Easy buttercream basic recipe for a delicious German buttercream with pudding. Suitable for cakes and cupcakes.

Hello there! Today I have great step-by-step instructions for classic German buttercream with pudding for you: with this recipe, buttercream succeeds – I guarantee!
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Taste and Occasion
You definitely won't go wrong with this easy buttercream recipe! The cream is tremendously important for many cakes and cupcakes, whether as a filling, a frosting or a topping. It is versatile, wonderfully creamy and lush.
The problem for many amateur bakers: buttercream never turns out right. But it's not difficult to make a good buttercream yourself. How, I show you in this post.
Ingredients
Whether classic with vanilla, chocolatey or fruity: the basic buttercream recipe will succeed even if you bake relatively rarely. The main ingredients of the easy German buttercream with custard are butter, custard, and sugar. Unlike the French and Italian, it is a buttercream without eggs.
First of all, take the butter out of the refrigerator. Then you prepare a pudding from pudding powder, milk and sugar. You only need 400 ml of milk instead of the 500 indicated on the package. The pudding must now cool down (but not in the refrigerator). To prevent a skin from forming, stir it now and then - or cover the bowl with cling film. As soon as the pudding and the butter are at the same temperature, i.e. room temperature, you can start. The correct temperature is most important! Beat the soft butter with powdered sugar until light and fluffy. Then add pudding by tablespoonfuls. Done.
The amount is enough to thinly coat a 24-26 centimeter diameter cake with buttercream and fill it once. For chocolate buttercream, I prefer to use slightly more expensive pudding powder with grated chocolate. But you can also make the cream with vanilla or strawberry pudding or flavor and color it. For example, with liqueur, mocha, light and dark chocolate coating, cherry brandy, brittle, ground or chopped nuts, cocoa and nougat.
How to make German Buttercream with Pudding
I've mentioned the preparation before, but here it is again, all step by step. So you succeed the buttercream guaranteed! First of all, make a pudding with pudding powder, milk and sugar. Important: you actually need only 400ml of milk and therefore less milk than the instructions say!
Now, pour the pudding into a bowl and let it cool down at room temperature. While cooling, stir again and again or cover with cling film so that no skin develops.Then, place the softened butter, which must be at room temperature like the pudding, in a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer and whisk, beat the butter and powdered sugar for a few minutes until very light and fluffy.
Now it's time to slowly stir in the pudding, tablespoon by tablespoon, until everything forms a homogeneous cream. Either decorate or fill the cake directly with a spatula or chill the buttercream briefly beforehand so that it becomes a little firmer.
Top Tip
To refine the cream are suitable, among others, baking cocoa, spices such as cinnamon and tonka bean, liqueur, chopped nuts, melted and slightly cooled chocolate, mocha.
Frequently asked Questions about Buttercream
Do I need warm or cold butter for buttercream?
In any case, butter at room temperature! All ingredients should have the same temperature. If the temperature is too different or if the pudding or the butter are too cold, the cream may curdle.
How long do you have to beat buttercream?
The soft butter must be beaten with powdered sugar for a few minutes until very light and fluffy. This is best done with a stand mixer.
The buttercream curdles, what to do?
What to do if the buttercream is too soft?
This can happen especially in summer. It is usually sufficient to refrigerate the cream again before using it.
What is the shelf life of buttercream?
About three days, if it is stored well covered in the refrigerator. Before use, however, the cream should be allowed to return to room temperature and stir well again.
Recipe Card
German Buttercream with Pudding
Ingredients
- 1 small bag pudding powder for cooking, e.g. chocolate, vanilla, etc.
- 400 milliliters (1 ¾ cups) milk
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 250 grams (1 cup) butter, soft and at room temperature
- 50 grams (6 tablespoons) powdered sugar
Instructions
- Make a pudding with pudding powder, milk and sugar (note: you actually need only 400ml of milk and therefore less milk than the instructions say!) Pour the pudding into a bowl and let it cool down at room temperature. While cooling, stir again and again or cover with cling film so that no skin develops.
- Place the softened butter, which must be at room temperature like the pudding, in a bowl. Using a stand mixer or hand mixer and whisk, beat the butter and powdered sugar for a few minutes until very light and fluffy. Slowly stir in the pudding, tablespoon by tablespoon, until everything forms a homogeneous cream. Either decorate or fill the cake directly with a spatula or chill the buttercream briefly beforehand so that it becomes a little firmer.
Notes
- The buttercream recipe is absolutely sure to succeed - as long as the pudding and butter are really at (the same) room temperature. If the buttercream does curdle, just warm it slightly in a hot water bath, stir everything until smooth, and chill it again briefly.
- The amount is enough for a thin layer of filling as well as a thin frosting of a 24-26 cm cake. For more layers or if you want the coating to be thicker, use 1.5 of the amount.
- The pudding powder can be strawberry, caramel or cream in addition to vanilla and chocolate. High-quality pudding powder with real bourbon vanilla or additional chocolate shavings tastes best.
Ingredient substitutions
Variations
Together with a sponge or sponge cake base and fruit, it quickly becomes a delicious cake. Or you can use the cream to decorate cupcakes with it. Typically, the mixture is used in classic baking recipes.
Thanks for the information about the pudding mix requiring just 400 ml of milk per package. I had just made a Frankfurter Kranztorte but didn't know why the Buttercreme was so soft - 500 ml of milk.
Hi, great that I could help you
Is there a recipe for buttercream frosting using instant pudding instead of regular boiled pudding
Hi, I don´t have a specific one but I think you could try using my recipe - without added sugar of course and also less milk than required.