If you’ve been around my blog before, you know I love making floral and botanical syrups, with flavors like lilac, fig leaf, and elderflower. For years, I wondered if those syrups could do more than just sweeten drinks and desserts.
Specifically, I kept coming back to this question: Could a floral syrup replace the hot sugar syrup in Italian meringue buttercream?
So after years of wondering, I finally tried it. And to my delight, it worked beautifully.
This method creates a soft, silky buttercream that carries the delicate flavor of whatever syrup you use. There’s no need for extracts or artificial flavoring, just real botanical infusion. Once you understand the technique, you can use it with any simple syrup to create your own unique floral buttercream frosting!
Table of Contents
- Why you should try this buttercream method
- Recipe overview
- What is Italian meringue buttercream?
- How to make floral buttercream with infused simple syrup
- Best floral & botanical syrups to use
- Pro tips for perfect floral buttercream
- Troubleshooting syrup-based buttercreams
- How to use floral buttercream
- Floral Buttercream (with Infused Simple Syrup) Recipe
Why you should try this buttercream method
- Silky-smooth, creamy buttercream texture
- Create any fun, unique frosting flavor from real edible flowers & botanicals
- Significantly less sweet than American buttercream
- Stable and pipeable, perfect for icing cupcakes and layer cakes
- A great use for simple syrup that you probably haven’t tried before
- Endless possibilities for turning any botanical syrup into luxurious frosting
- Only 3 ingredients needed!
Recipe overview
⏱️ Prep: 10 mins • Cook: 5 mins • Total: ~15 mins
🍴 Yield: Frosts 12+ cupcakes or one 8-inch layer cake
💪 Skill level: Intermediate
😋 Flavor profile: Buttery and creamy with a subtle sweetness. Pairs well with: Layer cakes, cupcakes, sandwich cookies, and macarons.
What is Italian meringue buttercream?
There are several different types of buttercream, and Italian meringue buttercream has long been one of my favorite versions. It’s significantly less sweet than American buttercream, with an incredibly smooth texture and rich, buttery flavor.
It’s made by simmering sugar and water into a thick syrup, then slowly whipping that hot syrup into egg whites to create a stable meringue base. Soft butter is added little by little, until a thick and creamy frosting is born.
Why this method works
For this infused floral buttercream, we’ll replace that initial hot syrup with a simple syrup that’s already been prepared. This allows us to create a naturally flavored, lightly aromatic buttercream in just about any flavor we can dream up!
The key is to cook the infused simple syrup to soft ball stage (235 – 240° F) before adding it to the egg whites. This ensures that the sugar is concentrated enough to create a stable buttercream, but not so thick that it starts to go into a hard candy stage.
How to make floral buttercream with infused simple syrup
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 syrup to temperature: Cook your simple syrup in a small saucepan over medium heat until it reaches soft ball stage, 235 – 240° F.
- Whip egg whites: While syrup is cooking, whip egg whites to soft peaks in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
- Slowly add syrup: With the mixer running on medium speed, slowly and carefully pour the hot syrup into the egg whites in a thin, steady stream.
- Whip to glossy meringue: Increase speed to medium-high and continue whipping for about 5 minutes, or until the mixture becomes thick, glossy, and has cooled slightly.
- Add butter: With the mixer running, add softened butter, about a tablespoon at a time, beating until creamy and smooth.
Best floral & botanical syrups to use
You can use just about any homemade simple syrup for this recipe. Here are a few ideas that would make delicious buttercream flavors:
- Dandelion syrup
- Lilac syrup
- Elderflower syrup
- Elderberry syrup
- Rose syrup
- Magnolia flower syrup
- Violet syrup
- Chamomile syrup
- Fig leaf syrup
- Pine needle syrup
I have recipes for Lilac Buttercream and Dandelion Buttercream using this method, so be sure to check those out if you want more information to bring this technique to life.
👉 It’s best to use a rich 2:1 syrup for this (two parts sugar: 1 part water). This thicker syrup has less water in it, and will make a buttercream that’s a bit more stable, great for piping and layer cakes. Feel free to use a classic 1:1 simple syrup if you’re using it to frost the top of a single layer cake.
Pro tips for perfect floral buttercream
Use a 2:1 syrup ratio for the best result. A rich simple syrup is best, as you want to create a syrup base that’s thick and not overly diluted.
Cook the syrup to the correct temperature. Use a digital or candy thermometer to cook the syrup to soft ball stage (around 240° F/ 115° C).
Keep ingredients 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.
Pour the syrup in slowly. You want to pour the syrup in a slow, gradual stream while the egg whites continue to mix. If you add the syrup too fast, it can overwhelm the meringue and cause it to deflate.
Keep mixing 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.
Troubleshooting syrup-based buttercreams
The most common issue when making this type of buttercream is temperature. If you’re having issues with your buttercream curdling, make sure you’ve read the tips above.
If your buttercream looks soupy and loose:
Stick the whole thing in the fridge for 10-15 minutes, then try mixing again.
If your buttercream looks separated and feels cold:
Place the bowl briefly over a pot of gently simmering warm water, whisking frequently. Then place the bowl back on the stand mixer and beat until creamy.
How to use floral buttercream
- Pipe on top of cupcakes
- Frost layer cakes, one layer cakes, and sheet cakes
- Fill macarons and sandwich cookies
- Top cookies, bars, and brownies
- Decorate tarts & tartlets
If you try this method, I’d love to hear how it turns out! Please leave a comment & star rating below. This supports my work and allows me to keep sharing free recipes.
Floral Buttercream (with Infused Simple Syrup)
Equipment
- Stand mixer with whisk attachment
- Digital or candy thermometer
Ingredients
- ¾ cup homemade simple syrup
- 3 egg whites
- 8 ounces (1 cup) unsalted butter, soft, room temperature
Instructions
- Heat the syrup: Add ¾ cup of prepared simple syrup into a small, heavy-bottomed 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 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 the 8 oz 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 for several minutes, and it will transform into a smooth, silky buttercream.
Notes
- It’s best to use a 2:1 rich simple syrup, especially if you plan to use the frosting for piping or for cakes with multiple layers, as the frosting will be more stable.
- You can use any infused homemade simple syrup for this – see blog post above for tons of ideas!
Did you try this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment below!
