Creaming (cooking)

In baking, it is the blending of ingredients with a softened form of a solid fat.

Creaming, in this sense, is the technique of softening solid fat, like shortening or butter, into a smooth mass and then blending it with other ingredients.

The technique is most often used in making buttercream, cake batter or cookie dough.

The dry ingredients are mixed or beaten with the softened fat until it becomes light and fluffy and increased in volume, due to the incorporation of tiny air bubbles.

These air bubbles, locked into the semi-solid fat, remain in the final batter and expand as the item is baked, serving as a form of leavening agent.