When I used to bake and decorate wedding and birthday cakes, I would use different types of frosting depending on who was eating the cake. Most wedding cakes were frosted in egg based recipes such as Italian or French meringue but for children’s cakes or cupcakes I usually frost cakes in American buttercream frosting. Made with powdered sugar, butter, vanilla, and milk, this is a basic, easy recipe for classic vanilla buttercream frosting. This frosting works great for spreading on cakes, cupcakes, and/or for decorating. Some frosting recipes will call for shortening. Although you could easily substitute some of the butter for shortening, your frosting will taste greasy. But if you must have a true bright white frosting or need to stabilize it, shortening and clear vanilla extract flavoring would work fine. I prefer using all butter and occasionally substituting the vanilla extract for other flavors such as almond, coconut, milk, or lemon. The color of the buttercream is slightly off white but the taste of whipped buttery frosting makes it entirely worth it. Also, the frosting can be easily tinted with food paste gel or food coloring.
It’s important to note that when preparing a batch of frosting you adjust the consistency of the buttercream for what you plan on using it for. The easiest way to do this is by adjusting the amount of milk you use. The less milk you pour in, the more stiff your frosting will be. And if you pour in too much milk, you can always add more sifted powdered sugar to stiffen it right back up. I for one prefer a medium (somewhat soft but slightly stiff) consistency when spreading on a cake. But for piping and decorative work, I prefer a stiffer consistency so the different edges of my piping tips will show clearly. The tip I used in the picture above is a #32. As you can see, I piped it in 3 different styles using the same tip.
This recipe is very forgiving. The amounts of milk and powdered sugar you use can be adjusted for what you need. The only important suggestion I would recommend is to make sure you sift your powdered sugar before adding it to the butter. This will insure your frosting is smooth and without small sugar clumps.
If you’re looking for a classic vanilla buttercream recipe, look no further. Enjoy!
**I am also soliciting cake tutorial requests – just leave them in the comment section below**
* Many of you have asked about how much frosting you need to make for cakes and cupcakes. Here’s an informative link from Baking 911 with a useful chart giving approximate frosting amounts depending the cake size. Also, as far as cupcakes are concerned there is no standard answer. Some people like to decorate with very little frosting on the cupcakes and others like to pipe them skyscraper high which would require way more frosting per cupcake. For decorating cupcakes, the amount of frosting you need is according to how much frosting you would like to use.
**Someone emailed me wanting to know what tool I use to sift the powdered sugar. I just buy a round metal mesh strainer available at any grocery store and use a spoon to stir the sugar against the metal mesh. Hope this helps.**
*** Tips for success: Use unsalted butter. Different brands of butter have varied levels of salt content in salted butter. Some people have commented that their buttercream was too salty. This is due to the brand of butter you use. Some brands will be vary salty and others not so much. Therefore I have changed the recipe to reflect unsalted butter.
The texture of the butter makes a BIG difference. If your buttercream is runny or thin, this is due to the texture of the butter which I’m assuming some of you may have microwaved to get it softened. When you microwave butter like this, you run the risk of melting the butter which will make your frosting runny and grainy. Ideally you want your butter to be soft enough to whip with a mixer or beater but not so soft it will melt. The texture should be similar to ice cream, soft enough to scoop but firm enough to hold it’s shape.
Related post: How to Frost a Cake
| Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting |
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- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks or 1/2 pound), softened (but not melted!) Ideal texture should be like ice cream.
- 3-4 cups confectioners (powdered) sugar, SIFTED
- 1/4 teaspoon table salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- up to 4 tablespoons milk or heavy cream
- Beat butter for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 3 cups of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add vanilla extract, salt, and 2 tablespoons of milk/cream and beat for 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add remaining sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add remaining milk 1 tablespoons at a time.
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Hi, I was wondering if you ever add air bubbles in your traditional american buttercream frosting for wedding cakes. I am doing some weddings this summer and am very concerned about setting the cakes up only for them to get an air bubble. I just recently started seeing air bubbles in my frosted cakes. Do you know why this is happening. I use a very similar recipe to yours. I typically bake my cake off, chill it, crumb coat and then frost it. After awhile sitting out I am getting an air bubble…it so frustrating..would love any suggestions/help!! Thanks!!!
Air bubbles happen when you frost a frozen cake. Don’t ask me why. Its kind of 6 of one and a half dozen of the other. On the one hand, frozen cakes are less likely to crumb. On the other, they will bubble.
I never do a crumb coat, so I’m not sure if its possible to wait between the coats. If you can, I would do your crumb coat then wait for it to thaw. At that point, take a needle and let the air out of any bubbles, then put on your thicker coat.
Also, remember that if its a wedding cake, you won’t see most of it anyway. Since bubbles usually appear on top, you can lance the bubbles, release the air, and put your next tier right on top of any imperfection.
Hi Annemarie -
The air bubbles happen when you whip the buttercream too fast. Try a slightly faster speed than medium and be careful to stop beating the butter when you get the consistency you want.
I am planning on trying this for my son’s first birthday cake. Do I need to refrigerate the cake after I’ve iced it? Since there is milk and butter in the frosting I wasn’t sure. Thank you!
I’ve made this icing a dozen times and I’ve never refrigerated it. Not refrigerating butter won’t kill you. You’ll be ok. Milk is in a lot of frostings and has been since our grandmothers made them and that wasn’t refrigerated either. I’ve never had listeria or any other sort of food poisoning and I don’t typically refrigerate my butter. I even eat un-pasterized dairy and don’t refrigerate them either and I’ve been totally fine. I may have a gut like a goat or we really freak out too much about bacteria.
Hi Amy,
I just wanted to add my 2 cents. Yes, I always refrigerate my frosted cakes and any unused frosting.
Hello.
I used this recipe and it tastes FANTASTIC! I doubled the recipe because i have fount that for most frostings I NEVER HAVE ENOUGH! This time though, the doubling did the trick!
Hi,
Thank you.
When it comes to a “sifted” ingredient, I’m never sure about this. Do you measure the amount called for in the recipe, sift directly in the bowl? OR , do you sift a large amount in a bowl, and take the amount called for from the already sifted ingredient?
I’m always second guessing myself and have been told both ways! Curious as to what your answer will be!
Hi Theresa I just wanted to let you know that in most recipes you measure first then sift. If I am wrong in this case, sorry. I just know sometimes it takes awhile before receiving a response:)
It depends on how your recipe reads. If it states 3 cups sifted sugar then measure the sugar then sift. If it calls for 3 sifted cups then sift before measuring.
In general you will measure first then sift. Usually when calling for sifting first recipes are measured by weight not volume so its much easier.
Flour used to require sifting twice — once before measuring and once after. My mother taught me to sift more than needed. Then measure into the sifter again and add salt, soda, baking powder, and/or cocoa as needed. Then sift all these dry ingredients together. Now, flour is usually pre-sifted. I do usually stir it with a whisk. I rarely sift. Confectioners’ sugar is a different story. It usually needs to be sifted. You really need to look at it and make a judgement. If it’s really lumpy, you should sift before measuring. Otherwise, you won’t get an accurate amount. If it just has small lumps, then measure before sifting. I think powdered sugar that has been sitting in the cabinet for a long period of time tends to be lumpier.
I agree with Kay!
Used this tonight but instead of icing sugar I used instant dissolving sugar. I am Canadian so this might be called something else where you are. Fruit sugar? Anyway it’s the icing sugar without the cornstarch which I hate! I started out using 1/4 cup less but ended up adding it in anyway. Omg to die for!
I am adding this from my iPhone at the hockey steana and I can’t seem to vote but 2 thumbs up for sure!!
BUTTERCREAMFROSTINGITISVERYNICEANDITISOGOOD
If u use only butter how can you make pure white butter cream. Mine always chane to butter color. Pls advise. Thx
If you don’t want to use the shortening the only thing you could use is a white coloring… It’s sort of like a bleaching agent. You can find it online or at craft stores that sell baking supplies…like michaels. Hope this helps!
There is clear vanilla extract, maybe that will help keeping it white
Along the line with what Christy said, you cannot get pure white frosting using butter. If you need pure white frosting, you’ll need to use shortening.
Thank you for your explanation on making the frosting. I have made it for years and it always seem grainy. This is the first time I have made it and it is smooth and not salty. Many Thanks
This icing was terrible. I thought it was way to sweet and was very disappointed. I would not recommend this recipe. I did not even use the full sugar amount when I made it.
I hate to ask you but why not reduce some of the sugar. The recipe is a good buttercream recipe. If you don’t like buttercream then use swiss meringue buttercream or italian meringue buttercream which is typically less sweet. I mean American buttercream is KNOWN to be sweet like this. What were you expecting out of this? I love this recipe. My husband who is French who hates buttercream loved it. He said it is the best buttercream he’s ever had and he absolutely hates buttercream with a passion of any kind. I’m not a buttercream fan either but yours is the bees knees. I added creme fraiche to mine and vanilla bean and it was fantastic.
I totally love this recipe! Not sure why anyone would say it gross, it is supposed to be sweet. I have been making my kids birthday cakes and using this recipe and its just awesome! When I use this recipe I make sure that my cake is not overly sweet to balance out the flavors. Also I always double so I have extra if I need it.
You must not know what buttercream frosting is, ’cause it is suppose to be sweet like everyone is saying. My family says that I like buttercream frosting because it is so sweet that it makes my teeth hurt. Can’t wait to try this recipe. My mother used shortening and it was good but I know this will taste better. Thanks so much!
omg i tried making these stuff and i have to say WOW they tasted yumm!
I dont know why im having a hard time with this ? It’s a simple recipe and its not coming out the same….. i followed the instructions and the frosting taste good and sweet but i already put in 4 cups of confectioners (powdered) sugar and its still greasy and kinds coming apart !!! should i add MORE sugar? please help !!
Do NOT melt butter but rather let it come to room temperature. I whip my butter and then add all dry ingredients together with an electric mixer. Then I drizzle the cream and extract a bit at a time and whip until desired consistency. I know this sounds funny but make sure you are using confectioner’s sugar, aka 10X sugar NOT granulated sugar.
can the buttercream frosting be store in the frig?
Yep, just put it in a bowl, cover it with cling film and push down so you get all the air out. It should last about 2 weeks in the fridge all you have to do is gently give it a mix with a spatula or spoon if you need to use it again. Hope this helps!
Holy Moly!!! This is the best buttercream frosting that I have ever tried! To those of you who have had problems…you must not be following the directions correctly. Any true baker knows you can’t cut corner and try to “melt” the butter in the microwave to make it softer faster. You must take your time and plan ahead. Also as a baker I never even buy salted butter any more. This is key, otherwise you will end up with a very salty frosting. Make sure you follow the exact measurements and you shouldn’t run in to any troubles. This is so tasty! Thank you for the recipe!!!
Just FYI, if you’re just making cupcakes (or whatever) and aren’t picky about the consistency of the frosting (aka these aren’t for show), then non-shifted powdered sugar is good, too.
I didn’t have a way to sift mine today but I think it tastes great!!
how can I make it not so sweet but the right texture
This will sound a little weird but I have tried it and was happy with the results. Add 1/4 cup of regular flour to the sugar and blend it in. I was really surprised how it helped reduce the sweetness and it even made it smoother. Good luck.
Hi Beth,
I haven’t tried adding flour like someone suggested but American Buttercream is typically sweet. If you’re looking for less sweet you will want to make an Italian or Swiss Meringue Buttercream.
Wow, this recipe is great. I used 4 cups of sifted flour and instead of adding 4 T of milk, I added 2 T of strawberry puree (left over from my strawberry cake I made) and 2 T of milk. The two sticks of butter did the trick and I had enough for a 3 layer cake and 12 cupcakes. Thanks!!
Thank you for sharing your recipe! I am planning on making my son’s cupcakes and smash cake for his 1st birthday in June, and did NOT want to make a buttercream icing using “shortening”. Thanks again!
I am having difficulty getting my butter cream to look white!!! I beat the butter for a good 5 – 10 minutes. It does go a very pale yellow but when I add the icing sugar it remains the same colour. I presume you do mean icing sugar when you say confectioner’s sugar (I’m living in Ireland and can’t get confectioner’s sugar in any of the baking shops here). I read Tu’s comment above (483) and Christy’s reply (484) above but the thought of putting a bleaching agent into the recipe doesn’t appeal to me at all. If anyone has any suggestions I’d be extremely grateful.
Rebecca
The product I use, Icing Color White-White, is made by Wilton and it is a coloring, like other food colorings, not a bleach. It has titanium dioxide, glycerine and water, according to the label. I have had good success with this since using butter always adds yellow to the icing. Your other option is to substitute shortening for the butter. Some people commented here that it makes the icing greasy but I have never had any complaints. Good luck.
Rebecca, my daughter lives in Scotland and yes, icing sugar is the same as confectioner’s sugar. Using butter is never going to render a completely white icing. You have to use shortening or just be happy the way it is. I use a butter that has very little yellow in it so my icing is usually just off-white. Adding colors to it will take care of that. If you do want a pure white and don’t want to use shortening, there are white colors that you can buy, one from Wilton’s like someone else suggested, or one from Americolor, which you may have to order online. Neither contain bleach! Titanium Dioxide is a white mineral and is safe to use. If I don’t want it too sweet or I want it less yellow, I will use 1/2 butter, 1/4 Crisco and 1/4 cream cheese. Good luck!
I tried making this but i had another recipe from another website and my frosting started to look funny after i was done almost like marshmallowey and it seemed to be separating its hard to explain but i tried twice and failed. i checked the recipe and all the ingridients and everything seemed to be right but the butter wasnt BUTTER it was “vegetable spread” or something like that.. whaat did i do wrong??
Has to be butter, not vegetable spread. You can use stick margarine but it doesn’t taste as good.
I want to try this recipe for my daughters first birthday. I have never tried buttercream frosting and I like the butter in it rather than shortening. Can I make this a day before I plan to decorate the cake? And should I put it in the fridge until ready to use or keep it room temperature? I live in Florida so the weather is hot and can be a little humid, any recommendations/tips for hot and humid weather? Thanks and can’t wait to try!
I keep mine in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 weeks and then let it warm to room temp. before I use it. When I lived in Phoenix, I used shortening or half shortening because of the heat but that was mostly because of the floral work I did with the icing. If you are just doing script work and borders, it should be good. I hope your daughter has a wonderful 1st birthday!
Just tried this tonight. It worked out well! I let the butter sit out for about 2 hours before using, and it was a great consistency. This recipe was exactly what I was looking for, thank you!
I used it for Guinness cupcakes with Bailey’s buttercream frosting, and Blue Moon cupcakes with orange buttercream frosting. For the Bailey’s, I added only about a 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla and a whole mini-bar sized bottle of the Bailey’s (about 4-ish tablespoons), along with two tablespoons milk. It was extremely sweet just tasting with my finger, but it mellowed and worked well with the chocolate cupcake. For the orange frosting, I simply used orange extract instead of vanilla.
I used one batch of frosting for about 24 cupcakes, and that was a pretty sparing amount of frosting on each cupcake (I don’t prefer a ton). If you want your cupcakes to have a lot of frosting on top like in most cupcake porn, you’re definitely going to have to make a double batch per 24.
Hi,
My frosting always has this sugary test and it is not smooth as it should be, can you please tell me why is it so? Thanks
Hi Farah,
Are you sure you are using confectioner’s sugar?
I want to make this frosting ahead of time for a cake I plan on decorating. Have you tried to keep it in the fridge overnight? Does it taste just as good?
Hi Jamie,
Yes, refrigerated frosted cakes tastes just really good!
Is it possible to freeze this icing or will it hold up okay in fridge for a week? If so, do I just let it sit out until room temp? Thank you so much!
I am a beginner. Looking forward and excited to use your Buttercream Frosting recipie. It sounds very palate appealing & tasteful. I am a 50 year old retired male in the kitchen, starting a new hobby. Wish me luck-I will let you know. If anyone has a reputable cake batter recipie, please e-mail me, rs.copeland@att.net. Happy baking to all!
This was an awsome recipie!!! Like she said in the directions it is very forgiving. I used 3 cups powered suger but only about 1 tb milk. I found milk works better then cream or half and half. I still added about 1/2 a cup moorsuger to get the stiffness I needed and eveyone love it.
I am currently in the middle east and i wanted to try to make this icing for my husbands birthday cake. I cant seem to find any vanilla extract, just vanilla powder. Can i use vanilla powder as a substitute? I also was wondering if i could use milk powder and just add water. Im really nervous to bake because its the first time he would be trying a cake I made. Is it ok if I make the icing the day before and refrigerate it?
Hi Suzanne,
Not having used vanilla powder or milk powder I do not know the results you’ll get. Sorry.
Is this good for piping? Im making monster cupcakes and want to make sure it will work well!
Hi Katiee,
Works beautiful for piping, especially monster cupcakes.
So I made this & it tastes really super awesome, but its not white like in the pictures. Its more butter yellow. how can I fix that? I tried adding more sugar, but it didnt do anything & I didn’t want to add too much.
use white food paste/coloring u can get it anywhere that sells cake supplies.
Hi,
Can I use this as the icing layer before I do fondant?
And can I frost the cakes then leave them a day in the fridge and it now be gross?
And last time I made a buttercream it was lumpy and was running off my cake looked crappy and made my fondant crappy and advice?
Hi Samantha,
This frosting will work beautifully as an undercoat to fondant.
Let me start by saying I hate buttercream. Every time I’ve had it or made it in the past, it was always so greasy and heavy, not realizing it was because of the shortening. I made this one using butter, and it was fantastic. I printed it out and will use it often in the future. The ease of making it and the ability to change it’s consistency or flavour with a simple addition is amazing. Thank you very much for posting this recipe.
Will this frosting crust? I am making a cake using the Melvira method and the frosting needs to crust before rolling it. Would love any information. Thanks
Stacie
Hi Stacie,
Yes, it will crust but not in the way you’re thinking for the method you’re using. Use shortening for that.
I tried this recipe last night at my frosting came out runny, although it taste quite good. I’m thinking my butter was too melted to begin with, I left it out the night before but when i opened the packages the next day it was so melted it could not hold it’s shape. I’m going to try it again tomorrow and whip it all up before the butter gets that melted again. Also, does whipping / mixing the frosting for a longer period of time change the consistency of the product? What do I want to do if I want a thicker consistency for decorating (making roses specifically)?
Hi Cassie – you can’t use melted butter. Adding more sugar will not help it either. You want to use softened butter but not melted.
Buttercream is the bomb! I absolutely love using vanilla buttercream as the base for all of the cakes I make. I do not use fondant as many customers as well as my personal taste would rather have buttercream. I usually prefer to taste the butter more than the sugary aspect of buttercream frostings, and that’s why I tend to up the butter by one stick. I use two sticks of salted butter (never tasted or had a complaint of the cake or frosting being salty), to one pound (or box) of confectioners (powdered) sugar, and 4-6 tablespoons of milk (for thinning as needed).
I have a cake tutorial request; I’d like to see a cake with a basket weave design, decorated with buttercream flowers (any kind except roses!).
I have a ton of requests! However, I’ll stick to one. Actually it’s a bit off topic but;
Years ago, on the Martha Stewart show, my mother saw a guest make a frosting. The guest was a baker and the filming actually took place in her bakery. The frosting was cooked and looked wet but she piped with it and made a huge sunflower that covered the whole top of the cake. The baker said she preferred the taste of cooked sugar over raw sugar. My mother always wanted that recipe but didn’t write it down as it was being demonstrated. Neither she nor I like that boiled frosting that tastes like marshmallows. Of coarse she doesn’t know what this frosting tasted like but was also hoping it didn’t taste like that. Do you have any suggestions as to a recipe that fits this description?
I’ll be making buttercream flowers next week and I’ll be using this recipe. Thank you for posting it. I’ll be using a flour frosting recipe for the actual frosting of the cake.
Believe it or not I know the exact episode you’re talking about. I want to say it was Magnolia Bakery in NYC but I am not 100% sure. However, the frosting they used was an Italian Meringue buttercream. The recipe uses cooked egg yolks but it is less sweet than the traditional American buttercream. In fact, it tastes like sweetened butter – very velvety-like texture. Swiss Meringue uses the egg whites and is also quite good.
I have a question to the people that have made this recipe before, did you use milk or did you use whipping cream? I dont have any heavy whipping cream on me and dont feel like running back out to the store.
Hi Kayla,
Yes, you can use milk. I feel that the cream makes it, well…. creamier, but milk works just fine.
So, I too found this to be far too sweet. I only used 2.5 c. of sugar, and still had to add 6tbsp of milk and a bit of flour to get it to the point where I could eat it, though I still felt as though I was eating pure sugar. Maybe the problem is using milk instead of cream?
Also, just a heads up, if you want to do piping and really pile on the frosting, the recipe might work as written, but I was just frosting a cake the plain way, and ended up with twice as much frosting as I wanted. I would do only 1 stick of butter if you want to frost just the middle layer and top, or 1.5 sticks if you also want to frost the sides
I have done a buttercream frosting with one stick of butter not two. I have had it melt right off the cupcakes. It doesn’t seem to hold for very long but tastes amazing. Will this recipe hold for decorating if I need to do it the day before? Or even a couple of days before?
Hi Michelle,
Yes, this frosting will hold but you should keep your frosted cake in the refrigerator.
*DO NOT USE A FULL TABLESPOON OF VANILLA*
no matter how much heavy cream/butter/powdered sugar we added afterwards, the vanilla was very overpowering–that was all we could taste. Perhaps you meant one teaspoon, not tablespoon?
To anyone who makes the recipe, add vanilla a teaspoon at a time, you don’t want to ruin the whole thing by adding too much. Otherwise, great recipe!
Its got so much vanilla in it because its a vanilla butter cream recipe. There is a regular butter cream recipe.
I am doing cupcakes for a wedding and would like to use this reciepe but its for 250 cupcakes, how many batches of this do you suggest i make?
Hi Jen,
It’s really hard to say, especially in the quantity you’re doing. Depending on how you plan on frosting each cupcake will determine how much frosting you need. I would suggest making one batch and see how many cupcakes you can frost based on your frosting decoration.
Im. Making cupcakes too and my concern is if the icing will hold up with out refrigerating before hand ?
I’ve used this recipe and love it, but I’m curious as to how it would hold up on a warmer day. I plan to make a large castle cake for my daughter’s birthday in June and I fear the frosting will slide right off.
Hi Sara,
When I used to do wedding cakes I make sure to keep the cake cold for as long as possible. I’ve never had a problem. I would make sure to keep it in your fridge up until serving.
I was wondering what type of frosting is used in like “birthday cakes” and “wedding cakes,” it always tastes different then all homemade butter-cream recipes I tried thus far. I was also wondering how cupcake bakeries make their frostings so light and fluffy, as well, with allowing the frosting to still be perfectly pipe-able.
Hi Garrett,
Most bakeries use a processed non-dairy whipped topping. A very popular brand to use is called Rich’s Better Cream.
How do I get rid of the powdered sugar taste its awful? Am I using too much? And why on this earth cant I get my frosting to stand up. Its always runny very frustrating. I can sure bake the cakes but I cant decorate them. Please, what might I be doing wrong?
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