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Buttercream Frosting

Name: Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 5 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 1 Batch
Ingredients: 1 tbsp vanilla (15mL); 1 lb confectioner's sugar (454g); 1 cup unsalted butter (225g, room temperature); 3 tbsp heavy whipping cream (45mL); 1/2 tsp salt

Last updated on November 6, 2019 by John 36 Comments Originally Published: April 25, 2019

This simple and delicious vanilla buttercream frosting is perfect for frosting cakes and cupcakes. It’s so creamy and dreamy, you might just want to eat it plain!

A photo of a vanilla cupcake on a cupcake stand with vanilla buttercream frosting beautifully piped on top.

Vanilla Buttercream may seem beyond simple but I get a surprising number of questions from home bakers everywhere. So let’s set the record straight with perhaps the most ubiquitous and variable frosting there is! Let me know how you enjoy this recipe; historically, I have found it to be a crowd pleaser.

Pro Tips for the best Buttercream

Sift your powdered sugar to avoid clogging piping tips.
Scrape the bowl down; to help ensure even consistency throughout.
You can use almost anything to flavor buttercream, fruit juice, coffee, orange blossom or rose water, melted chocolate, or Oreos!
If your buttercream has beed sitting for a while or was chilled and brought back to room temperature it’s always a good idea to give it a quick whip to restore it’s consistency.
If you’re looking for a very spreadable and very smooth icing, you can add the full amount of cream in (and maybe even a bit more).

Frequently Asked Questions

What’s the best butter for buttercream?

For a whiter buttercream it’s really important to use a pale butter. Almost every recipe will call for using unsalted butter but then have you add salt back in. This is done because various brands of butter have different amounts of salt in their product.
Using unsalted butter helps to ensure a consistent result. You can however use salted butter, omit additional salt and have a delicious frosting.
The most important thing to do when whipping up a batch of buttercream is that it’s room temperature!

How can you make cold butter room temperature?

If you need to warm some cold butter up just slice it into some smaller pieces and microwave them on a plate at 50% power for 10 second bursts. Flip them after each burst and they’re be nice and room temperature in no time!

Is buttercream or whipped frosting better?

The main difference between buttercream and whipped frosting is butter. Whipped frosting does not contain butter and is a lighter and fluffier icing. Buttercream contains a good amount of butter and has more of a rich flavor; so you be the judge! 🙂

Will this buttercream frosting recipe melt at room temperature?

When buttercream is left out at room temperature, it will form sort of a crust on the outer layer while the inside will stay fairly smooth. If it is very warm or humid, the buttercream can loose structure. This will affect decorations you’ve pipes and may even destabilize layer cakes, causing them to sag or collapse.

How long can you leave out buttercream frosting?

You can leave out buttercream frosting for overnight if covered. If the buttercream contains cream cheese, then it should always be refrigerated for it to remain safe to eat. Buttercream that contains dairy will spoil more quickly so should be refrigerated after a few hours.

How do I thin out buttercream frosting?

If you want to thin out buttercream frosting, you’ll want to add in some extra cream or milk. I recommend mixing in a tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.

About the flavors

You can always substitute a fruit puree, reduction or liqueur if you wanted to spice things up, by the way. If you are doing some detailed work — like piping roses, for example — you’ll be using MUCH LESS cream.

Some people prefer the all-white buttercream that uses vanilla extract. Some people love seeing little vanilla seeds scattered throughout. If you do want to use a vanilla bean, simply split along the middle — scrape out the seeds with a knife — and allow to defuse in the cream that you’re using (or you could even add some bourbon).

For people who live in very warm climates, substituting in some vegetable shortening for the butter will help keep your confections stable. As a final note, I would always remember to sift your powdered sugar as you will never know when a clump will come back to haunt you.

How To Make Buttercream Frosting

1. Cream the softened butter and salt in a stand mixer for about a minute using a paddle attachment.

2. Add your powdered sugar to the butter in batches. Make sure to sift your powdered sugar, especially if you’re going to be using any piping tips. Those clumps will cause clogs that make decorating nearly impossible!

3. After the first batch of powdered sugar is added it’s time to scrape the bowl down, then sift in more powdered sugar and repeat.

4. Add a tablespoon of cream or milk and mix in. You can add more later if desired.

5. Once incorporated, with the mixer running on low go ahead and add the vanilla extract or whichever flavoring you’re using. Add more cream or milk as desired to thin the buttercream out. When your buttercream is finished, you should have a nice even and fluffy consistency.

IF YOU LOVE THIS RECIPE TRY THESE OUT!

If you’ve tried this buttercream frosting recipe then don’t forget to rate the recipe and let me know how you got on in the comments below, I love hearing from you!

4.91 from 10 votes