• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Chef Lindsey Farr logo
  • All Recipes
  • Trending
  • Dessert
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
menu icon
go to homepage
  • All Recipes
  • Trending
  • Dessert
  • Dinner
  • Breakfast
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • All Recipes
    • Trending
    • Dessert
    • Dinner
    • Breakfast
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Home > Recipes > Cakes + Cupcakes

    Lemon American Buttercream

    Published: Apr 6, 2021 | Updated: May 2, 2022

    PinShareYummlyTweetEmail
    Lemon American Buttercream Chef Lindsey Farr.
    Lemon American Buttercream Chef Farr.

    This Lemon American Buttercream is silky smooth with a bright lemon flavor! The fresh lemon juice makes it the perfect balance of tart and sweet!

    Jump to Recipe

    Lemon American buttercream isn’t my go-to buttercream type. I lean more towards Italian Meringue Buttercreams or Swiss Meringue Buttercream because they are less sweet than their American cousin. I don’t do cloyingly sweet. 

    However, this Lemon American Buttercream is the best of both worlds! It is incredibly easy to pull together and the lemon balances all that confectioner’s sugar! I realize that not everyone is as “prepared” for a cake emergency as I am. 

    YouTube video

    Apparently it isn’t normal to have containers of unflavored IMB at the ready in the refrigerator. ??‍♀️ This Lemon American Buttercream is here for just those moments! The hardest part is juicing the lemon. Please juice the lemon. Fresh lemon juice is the only flavor here and it is sooooo important. I promised myself not to step on my “Fresh Citrus or No Citrus” soapbox today, so you’ll just have to take my word for it.

    Just a few little tips to make sure your buttercream is as smooth as silk. 

    Lemon American Buttercream made even easier:

    • Please use unsalted butter. Crisco has its place in the kitchen but it isn’t in this buttercream. 
    • Eeep my butter is as hard as a rock! *Breathe* We’ve got this. Cut the butter into cubes and place it in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. With the mixer running on medium-high, use a kitchen torch to warm the butter from the outside. Move the torch around the outside of the bowl constantly. Don’t let it sit in one spot: the goal is the warm some butter and then allow that warmed butter to warm the rest. That way it is all soft and pliable. See me do this here!
    • Don’t do what I did in the lemon American buttercream video and add all the sugar in at once. I was impatient and then paid for it because it takes longer to come together this way. Add a bit at a time like the cool, kitchen goddess that you are!
    • Juice those lemons; it makes a difference. Not my soapbox, just a statement of fact. 
    • Frost on. 

    This lemon American buttercream is fabulous on my funfetti sheet cake, vanilla cake, cupcakes, blondies, sugar cookies, or even as a dip for animal crackers. [Don’t you try to tell me you haven’t done that! If you haven’t, it sounds like you’ve got a fun evening ahead of you!]

    Lemon American Buttercream in yellow bowl

    Lemon American Buttercream

    Chef Lindsey
    This Lemon American Buttercream is silky smooth with a bright lemon flavor! The fresh lemon juice makes it the perfect balance of tart and sweet!
    PRINT RECIPE Pin Recipe
    Prep Time15 mins
    Total Time15 mins
    Course Dessert
    Cuisine American
    Servings 20 people
    Calories 292 kcal

    Ingredients
     

    • 2 lbs Confectioner’s sugar (2 boxes)
    • 320 g Butter (room temperature, 1 c + 6.5 tbsp)
    • 1 t Kosher Salt
    • 70 g Fresh Lemon Juice (approximately the juice of 2 large lemons)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions
     

    • Beat together sugar, butter and salt until smooth and light. Slowly add the lemon juice and continue beating until homogenous and lightened.
    • Switch to the whisk attachment and beat until light and fluffy.

    Video Instructions

    YouTube video

    Notes

    Yield: Enough to cover 1, 8” cake
    Keyword american buttercream, buttercream, lemon recipe
    Tried this recipe?Mention @cheflindseyfarr
    This Lemon American Buttercream is silky smooth with a bright lemon flavor! The fresh lemon juice makes it the perfect balance of tart and sweet!

    You May Also Like

    • Caramel Molasses Pound Cake
    • Best Fruit Cake Recipe
    • Old Fashioned Fruit Cake
    • Pumpkin Spice Bundt Cake
    PinShareYummlyTweetEmail

    Reader Interactions

    Leave a Comment! Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Comments

    1. Gina L Orlando says

      March 20, 2023 at 7:06 pm

      5 stars
      So easy to make and so good!

      Reply
      • Chef Lindsey Farr says

        March 20, 2023 at 7:14 pm

        Hi Gina! I couldn't agree more! 💛

        Reply

    Primary Sidebar

    Chef Lindsey Farr smiling confidently in her professional kitchen, embodying culinary expertise and passion for food

    Hi, I'm Lindsey! I am the baker, recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind Chef Lindsey Farr. I believe in delicious homemade food and the power of dessert! 

    More about me →

    Popular Recipes

    • Authentic Hungarian Walnut Rolls
      Authentic Hungarian Walnut Rolls

    • Italian Meringue Buttercream Tutorial
      Italian Meringue Buttercream Tutorial

    • Apricot Kolaches
      Apricot Kolaches

    • The BEST Salted Caramel Sauce
      The BEST Salted Caramel Sauce

    • Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts
      Old Fashioned Sour Cream Cake Donuts

    Footer

    About

    • Home
    • About
    • Newsletter
    • Contact
    • Privacy Policy

    Browse

    • Recipe Index
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Breakfast Recipes
    • Lunch Recipes
    • Dinner Recipes

    Our Brands

    • Pastry Creations

    Follow

    Copyright © 2023 Chef Lindsey Farr, LLC

    Share this ArticleLike this article? Email it to a friend!

    Email sent!