Creating Classic White Wedding Icing: A Step-By-Step Guide

Creating a white wedding cake with matching icing is a great way to save money on your big day. There are a few different ways to make white icing, depending on the ingredients you have available and your personal preferences.

One option is to make a simple American buttercream using shortening and powdered sugar. This will give you a pure white colour, but it may not have the best flavour or texture. If you want to use butter in your buttercream, which will give it a better flavour and texture, you'll need to take some extra steps to get a pure white colour. Firstly, choose your butter wisely—the lighter the colour, the better. Then, whip the butter for several minutes before adding the sugar; this will help to give you a lighter base to start with. You should also avoid using vanilla or any other coloured flavourings, as these will tint your buttercream. If your buttercream still has a yellow tint after following these steps, you can try adding a tiny amount of purple gel food colouring to neutralise the yellow. You can also add some bright white colour gel to make it even whiter.

Choosing the right butter

The type of butter you use will have a significant impact on the taste and colour of your wedding icing. If you're aiming for a pure white icing, it's crucial to choose a butter that is as pale as possible. The diet of the cows that produced the milk plays a vital role in determining the colour of the butter. Grass-fed cows produce milk with higher levels of beta carotene, resulting in more yellow butter. On the other hand, grain-fed cows' milk tends to yield paler butter due to the absence of beta carotene in their diet.

When selecting butter for your wedding icing, opt for brands known for their lighter colour. For instance, the unsalted Whole Foods brand is recommended by some bakers for its very light colour, making it ideal for white frosting. Additionally, organic butter tends to be richer in colour than regular butter, so you may want to avoid it if your priority is achieving a pure white hue.

Another factor to consider is the presence of added colouring in the butter. Some brands add colouring to their butter, which can affect the final shade of your icing. Always check the label to ensure you're choosing a butter without added colouring.

If you're set on using real butter for your wedding icing, chances are your frosting will have a yellow tint to some degree. However, there are techniques you can employ to neutralise this yellow hue and achieve a whiter shade, which we will explore in the following paragraphs.

Whipping the butter

To make white wedding icing, whipping the butter is an important step. This is because the colour of the butter you use will impact the final colour of your icing. Cows that eat a lot of grass produce more yellow butter, so it's best to opt for butter from grain-fed cows, which will be paler.

Before you start, make sure your butter is at room temperature. This will make it easier to whip.

For American-style buttercream, whip the butter before you add the sugar. Whip it on a medium-high speed with a paddle attachment for a couple of minutes. Get it super pale and fluffy, and then add the sugar and whip some more. This will help give you a lighter base to start with.

If you're making Italian, Swiss Meringue, or German buttercream, you can whip the butter in advance before adding it to the buttercream. If you do this, make sure you give it a really good, long whip once all the butter has been added so that it's nice and light and fluffy.

If you're making German buttercream, it will be trickier to get a white colour because the pastry cream will add a yellow tint. To counteract this, you can try whipping the buttercream for longer, or adding a tiny amount of purple gel food colouring to neutralise the yellow.

If you're using a stand mixer, you can set a timer and beat the butter for 2 minutes before adding in any other ingredients. This will help to lighten the colour and create the perfect white base for your frosting.

Adding vanilla

Vanilla is a common ingredient in wedding cake icing, but it can tint the icing yellow, which is not ideal for a pure white icing. If you want to use vanilla, opt for clear vanilla extract, which has a more candy-like, artificial taste.

If you use regular vanilla, you can try to counteract the yellow tint by whipping the butter until it is super pale and fluffy before adding the sugar. This will give you a lighter base to start with. You can also try adding a tiny bit of purple or violet gel food colouring to the frosting, as purple and yellow are opposite on the colour wheel and will cancel each other out. However, be careful not to add too much, as it can turn the frosting grey.

Another option is to use bright white colour gel to make the frosting whiter. However, this method doesn't work well on its own and should be combined with the other techniques mentioned above.

Neutralising the yellow

There are a few tricks to neutralise the yellow colour of your buttercream icing and achieve a pure white colour. Firstly, the type of butter you use can have a huge impact on the colour of your icing. Butter can vary in colour depending on the diet of the cows that produced the milk. Grass-fed cows produce milk with a higher beta carotene content, resulting in more yellow butter. Therefore, opting for butter made from the milk of grain-fed cows will give you a paler colour. Organic butter will generally be richer in colour than regular butter.

Another way to neutralise the yellow is to whip your butter on a medium-high speed with a paddle attachment before adding any other ingredients. This incorporates air into the butter, lightening its colour. You can also try whipping the butter in advance before adding it to the buttercream if you are making Italian, Swiss Meringue, or German Buttercream.

If you've opted for a lighter butter and given it a good whip but your icing still has a yellowish tint, you can try adding a tiny bit of purple gel food colouring. Purple and yellow are opposite colours on the colour wheel, so they cancel each other out. Start by adding a very small amount of gel food colouring to your frosting, as you can always add more but can't take it back! Be careful not to add too much, as it can give your frosting a slightly grey tint.

Finally, if you've whipped your butter and tried the purple gel food colouring hack but your frosting is still not white enough, you can add whitening additives like titanium dioxide or white gel food colouring to brighten the colour. Titanium dioxide is a non-toxic whitening agent commonly found in toothpaste, candy, and food.

Adding bright white colour gel

To make white wedding icing, you can add bright white colour gel to your frosting. This is a great option if you want a bright white frosting and can be combined with other methods to achieve the desired shade.

Firstly, prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Then, whip your butter until it becomes pale, fluffy, and creamy. You can do this for American-style buttercream before adding the sugar, or in advance if you are making Italian, Swiss, or German buttercream.

Next, reduce the speed to low and gradually add in your powdered sugar. Once all the sugar has been incorporated, increase the speed to medium and whip the mixture for around three minutes.

Now you can add in any clear flavourings, such as vanilla, and a small amount of cream. Continue to whip the mixture on a medium setting for another minute. If needed, add more cream until you reach your desired consistency.

Finally, add bright white colour gel to your frosting and whip until the frosting is smooth and silky. You can also add a tiny amount of violet colour gel to neutralise any remaining yellow tint in the buttercream.

Frequently asked questions