How to Cream Ingredients
As the first step in many recipes, creaming is important because it adds air and texture to baked goods. Creaming sugar into butter or shortening also ensures even distribution of both ingredients in cookie doughs and cake batters.
Creamed fat and sugar act as a leavener in baked goods, forming networks of air trapped in sugar and fat molecules which help your baked goods to rise and achieve a soft, fluffy texture. Learning the proper creaming method will prevent you from overmixing the butter and sugar into a mush.
We’ve included some pro tips along with our step-by-step guide below. For a demonstration of the technique, check out our how-to video here .
What You’ll Need
- Room temperature butter, shortening or margarine
- Sugar
- Salt (optional)
- Vanilla extract or other flavoring (optional)
- Rubber spatula
- Mixing bowl
- Electric hand mixer or stand mixer
Steps:
1. Add softened butter, shortening or margarine to the bowl and beat on medium-low until light and airy, about 1 minute.
2. Add sugar, slowly streaming it into the mixing bowl while you continue to mix. Scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
3. Mix until completely blended and the mixture has a creamy texture and pale color. Watch for overmixing – the texture should be light and airy. Overly creamed fats and sugar will collapse into a more liquid-like mixture.
Pro Tips
- Creaming incorporates air into the fat found in butter, shortening or margarine and evenly distributes the sugar, creating a light and airy texture in frostings or the final baked good.
- Creaming butter and sugar is a form of leavening, which helps add volume to a batter and the final baked good. The air trapped between granulated sugar and fat molecules later expands during the baking process, causing your baked good to rise.
- To quickly get butter to room temperature, simmer 2 inches of water in a small pot. Once simmering, remove from heat and place a heat-proof bowl over the pot. Add the cubed butter to the bowl and wait.