French Buttercream Recipe

I used this recipe as a filling for unicorn macarons. Not all of them were perfect, but honestly, not too shabby overall!

I ended up making both macarons and what I now call “fuckarons” — that’s what you get when you’re proudly taking a photo of your neatly piped tray, and your phone drops straight onto the lot! We carried on, of course, and I’m happy to report only about four shells were lost. The rest were just passable — but good enough for a home baker!

How I Made Unicorn Macarons

The unicorn macaron shells aren’t flavoured on their own; the flavour comes from the filling.

I use my macaron shell recipe for these, but I divide the batter into three bowls, colouring each one pink, blue, and purple. After mixing each bowl, I transfer the coloured batter into three separate piping bags: one for pink, one for blue, and one for purple.

Next, I cut off the tips of the piping bags and fit them into one large piping bag with a 1cm round tip. This allows me to pipe the colours in a fun, swirled pattern.

For the finishing touch, I decorate the macarons with a drizzle of white chocolate, and some even get a sprinkle of fun toppings.

Recipe

To print the recipe, simply click the ‘Print’ button below and save your PDF for easy reference!

🧁🎨🍬💗🧁🍬💗🎨🧁💗🍬🎨🧁

Macaron Filling – Pâte à Bombe Buttercream

• Servings: Fills 2 batches of macarons
• Prep Time: 20 mins
• Cook Time: 15 mins
• Difficulty: medium
• Rating: ★★★★★
• Print

A rich and silky buttercream made with egg yolks, sugar syrup, and butter. This French-style filling is perfect for piping into colourful homemade macarons.

𝗧𝗶𝗽𝘀:
• You can freeze any leftover buttercream – just bring it back to room temperature and beat before using.
• Add food colouring and flavouring gradually – a little goes a long way.
• Candyfloss, vanilla, or fruit essences all work well.

Ingredients

• 160g caster sugar
• 5 Tbsp water
• 8 large egg yolks
• 380g unsalted butter, cubed and softened
• A few drops of food colouring (optional)
• Flavouring of your choice (e.g., candyfloss essence)

Directions

1. Beat the Egg Yolks: In a stand mixer, beat the egg yolks on high until pale and fluffy.
2. Make the Sugar Syrup: Combine sugar and water in a small saucepan and swirl gently to mix. Heat over medium until it reaches 114°C.
3. Combine: Slowly pour the hot syrup down the side of the mixer bowl into the yolks while the beater is running on high.
4. Cool the Mixture: Beat on high for 5–10 minutes to cool and aerate the mixture. It should become glossy and thick – this is Pâte à Bombe.
5. Add the Butter: With the beater still running, add butter one cube at a time until fully incorporated and smooth.
6. Add Colour and Flavour: Add food colouring and flavouring gradually, beating well between additions until you’re happy with the look and taste.

Nutrition

Per Serving (about 1/24 batch): 120 calories; 10 g fat; 3 g carbohydrates; 1 g protein; 2 g sugar.

Don’t lose it — Pin it! Save this recipe to Pinterest or share it with a friend so you can find it again. ♡ Janet