Buttercream

Crème au beurre can be made using three different methods: (1) with butter incorporated into a pâte à bombe base (syrup cooked to the softball stage that is added to egg yolks), (2) with butter incorporated into cooked meringue (Italian or Swiss), and (3) with butter incorporated into a base of crème Anglaise. The defining feature of these preparations—if it isn’t abundantly clear already!—is the supremacy of butter. Used as a filling between layers of a cake or as an icing, crème au beurre is often flavored with chocolate, coffee, or pralines.