How to choose best frosting for hot weather that won’t melt

Baking and cake decorating in hot weather can be challenging due to the frosting. Plain cakes, such as marble loaf cake and lemon pound cake, are fine because they may be eaten plain, while layer cakes and frosted cupcakes cause issues. I'll talk about the best frosting for hot weather, as well as some ingredient modifications to make your frosting last longer and not melt.

How does it matter?

Of course, it matters. Any cake covered with frosting has a visually appealing look and becomes the focal point of the party. Whenever we attend a party. We're always intrigued about how the cake will turn out. How is it decorated, and how does it look?

Imagine you've created a cake for your celebration only to discover it's losing shape on a hot, bright day. I'm sure we've all experienced those days when the beautifully adorned cake begins to melt. I experienced such a day while I was baking a red velvet cake for a friend's birthday. Although it tasted excellent, the cake looked like it had crumbled. And I was very disappointed. 

I live in Canada, where it is quite cold in the winter but very hot in the summer, and the accident occurred on such a day. So, I can envision a cake decorator living in a hot country, and how dealing with such a circumstance could be difficult. 

Why does frosting melt?

Let us first understand why any frosting melts in hot weather. Most frostings contain components such as butter, cream, cream cheese, or chocolate. All of these ingredients have melting points, thus they may melt on a really hot day. 

All of these ingredients have different melting points, which means they will begin to melt at certain temperatures. However, because each frosting is different, some will melt faster than others. 

For example, whipped cream must be refrigerated, just as ordinary cream is. It melts faster than butter-based frostings because cream has a lower melting point than butter.

Let us look at the melting points of many different ingredients at a glance.

Sr. No.	Ingredient	Melting Temperature
1.	Butter	90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius
2.	Gelatin	90 degrees Fahrenheit or 32 degrees Celsius
3.	Agar agar	185 degrees Fahrenheit or 85 degrees Celsius
4.	Chocolate	85 degrees Fahrenheit or 30 degrees Celsius

As a result, selecting the correct frosting is critical, not just for its appearance, but also for its flavor. I'll go over different frostings, the ingredients they use, and a substitution for a certain ingredient to keep it stable longer.

American buttercream (is this the best frosting for hot weather?)

American buttercream is a classic that is made using unsalted butter, powdered sugar, flavoring, and a pinch of salt. This is distinguished by its sweetness, rich flavor, and spreadable texture. While it is popular among bakers all over the world, it is prone to melting in high heat due to the high ratio of butter it uses.

Key ingredients - butter, icing sugar, and flavoring.

Hot weather fix -  Replace half of the butter with shortening. Why only a portion? Because shortening does not taste very good. Only substitute some of the butter with shortening to maintain the flavor and stability.  

Is American best frosting for hot weather?

Yes, it can withstand higher temperatures if you include some shortening in the mix. Refrigerate it for as long as possible to extend its shelf life. Simply take it out before cutting it.

Swiss meringue buttercream (is this the best frosting for hot weather?)

Swiss buttercream is a meringue-based buttercream produced by beating egg whites and sugar into the meringue before gradually adding butter, resulting in a smooth velvety texture. It is distinguished by its silky texture and less sweet flavor. 

This is more stable than standard American buttercream, although it still melts in hot weather because to the high butter content.

Key ingredients - egg white, sugar, butter, flavoring, and a little bit of salt.

Hot weather fixes - To increase the shelf life of butter, replace some of the butter with shortening. 

Is Swiss meringue the best frosting for hot weather? 

Yes. Simply replace some of the butter with shortening and refrigerate in an airtight container for as long as you can. If it's going to be a really hot day, chilling the cake for a while is an excellent option. 

Italian meringue buttercream (is this the best frosting for hot weather?)

Italian meringue frosting is a meringue-based buttercream produced by blending boiling sugar syrup with beaten egg whites and gradually integrating butter, resulting in a richer and more stable frosting than other buttercreams. It is distinguished by its silky texture and less sweet flavor.

The heated syrup in the recipe makes this more stable than standard American buttercream or Swiss meringue buttercream. This heated syrup is boiled at 120 degrees Celsius, as is common when making hard candies. And the hard candies do not melt in hot weather. However, the butter makes it prone to melting in hot weather. 

Key ingredients - egg white, sugar, butter, and flavoring.

Hot weather fix - replace some quantity of butter with shortening for the same reasons as mentioned for American or Swiss meringue buttercream.

Is Italian meringue the best frosting for hot weather?

Yes. It is the most stable buttercream (thanks to sugar syrup) and you can make it even more stable by replacing some of the butter with shortening and refrigerating or freezing for as long as possible.

Chocolate ganache (is this the best frosting for hot weather?)

Chocolate ganache is a rich, glossy frosting made from melting chocolate and cream, resulting in a smooth, velvety texture ideal for covering cakes, truffles, or filling.

Key ingredients -  chocolate and cream

Hot weather fix - replace some of the real chocolate with chocolate chips or compound chocolate, which will not melt as easily as chocolate.

Is chocolate ganache the best frosting for hot weather?

It's not one of my top picks for hot weather, but by altering only one component, you can make it more resistant to extreme temperatures.

Cream cheese frosting (is this the best frosting for hot weather?)

Cream cheese frosting is made by combining cream cheese, butter, powdered sugar, and flavoring. It provides an ideal blend of sweetness and tanginess. It is famed for its tangy and smooth icing, which is typically used on cakes such as carrot cakes and red velvet.

Key ingredients - cream cheese, butter, icing sugar, and flavoring.

Hot weather fix - Cream cheese must be refrigerated and cannot be kept at room temperature for longer than an hour or two. So, replacing some of the butter with vegetable shortening will not help. 

Is cream cheese frosting the best frosting for hot weather?

No. I don't recommend using it in hot weather unless you plan to consume it within an hour or two. 

Whipped cream frosting (is this the best frosting for hot weather?)

Whipped cream frosting contains heavy cream, powdered sugar, and flavoring. Some people use clear vanilla extract to ensure that the frosting's color stays white. It is less sweet than other butter-based frostings and is typically served with sponge cake or cupcakes.

I'm not sure of the melting point, but it needs to be cooled. For example, whipping it cold produces more volume than whipping it at room temperature. That is why I usually recommend whipping the cream in a refrigerated dish with beaters.

Key ingredients - whipping cream, icing sugar, and flavoring.

Hot weather fix - To best results, use agar agar instead of gelatin, which will increase stability. However, please avoid overusing it because it may turn into jelly, which will not provide a pleasant mouthfeel.

Is Whipped cream cheese frosting the best frosting for hot weather?

Well, yes and no. You can extend its life by adding agar agar, but the basic ingredient is prone to spoilage if left outside in hot conditions for too long. As a result, I do not advocate using it in hot weather unless you plan on consuming it within an hour.

In short, any sort of butter buttercream is the ideal frosting for hot weather, taking into account all of the factors.

Sr. No.	Frosting	Is is best frosting for hot weather?
1.	American buttercream	Yes
2.	Swiss meringue buttercream	Yes
3.	Italian meringue buttercream	Yes
4.	Chocolate ganache	Yes
5.	Cream cheese frosting	No
6.	Whipped cream frosting	No

Common tips to keep our frosted cake cool in hot weather

Here are some common strategies for keeping your cake chilled longer in warmer weather.

1. Choose correct frosting - As previously stated, certain frostings, such as meringue-based frostings, can withstand summer heat better than others. To conserve butter in hot weather, combine it with shortening.
2. Refrigerate  - When it's extremely hot outside, your refrigerator is your best buddy. Chill your cake and frosting before applying to harden it up and conserve it for a hot day.
3. Keep in a cool place - To store your frosted cake, look for a cool, dry spot away from direct sunlight.
4. Cooler - If feasible, use coolers around the cake to protect it from hot temperatures.
5. Choose high-quality butter - When you replace half of the butter with half shortening, the taste will change. To preserve the flavor, always use high-quality butter.

Frosting recipes

Try out my go-to recipes for frosting and pair them with your favorite vanilla cake, chocolate cake, and red velvet cake. Remember to make the suggested changes and enjoy.

1. Chocolate cream cheese frosting
2. Stable cream cheese frosting
3. Fudgy chocolate frosting
4. Ganache frosting

Which one will you choose?

With the appropriate frosting and a few ingredient adjustments, you can keep your cakes from melting in hot weather.

Which frosting according to you is the most reliable frosting? What icing will you use to decorate a cake at your next party? Please let me know in the comments section. I would love to hear from you, and your feedback is very important.

Until next time, happy baking! 💕🍰