Consistency is EVERYTHING with buttercream.
Whip the Softened Buttercream Before Using
When the buttercream has thawed, you might find you have grainy buttercream—when it’s grainy that is called “breaking”. That’s okay! Put it back in your stand mixer and re-whip the frosting until it’s fluffy and smooth once again. If it seems like it’s never getting that fluffy smooth consistency, it just needs to be popped in the microwave for 10 seconds before whipping again.
Fix the Consistency
If the buttercream frosting is too soft, you can put it back in the fridge for about 15 minutes before whipping again (if necessary). If it seems too thick, drizzle in a little bit of heavy cream or whole milk to thin it slightly. At the studio, we don't typically add milk to our buttercream, but you could add milk to American buttercream. If it is too soft, we typically reverse temper it by adding buttercream that is more firm to the buttercream that is too soft. If the buttercream frosting is too soft, you can also put it back in the fridge for about 15 minutes before whipping again (if necessary). Just make sure you don’t leave it in the fridge for too long or it will get too hard and you’ll have to start the tempering process over again.
How to Freeze Different Kinds of Buttercream Frosting
American Buttercream: American buttercream is quite popular among home bakers here in the U.S. It freezes really well. Because it’s high in fat and sugar, it’s also easy to thaw and use.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream or Italian Meringue Buttercream: Meringue-based buttercream frostings are so silky smooth, but because of that, you may need to whip them a bit more after thawing them before you can use them so that the texture is right when you’re applying them to the cake.
Fruit-Flavored Buttercream: Adding fresh fruit is a delicious way to flavor your buttercream frosting, but the resulting buttercream probably won’t freeze quite as well as other buttercreams. If you don’t know if your frosting will freeze and thaw well, it might be worth testing it on just a little bit before prepping and freezing the whole batch.
FAQs
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Frozen buttercream frosting lasts well in the freezer for up to 3 months when you store it in a sealed container or plastic bag. If you freeze it for longer, it may not taste quite as flavorful.
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You can freeze a cake that’s been frosted with buttercream. If you’re going to freeze a cake, make sure you wrap it tightly in a layer or two of plastic wrap and then with a layer of aluminum foil to help keep your cake fresh and prevent freezer burn.
Ready to eat? Thaw the frozen cake in the fridge overnight, then set out on the counter to let it come to room temperature. Enjoy
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Buttercream that’s been frozen and then thawed tastes very similar to freshly made buttercream. That’s particularly true if you freeze it for under 3 months and whip it again after you thaw it all the way.
This freezing buttercream how to will help you save money and time, cut down on waste, and make sure you always have indulgent, creamy buttercream whenever you need to have some on hand. Whether you’re prepping for an occasion or saving leftovers, knowing how to properly freeze and thaw your buttercream frosting will be a total game-changer.
