Butter cream
Butter cream is made with egg yolk, sugar syrup and, of course, butter. These days it has fallen rather out of fashion, probably because it's very rich, but it still has its aficionados. Here is the classic plain version, which you can lighten and flavour as you wish.
334 K 3.7/5 (48 reviews)
60 min.
Easy
700 g
6 IngredientsLast modified on: October 13th 2010
For 700 g, you will need:
- 1
180 g butter - 2
150 g caster sugar - 3
3 tablespoons water - 4
6 egg yolks - 5
3 egg whites - 6 100 g caster sugar
- Total weight: 685 grams
Change these quantities to make:
Change measures:
Times for this recipe
Preparation: 50 min.
Cooking: 10 min.
All in all: 60 min.
If you start now, at , you will finish around : ?.Change start time
To finish around 7pm, you'll need to have started before: .Change end time
Step by step recipe
Stage 1 - 10 min.
Take 180 g butter out of the refrigerator at least 1 hour before using.
Heat 150 g caster sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small pan over high heat, and bring up to 120°C (250°F), using an electronic thermometer if possible to check.
Heat 150 g caster sugar and 3 tablespoons water in a small pan over high heat, and bring up to 120°C (250°F), using an electronic thermometer if possible to check.
Stage 2 - 3 min.
Meanwhile, tip 6 egg yolks into a bowl and beat on high speed.
Stage 3 - 5 min.
When the sugar syrup has reached 120°C (250°F), reduce the mixer speed and pour the syrup fairly quickly (30 seconds maximum) onto the egg yolks.
Try to avoid the syrup landing on the beaters or it will splash everywhere.
Try to avoid the syrup landing on the beaters or it will splash everywhere.
Stage 4 - 10 min.
Leave the mixer beating for a further 10 minutes or so to cool the mixture.
Stage 5 - 10 min.
After this time add 180 g butter a little at a time while still beating on slow speed, until the butter is completely incorporated.
Stage 6
The butter cream is ready.
Stage 7 - 5 min.
Stage 8 - 10 min.
Fold the beaten egg whites into the cream to lighten the texture while keeping the original flavour.
Stage 9 - 5 min.
You can then add the flavouring of your choice like praline, a liqueur, or chocolate chips.
Remarks
The cream should be stored in the fridge in a sealed container. Take it out 1 hour before using to allow it to soften.
Butter cream is out of favour in modern patisseries, for one thing it's full of calories, and these days the taste is for less rich foods. But also, I fear, beacause it is so easy for a poor baker (whether industrial or not) to make a bad butter cream by mixing margarine with sugar and artifical flavouring. This awful cream eventually put customers off all the good butter creams, which is a shame, as I know people who would give anything for a decent real butter cream with praline for example.
Butter cream is out of favour in modern patisseries, for one thing it's full of calories, and these days the taste is for less rich foods. But also, I fear, beacause it is so easy for a poor baker (whether industrial or not) to make a bad butter cream by mixing margarine with sugar and artifical flavouring. This awful cream eventually put customers off all the good butter creams, which is a shame, as I know people who would give anything for a decent real butter cream with praline for example.
Keeping: Several days in the fridge, in a closed jar.
Source: Home made.
Nutritional information
| Proteins (gr) | Carbohydrates (gr) | Fats (gr) | Energy value (in k-calories) | Energy value (in k-joules) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Whole recipe | 30 RDI=7 % | 250 RDI=20 % | 190 RDI=20 % | 2,800 RDI=100 % | 11,740 RDI: 100 % |
| Per 100 g | 3 RDI=1 % | 40 RDI=3 % | 30 RDI=3 % | 410 RDI=20 % | 1,710 RDI: 20 % |
How much will it cost?
- For 700 g : 2.10 €
Change currency: 
Note: Be careful, these prices are only an estimate, you can consult the table of prices by ingredients used for this estimate.
Some other recipes using this recipe
Succès praliné (praline meringue)
The "succès" (success) is a classic of traditional French patisserie, made with two layers of almond meringue filled with praline butter cream. It's very rich and a little old-fashioned these days, but still has many faithful fans. The original recipe comes from the master chef Gaston Lenôtre, and...
380 K 34.1 4 hours 20 min.
This recipe uses (among others)
Butter
Like these other recipes: Tart Tatin, Bounty-style tart for Alison, Fillet of salmon meunière, Chaud-froid of grapefruit, pineapple and lime custard , Nachos, ... See them all 474
Caster sugar
Like these other recipes: Rolled chestnut and apple brioche, How to succeed in making sabayon (syllabub), Dandelion flower jelly, Chestnut cake, Chocolate cream with a crunch, irish coffee mousse, ... See them all 360
Egg yolk
Like these other recipes: Smoked salmon sacristains, Spaghetti Carbonara, Breton sablé biscuit dough, Chocolate eclairs, Chocolate-verbena cream, ... See them all 74
Water
Like these other recipes: Papadums, Seeded loaf, Quince compote, How to use gelatin, Yeast-based flaky dough (for croissants), ... See them all 136
Other recipes you may also like
Caramelised apple pie
Apple pie made with caramelised apples.September 11th 2018265 K4.3 1 hour 55 min.
Salmon rillettes
A terrine of two kinds of salmon (cooked and smoked) with butter and lemon.March 26th 2013291 K4.3 2 hours 40 min.
Potimarron (chestnut pumpkin) "au gratin"
We could almost say a "Parmentier" of potimarron: a layer of left over cooked chicken, covered with potimarron purée and cheese, put to brown in the oven.February 21th 2011270 K 24 1 hour 35 min.
Crunchy verrines
Little verrines filled with a mixture of cottage cheese (fromage blanc), cream and coriander with diced radish, gherkin and shallot.November 24th 2011146 K 24.8 45 min.
Rabbit terrine
This is a rather special rabbit terrine, with some of the meat added in larger morsels to the minced mixture before cooking. These whole pieces of rabbit show when the terrine is sliced and add character, both in flavour and texture.April 8th 2018128 K4.6 15 hours 35 min.
News list of cooking-ez.com
Sign up to receive the latest recipes (next batch due to be sent on 2025-08-24)
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Post a comment or question
Follow this recipe
If you are interested in this recipe, you can "follow" it, by entering your email address here. You will then receive a notification immediately each time the recipe is modified or a new comment is added. Please note that you will need to confirm this following.
Note: We'll never share your e-mail address with anyone else.
Alternatively: you can subscribe to the mailing list of cooling-ez.com , you will receive a e-mail for each new recipe published on the site.