Even though the intense summer heat is still lingering on this over 100°F day in Sacramento, I realized that Fall is already less than one month away! Fall is one of my favorite times of the year because of the cooler weather, the kickoff of the awesome holiday season, and going to Apple Hill to pick up some apples, apple cider, and apple donuts, just to name a few. I also love the many delicious flavors that emerge during Fall. Maple is one of these flavors that I have come to enjoy, especially because you can pair it with other great flavor options, such as pecans and bacon. This maple buttercream recipe is a simple American-style buttercream that can be used for many projects, including cakes, cupcakes, and French macarons!

Step 1: Cream the Butter

Use either a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the room-temperature butter on high for approximately 5 minutes, or until the butter becomes light and fluffy.

Step 2: Add the Sifted Powdered Sugar

Add the sifted powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and mix on a low speed. Once the powdered sugar is just incorporated, turn your mixer to a medium-high speed and mix for approximately 1 minute.

Step 3: Add Maple Extract, Maple Syrup, and Salt

Add the maple extract, maple syrup, and salt. Mix on a medium speed until the ingredients are well incorporated into the buttercream and then mix on high speed until the buttercream becomes fluffy, approximately 1-2 minutes. Your buttercream is now complete and ready to use on any number of delicious desserts! Please see the Notes section below for more about buttercream consistency.

Notes:

• Always sift your powdered sugar when making your buttercream because sifted powder sugar is lighter and incorporates easier into the creamed butter.
• Always add salt to your buttercream, especially an American-style buttercream like this one. Salt both tempers the sweetness and highlights the flavor of your buttercream, so make sure that you do not skip this step.
• Buttercream Consistency: This recipe makes a medium consistency buttercream. If you would like a stiff consistency, add approximately ½ cup additional powdered sugar. If you would like a thin consistency buttercream, you can either add a little more maple syrup, or you can add approximately 1 tablespoon of milk.

These steps are also listed in my printable recipe:

Maple Buttercream

Recipe by Carly PrestonCourse: DessertCuisine: AmericanDifficulty: Easy

Prep time

20

minutes

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon maple extract

• 3 tablespoons maple syrup

• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions

• Use either a stand mixer or hand mixer to whip the room-temperature butter on high for approximately 5 minutes, or until the butter becomes light and fluffy.
• Add the sifted powdered sugar to the mixing bowl and mix on a low speed. Once the powdered sugar is just incorporated, turn your mixer to a medium-high speed and mix for approximately 1 minute.
• Add the maple extract, maple syrup, and salt. Mix on a medium speed until the ingredients are well incorporated into the buttercream and then mix on high speed until the buttercream becomes fluffy, approximately 1-2 minutes.
• Your buttercream is now complete and ready to use on any number of delicious desserts! Enjoy!

Notes

• When making buttercream, you can combine steps 2 and 3. Simply add the sifted powdered sugar, pure vanilla extract, salt, and whole milk to the mixing bowl at the same time and begin mixing them together on a low speed. Once the powdered sugar is incorporated, turn the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until the buttercream becomes nice and fluffy.

Thank you so much for checking out this recipe! Please leave a comment below regarding how you like this recipe and for what you used your maple buttercream!