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This Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is creamy, sweet and easy to customize! It’s perfect for piping onto cakes, cupcakes and more.
Table of Contents
Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
So this post has actually been on my site for more than 5 years now and today I’m giving it an update. I get SO many questions about buttercream and direct people here often. I feel like the information that was here wasn’t as helpful as it needed to be, so today that changes.
Plus, in the last 5 years I’ve made SO MUCH BUTTERCREAM and my opinions have changed slightly, so I feel like those things are worth sharing. All that said, my recipe is still the same. But hopefully you’ll find everything else included with it even more helpful than before.
Let’s get started!
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
The ingredients used in a classic vanilla buttercream often vary only a little. Here is what I use when I make buttercream frosting:
Butter
Naturally this is the most important since we are making BUTTERcream.
In the past, I’ve said that I like to use a mix of salted and unsalted butter (or salted butter and shortening – see next ingredient), but this is one thing that has changed a little lately.
Now I recommend using all unsalted butter and then adding salt to taste. You most definitely don’t want to use all salted butter – it gives the buttercream a very strong salty butter flavor and you really don’t want that. So – you’ll need room temperature unsalted butter.
Shortening
This is one ingredient that often leads to questions.
“Can I substitute it for more butter?” Yes.
“Why do you use it? It’s gross.” Well, that’s a longer answer.
Let’s talk about it a bit. One reason I often use some shortening is for consistency purposes. When a cake doesn’t need to be refrigerated because of a filling or something, I like to leave my cakes at room temperature. I just prefer their texture that way. When an all-butter buttercream is left at room temperature for a full day or overnight, I find that it kind of releases moisture that I don’t care for.
By contrast, when I use some shortening, that doesn’t happen.Another thing about shortening is that if you live in a warm climate or are making cakes that will be outdoors, shortening can be really helpful because it’s not as susceptible to heat, like butter.And then the original reason that I started using some shortening was that I always found the buttery taste of an all-butter buttercream to be too much. But of course, this is another area where my opinion has changed a bit. Butter has grown on me. Lately I find myself enjoying an all-butter buttercream. Just be sure to use unsalted butter, like I said before.
Powdered Sugar
Also something I get a lot of questions about. This recipe uses a full 4 cups of powdered sugar to 1 cup of butter/shortening. The high amount of powdered sugar make this buttercream stable and pipe-able. This recipe covers roughly 12 cupcakes for me when frosting them quite generously, which I do. So when I frost cakes, which I also do quite generously, I double and sometimes even triple this recipe. That means anywhere from 8-12 cups of powdered sugar. A lot? Yes. But if you reduce it, you totally change the consistency of the frosting, which is super important – especially when frosting cakes and cupcakes. To read more about frosting consistency, check out this post.
Vanilla Extract
Naturally, this adds flavor. But the great thing about this buttercream is that it’s so adaptable. Swap out this extract for another and you’ve got another flavor. Score!
Heavy Cream or Water
I tend to use water, but cream also works well. Again, I like to leave my cakes at room temperature when I can, so I usually just go with water. That said, the high amount of fat in buttercream should keep buttercream that uses heavy cream fine at room temperature for a day or two.
Salt
Since unsalted butter is recommended, you’ll want to add salt to taste. I think this is really a big personal preference with this recipe. The salt can help cut back on the sweetness a bit. Too much though and it gets quite salty.
How To Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
This buttercream is super quick and easy to make!
- First, add your butter (and shortening, if using) to your mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. Again, be sure it’s all at room temperature.
- Next, you’ll add about half of the powdered sugar. It doesn’t have to be exact.
- Then add your extract and some water or cream. Basically, we want to add some liquid to keep the buttercream from getting super thick as we continue to add the powdered sugar. I usually add one tablespoon of liquid, plus the extract at this point.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- At this point, you’ll want to add additional liquid as needed. How much you’ll add may depend a little on what you’re using your buttercream frosting for, but generally 2-4 tablespoons is plenty. Again, you can refer to my post on frosting consistency for a little more help on when to add more liquid and how much is too much.
- Finally, add a little salt. Start with a pinch and go from there.
How to Decorate Cakes and Cupcakes with Buttercream
If you’re looking for help decorating your cakes and cupcakes, I’ve got tutorials for both. My How to Frost a Smooth Cake tutorial is so well loved and an all time most viewed post. The video has more than a million views on YouTube. I really get into the details of how to actually frost your cake, so check it out. My tutorial for How to Frost Cupcakes is wonderful too. I show you 9 ways to frost cupcakes with 6 different piping tips. You can find links to all the tools I use in those posts, but here are some of my favorite piping tips.
- Ateco tip 844 – A go-to for piping onto cupcakes and for borders around cakes.
- Ateco tip 808 – A wonderful large round piping tip.
- Ateco tip 847 and Ateco tip 849 – Similar to the 844, but larger. I used the 847 tip on the cupcakes in these photos.
- Sprinkles – Not exactly a piping tip, but who doesn’t love them?
- Piping bags – Because you need these too.
Can I make buttercream ahead?
Absolutely! Make it and leave it on the counter overnight, or refrigerate it for up to a month.You can even freeze it for up to 3 months.
Why is my buttercream grainy?
If this happens, most likely this has to do with your powdered sugar. There’s no other ingredient that would be grainy. If you do experience this, you’ll want to try sifting your powdered sugar. I’ve never needed to do that, but if you don’t use your powdered sugar much and it’s been sitting for some time or you live in a humid environment, it may get kind of clumpy and then you’ll want to sift it.
Can I reduce the amount of powdered sugar?
Yes and no. Sure you can reduce it. Who’s to stop you? You’ll end up with a buttercream frosting (technically). But this question is really one of consistency.
I’ve been asked before if it was ok to reduce 8 cups of powdered sugar to 2 cups. If we talk about ratios here, then there’s 2 cups of butter for those 8 cups of powdered sugar. So if you reduce the powdered sugar to 2 cups without also adjusting the butter, it’ll be like eating straight butter with a touch of powdered sugar. Can you do it? Sure. Would I ever recommend it? Absolutely not. Not only would that taste bad (in my opinion), but the consistency would be totally off and it might not stay well on the cake it’s meant to go on. Not to mention that you couldn’t pipe it.
So I go back to recommending you check out my post on buttercream frosting consistency. Whether or not you can (or should) reduce it depends on how you want to use your frosting (and how you want it to taste).
And if you truly aren’t a fan of using much powdered sugar, then I might suggest checking out another kind of buttercream. This is an American Buttercream which gets it volume and stability from powdered sugar, so it’s hard to avoid. Swiss Meringue Buttercream gets its volume from egg whites that are cooked, so maybe check that out. I don’t currently have a recipe to recommend, but am working on it.
So there it is! Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Super easy and totally delicious. I hope this updated post helps! As always, if you have questions, leave them below and I’ll do my best to help.
You might also like these frosting recipes:
Homemade Strawberry Frosting – 2 Ways
Cream Cheese Frosting
Fudgy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Stabilized Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Easy Strawberry Whipped Cream – 2 Ways
Chocolate Ganache
Watch How To Make It
Print
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is creamy, sweet and easily adjustable! It’s a must-have recipe that’s super easy to make and pipes perfectly onto cakes and cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (95g) shortening (or additional butter)
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30-45ml) water or heavy cream
- Salt, to taste*
Instructions
- Combine the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water or cream and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add more water or cream until desired consistency is reached, then add salt to taste.
Notes
For the salt, start by adding a pinch or two and add more to your taste. I wouldn’t suggest adding more than 1/8 tsp.
You can add different extracts to change up the flavor. You can also add 1/4-1/2 cup of cocoa and a little more liquid to get a chocolate icing. For a peanut butter icing, add 3/4 cup of peanut butter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 1/2 cups
- Calories: 3288
- Sugar: 391.8 g
- Sodium: 742.3 mg
- Fat: 194.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 399.7 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 244 mg
My daughter is taking a cake decorating class and will be needing to decorate a cake for the county fair with 4H. They will not need to taste the cake or the frosting at all. Would using all shortening frosting be ok with the paper towel smoothing?
Yes, you should be able to use the paper towel method with an all shortening frosting.
Hi,
I just wanted to know how far in advance this frosting can be made and how it should be stored? Thanks so much!
It can be make a week or so ahead and left in the fridge. It could also be frozen for up to a month.
Hi
I have enjoyed reading all the questions and your answers . I’m wondering if you sift the powdered sugar before using it in the icing recipe?
I do not usually. But if you have a powdered sugar that is kind of lumpy or has been sitting a while, you might want to.
I am Very New to making buttercream icing, and want to make yours. I wanted to know what type of shortening do you use? I know they make all veg & 1 that has meat fat in it. I am making 2 cakes ( each are full size sheet cakes ) and about 50 cupcakes, for my granddaughters graduation. We like a good amount of icing so knowing that how much icing do you think I would have to make to have enough? Thank You So Much!
I use regular vegetable shortening, not the butter flavored one. I don’t really make any sheet cakes, so I’m not as sure about those, but I use this full recipe for about 12-15 cupcakes and that’s with a good bit of frosting on each. I hope that helps!
Hi Lindsay. I thought I’d post a comment that someone may find useful. Most people complain about how sweet buttercream is (especially if it’s a crusting buttercream). I read somewhere to put a wee bit of lemon extract in the mix. I tried it last time and I have to say it is the very best “holy cow good” frosting I’ve ever made. The lemon flavor is barely discernible, kind of like the tang of cheesecake, but it balances out the sweet. I’m sorry to say I didn’t measure but my guess is somewhere between 1/3-1/2 tsp.
how would I make coffee buttercream with this recipe ?
There are a couple options – one would be to add dry powdered coffee, another would be to add actual coffee or espresso. I often dissolve powdered espresso or coffee in a small amount of water so that it’s more concentrated and then I can add the flavor to the frosting without adding too much liquid. I have some coffee flavored frosting on this cake, if you’d like to take a look for guidance.
Hi Lindsay. I want to know how sweet is your buttercream frosting. I want to make a buttercream that people will want to eat and not scrape away like most store-bought cakes. They are way toooooo sweet. Please reply. Thank you.
Isabella
This really is such a preference thing. I’ve shared my cupcakes and cakes with countless people and the only people that scrape the frosting off are those that simple don’t like frosting (my dad and husband, ironically – they scrape it off everything – homemade or storebought). You can also check out my post on frosting consistency. Even though that’s different than flavor, it can help you adjust a recipe like this one to your liking. I find that if you follow this recipe as written, it’s not too sweet. If you use all unsalted butter, it probably will be very sweet. With unsalted butter, you’ll want to add a little salt – it cuts down the sweetness. Some people like to leave out some of the powdered sugar, but it does change the consistency so you’d want to check out that post. Hopefully that’s helpful – as you can see the answer isn’t entirely straight forward. 🙂
Hello Lindsay
Do you freeze your cakes before smoothing with paper towel?
I don’t. The frosting will actually develop a little crust on the outside if it sits for too long and you won’t be able to smooth it anymore without getting cracks in the “crust”. You want to do it right away.
Hi Lindsay
I am Scared of you, But LOVE LOVE LOVE your cakes and your Web site.
I am a Home Baker who will try anything once. All I can say is God Bless you
and who ever gave you that gift……
Friday
I don’t usually write a review but I think this may be helpful for people who don’t have easy access to shortening and haven’t used it before. I live in Australia and shortening is not a thing here, it doesn’t exist unless you go to a specialty bake store and buy it (for $14.00 at Bake Boss) as I bake a lot I knew where to find it. I had no idea of the texture, consistency, colour or taste of it as i’m sure many non Americans find the same! I made your recipe and found the texture was a lot different than regular American buttercream, it has a smoother texture than all butter, it’s creamier and pleasantly surprising. I’m also really glad that this was less sweet than an all butter recipe, I hate overly sweet things but I also did add half a teaspoon of Lemon juice so that could have contributed! (it didn’t affect the taste though). Thanks for the recipe Lindsay, it was fun to try! I think I will use it again as it paired well with my caramel filled chocolate cupcakes. Excited to see what my friends think as I have made these for Australia Day celebrations (much like 4th of July) 🙂
Great feedback and hopefully helpful for others! Thanks so much for sharing Alicia! 🙂
I use the Wilton recipe that asks for shortening. I notice that the frosting on my cakes will at times start to fall off. I researched this and it stated it was the shortening. Will this recipe stop that from happening if I mix half Crisco and half butter?
Hmm, I remember taking the Wilton classes and using all shortening frosting. I don’t think I had that issue with the frosting. My guess would be that it has to do with the amount of liquid added and the thick/thin-ness of the frosting. I do think shortening can lend a dryer frosting though, so the half butter/half shortening could help. I also just prefer the taste. 🙂
Hi, I just stumbled onto your blog from Pinterest, trying to refresh my memory on cake decorating (it’s been a while!), and tell you, beautiful work! I have been using a recipe for buttercream from a professional decorator for years, and would like to share a tip she uses to stabilize her frosting. Use hot water and powdered coffee creamer in equal parts in place of the liquid in the recipe. She streams the liquid in at the beginning of her recipe, with the shortening, but you could let it cool and add as needed into any buttercream recipe as needed. This gives the creaminess of milk, bit is more stable and heat tolerant. It makes a great, creamy frosting!
I love that idea! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks Kelly!
How would you suggest adding color to the frosting? I purchased some gel coloring and need to get the frosting a bright red, and I am worried that adding so much color to a white frosting will affect the consistency? If you have any tips they would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much for your time!
I usually add small amounts of the gel color at a time using a toothpick. You don’t want to reuse the toothpick and get frosting in your gel. The gel is quite concentrated, so it shouldn’t really affect the frosting. The darker the shade of a color, the more gel you use, but even so, it should be fine. You could always add a little less milk or water to start when you make the frosting, then thin it out after you’ve colored it, if needed. If you are making red frosting, there’s a gel red called “no taste red” that’s a good option. Because you’ll use so much gel to get a true red, it can help make sure you don’t get a funny taste.
How many cupcakes, or what size cake will this recipe cover?
It should cover 12 cupcakes. I usually double or triple it for a full sized 8 or 9 inch cake.
I made a small amount of this, just to try it out with only butter since I didn’t have shortening on hand and it was too sweet for me. Does using half shortening take away some of the sweetness?
No, that wouldn’t bring down the sweetness. You can add less powdered sugar, it’ll just reduce the volume of frosting (the yield).
Hi Lindsay,
one question about your frosting. Can I freeze it? Let’s say I make cupcakes in advance and I want to freeze them with the decoration. Will the frosting (when I defreeze them) make little drops of water?
Thanks!
I’d suggest defrosting the frosted cupcakes in the fridge. The condensation shouldn’t be so much of an issue that way.