With a delicate floral flavor and notes of fresh honey, this dandelion buttercream is silky, creamy, and light. It’s super buttery and only lightly sweet, thanks to the Italian meringue buttercream method. Made with homemade dandelion syrup, this frosting feels elegant, unique, and a little bit magical.
This is the buttercream I use on my Dandelion Cupcakes as well as my Ultimate Dandelion Cake, and it’s the perfect frosting for many other floral cakes and spring celebrations. It’s a bit of a labor of love to make this recipe from start to finish, but I find the whole process super enjoyable (and totally worth it for that magical flavor). If you love baking with edible flowers, you need to try this recipe!
Table of Contents
- Why you’ll love this dandelion buttercream
- Recipe overview
- What does dandelion buttercream taste like?
- First: prep dandelion flowers
- Foraging dandelions
- Next: make dandelion syrup
- How to make dandelion buttercream
- Pro tips for perfect buttercream
- How to use dandelion buttercream
- Variations & flavor ideas
- Storage & make-ahead tips
- FAQs
- Dandelion Buttercream Recipe
Why you’ll love this dandelion buttercream
- Silky-smooth and incredibly creamy texture
- Light honey-like flavor from real dandelion flowers
- Significantly less sweet than American buttercream
- Stable and pipeable, perfect for icing cupcakes and layer cakes
- A beautiful pale yellow color, naturally tinted by the flowers
- A fun way to celebrate spring’s seasonal flavors!
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: 20 mins • Cook: 15 mins • Infusion: 1 hr • Total: ~1 ½ hrs
🍴 Yield: Frosts 12+ cupcakes or one 8-inch layer cake
💪 Skill level: Intermediate
🌼 Flavor profile: Buttery and lightly floral with a delicate honey-like sweetness. Pairs well with: Vanilla bean, lemon, chamomile, elderflower, berries, buttery cakes & cookies.
What does dandelion buttercream taste like?
Dandelion flowers have a gentle honey-like flavor that’s floral without tasting perfumey at all. When infused into syrup and whipped into Italian meringue buttercream, the result is lovely, creamy, and light. It doesn’t taste grassy or bitter — just subtly floral, buttery, and slightly sweet.
First: prep dandelion flowers
To get the best flavor (and avoid bitterness), a little prep is required when working with fresh dandelion flowers.
Start by harvesting your flowers on a sunny day, when they’re fully open. This is when they’re at their most fragrant and flavorful. Be sure to pick from an area you trust (somewhere free of pesticides, herbicides, and pets).
Once harvested, give the flowers a light rinse. While this may wash away a bit of the pollen (and therefore some flavor), I believe it’s worth it to remove any dirt, debris, or tiny insects. Gently pat them dry or let them air dry completely.
Next, remove the yellow petals from the green base. The green parts are quite bitter, so you’ll want to avoid including them. You can do this by either trimming just above the base with a knife or pinching and twisting the petals free with your fingers.
Once prepped, your dandelion petals are ready to infuse into syrup!
Foraging dandelions
Dandelions are one of the easiest wild edible flowers to identify, but always harvest responsibly and safely.
Follow these guidelines:
- Only harvest from areas free of pesticides, herbicides, and pollution
- Avoid roadsides, treated lawns, and public parks
- Use fully open, fresh blossoms
- Remove the green base if you want the most delicate flavor
Foraging for wild edibles must always be done with great care. The information on this blog is provided for educational and inspirational purposes only. It is your responsibility to properly identify any wild plants before consuming them. Some wild plants are toxic or may closely resemble edible species. If you are uncertain about any plant, do not eat it. Always consult a trusted field guide, local expert, or professional forager before consuming wild foods
Next: make dandelion syrup
Before making the buttercream, you’ll need to make a dandelion syrup. This syrup works as the flavor base and sweetener, bringing all the delicate floral flavor into the frosting. Here’s how you make it:
- Make a simple syrup by simmering sugar & water together until the sugar dissolves.
- Then, add your prepared dandelion petals, stir them in, and allow them to infuse in the syrup while it cools, at least an hour and up to overnight.
- Strain the syrup through several layers of cheesecloth, removing the flower petals.
You should end up with about ¾ cup of homemade dandelion syrup, which is what you’ll need to make a batch of dandelion buttercream.
How to make dandelion buttercream
Find the full ingredients list and detailed recipe instructions in the recipe card at the bottom of this post. Here’s a quick step-by-step overview of how to make this recipe:
- Heat the dandelion syrup: Pour strained dandelion syrup into a saucepan and cook over medium-low heat until it reaches 235 – 240° F.
- Whip into meringue: While syrup is cooking, whip egg whites until soft peaks form. With the mixer running, pour hot syrup into egg whites in a slow stream. Continue to whisk on medium for another 5 minutes, or until mixture has cooled slightly and becomes a thick, glossy meringue.
- Add butter: Add softened butter gradually, mixing continuously until smooth and fully incorporated. At first it may look curdled or soupy, but this is normal. Keep mixing and it will become silky and smooth.
- Add (optional) flavoring: Whisk in elderflower extract or St. Germaine, if using. This will add a little extra floral flavor to the frosting. You could also add just a touch of ground turmeric (or yellow food coloring) if you’d like the yellow color to be more pronounced.
Pro tips for perfect buttercream
Keep everything at the right temperature. Successful Italian meringue buttercream is all about temperature. The butter should be soft but not melty, and the meringue needs to cool to about 90° F before adding butter. Matching temperatures helps the emulsion form smoothly.
Cook the syrup to the proper temperature. You want it at the “soft-ball stage”, or about 235 – 240° F. For the best results, use a digital or candy thermometer when cooking the syrup.
Pour the syrup in slowly. We’re going for a slow, gradual stream here. Pour the hot syrup into the egg whites while they continue to mix over medium speed. If you add the syrup too fast, it can overwhelm the meringue and cause it to deflate.
Don’t panic if it looks curdled. This is normal and often happens when the temperature of the butter and meringue aren’t similar enough. But don’t worry – just keep mixing for a few minutes, and you should end up with a perfectly smooth buttercream.
Add any flavoring at the very end. If you’re adding any additional flavoring, like elderflower extract, vanilla, or St. Germain, make sure the mixture has fully come together first. It should be thick, smooth, and fluffy before you add any of these alcohol-based flavors.
How to use dandelion buttercream
This buttercream frosting is incredibly light, buttery, and subtly sweet with notes of honey, making it a lovely match for light, delicate cakes and desserts.
Use it to frost:
- Vanilla, honey, or lemon cakes
- Cakes flavored with other delicate flowers, like chamomile or elderflower
- Dandelion cupcakes
- A dandelion layer cake
- Berry cakes and cupcakes
- Buttery sandwich cookies or macarons (use it to fill chamomile macarons!)
- Layer cakes and celebration cakes (it’s perfect for events like Mother’s Day, baby showers, and spring birthdays)
Variations & flavor ideas
Dandelion buttercream works well with other floral, botanical, and citrus flavors. For a spin on this recipe, skip the elderflower extract/ St Germain and try whisking any of these into your final frosting instead:
- Vanilla extract, vanilla paste, or vanilla bean seeds
- Lemon zest
- Orange blossom water
You could also change the flavor entirely by using other floral syrups. Simply replace the dandelion syrup with:
Storage & make-ahead tips
Store this buttercream at room temperature. It’s safe to store for up to 3 days if the room is moderately cool. You can also store it in the refrigerator for up to a week, but I recommend letting it warm up to room temperature before serving it for the best flavor and texture.
If you make the frosting ahead of time and store it in the fridge, keep it in an airtight container for up to 1 week. When you’re ready to frost a cake or cupcakes with it, bring it to room temperature and re-whip until smooth.
FAQs
No. Properly prepared dandelion syrup tastes lightly floral and honey-like, not bitter at all. Be sure to remove the green bits from the flowers before using them! (See “prep dandelion flowers” section above.)
Absolutely! Italian meringue buttercream pipes beautifully and holds its shape well.
This is usually a temperature issue. You want the meringue to be a similar temperature to the butter, otherwise they’ll have a hard time emulsifying together. Just keep mixing—it will almost always come together.
Yes, an Italian meringue buttercream is significantly less sweet and much smoother than American buttercream (and in my opinion, far superior!).
If you make this Dandelion Buttercream, please leave a comment & star rating.
This helps other readers and makes me very happy. Thank you!
Dandelion Buttercream
Equipment
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Candy or digital thermometer
Ingredients
Dandelion syrup:
- 1 cup sugar
- ¾ cup water
- ½ cup dandelion petals*
Buttercream:
- ¾ cup dandelion syrup, from above
- 3 egg whites
- 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, soft, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon elderflower extract or St Germain, optional
Instructions
- Make the dandelion syrup: In a small saucepan, combine 1 cup sugar and ¾ cup water. Bring to a boil, then turn heat down to medium, stirring occasionally, and simmer until the sugar is fully dissolved, about 5 minutes.
- Infuse the dandelion petals: Remove the syrup from the heat and stir in your ½ cup prepared dandelion petals. Let the mixture steep as it cools for at least 1 hour, or up to overnight for a stronger flavor.
- Strain the syrup: Pour the infused syrup through several layers of cheesecloth (or a very fine mesh strainer), pressing gently to extract all the liquid. Discard the petals and set the syrup aside.
- Heat the syrup for the meringue: Measure out ¾ cup of dandelion syrup and pour it into a clean saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until it reaches 235–240° F (soft ball stage).
- Whip the egg whites: While the syrup is heating, add 3 egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Whip on medium speed until soft peaks form.
- Stream in the hot syrup: With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly and carefully pour the hot dandelion syrup into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream. Aim for the side of the bowl to avoid splattering.
- Whip to a glossy meringue: Increase speed to medium-high and continue whipping for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick, glossy, and has cooled to about 90° F (just slightly warm to the touch).
- Add the butter: With the mixer running (low to medium-low), add softened butter, about a tablespoon at a time, allowing each addition to incorporate before adding more. The mixture may look curdled or soupy at first. Keep mixing, and it will transform into a smooth, silky buttercream.
- Add optional flavoring: Mix in 1 tsp elderflower extract or St. Germain, if desired. If you want a more vibrant yellow color, you can add a tiny pinch of ground turmeric or a drop of natural food coloring. Continue mixing until the buttercream is light, smooth, and fluffy. Use immediately or store as needed.
Notes
Did you try this recipe?
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