Buttercream is made by mixing which ingredients?

Buttercream is a type of frosting or filling commonly used in pastry and cake decorating, and it is primarily made by mixing fat, typically butter, with confectioners' sugar. This combination creates a smooth and creamy texture, which is ideal for spreading or piping onto cakes and cupcakes.

The fat provides richness and flavor while the confectioners' sugar adds sweetness and helps achieve the right consistency for the desired application. The mixing process involves creaming the butter until it is light and fluffy before gradually adding the sugar, which allows for better incorporation and aeration, contributing to a light texture.

Other options include ingredients that do not constitute traditional buttercream. For instance, flour and water do not create a frosting or sweet mixture, egg whites and sugar typically refer to meringue, and butter with cream cheese forms a different type of frosting known as cream cheese frosting. These contrasts highlight the unique composition of buttercream as primarily a mixture of fat and sugar.