Russian Buttercream is a delightful frosting made from two ingredients – condensed milk and butter! It has a smooth and fluffy texture that is surprisingly not overly sweet.

Russian Buttercream is sometimes referred to sweetened condensed milk buttercream or condensed milk frosting. It is the newcomer to world of buttercream choices and joins Italian Meringue and Swiss Meringue, along with French, German and basic buttercreams. Widely used in Russia (no surprise there), it is popular in some Eastern European countries too. However, it is a rather unknown choice of frosting here in the States, but I am here to fix that. I am here to make Russian Buttercream great!

Ingredients

Butter: salted.
Sweetened condensed milk: Full fat, made from whole milk.

Instructions

Make sure both the butter and condensed milk are at room temperature.

Place room temperature butter into a mixing bowl and use the whisk attachment. Whip the butter until it turns white, which will take about 5-10 minutes on high speed. Slowly add in the condensed milk. Stop once it has all been added and is well blended. Use it immediately by spreading on a cake or filling a piping bag.

As easy as this Buttercream is to make, it does pose a problem or two, here and there. It can become unstable if it becomes too warm. The butter in it causes the Buttercream to look separated or curdled. This can happen if the butter is too cold when whipped, and / or the condensed milk is added too quickly. To correct this, put the entire bowl of frosting in the refrigerator for 30-45 minutes. Then return it to the stand mixer and resume whipping.

Flexibility

I have not personally tested this recipe using margarine or shortening. I would imagine a similar looking texture would be created as margarine is designed to incorporate air, however I suspect the flavor would be very different.

Again I cannot think of a suitable substitution for the full fat condensed sweetened milk. However, a common substitute for condensed milk is heavy cream and sugar using a 1:0.25 ratio.

Use Dulce de Leche instead of condensed milk for a slightly caramel flavored end result.

Uses for Russian Buttercream

Use Russian Buttercream anywhere there is a need for any type of buttercream or frosting. I used it to make Strawberry Crunch Cupcakes. Use it to sandwich cake rounds together or to decorate cupcakes. As this Buttercream has a reputation of softening and in turn being unstable, store cakes and cupcakes in the refrigerator until they are ready to be eaten.

Storage

Store this Buttercream in the refrigerator until just before use. Store unused, leftover Buttercream for up to 7-10 days in the refrigerator. Freeze it for up to 3 months. Once defrosted, check the texture. Whip it if needed.

Equipment

A stand mixer is the preferable choice when making this Buttercream. A hand mixer can also be used.

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A Tip From Me

Having the correct temperatures is the key take away here. Having the butter and condensed milk at the same temperature is the key. Leave the butter out of the fridge for at least 30 minutes to reach room temperature. Place the can of condensed milk beside the butter so that it can be the same temperature as the butter.

Got Questions?

I’ve got answers!

So I’ve followed all of the rules for making Russian Buttercream, but it still looks separated. What should I do? You can add a little powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. This will help stabilize it.
If I’m using Russian Buttercream to decorate a cake or cupcakes, should I use Russian piping tips? Russian piping tips are jumbo tips that allow you to pipe complex shapes to create roses, tulips, daisies, swirls, abstract shapes and large sets of petals. Any type of Buttercream can be used with Russian piping tips and Russian Buttercream can be used with any type of piping tip and piping bag.