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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
I’ve been looking for a recipe for this for years and I have it now!!!😊
I tried the recipe on a cake. it was very sweet. i will use 3 cups powdered sugar next time.
Great recipe!! so easy Thanks
Hi there, I’m totally convinced that this is the recipe for me & I’d like to try this recipe for my daughters wedding cakes (a12″ a 9″ & a 6″ cake stacked on top of each other) I’m in the U.K. so I’m trying to figure out how much I’ll need if each cake has two layers plus a thin coating going over the top and around the sides.? (Prior to a fondant/ sugar-paste icing layer encasing each cake)
Also…is it possible to make this a chocolate flavoured buttercream whilst keeping the shortening in the ingredients? & if so How should I go about it?
I’m honestly not sure how much you’ll need. As for chocolate, try this chocolate buttercream and just use half shortening and half butter.
Thanks so much for this recipe. I’m using it on my twins’ birthday cupcakes! I PROMISE I scrolled through and looked for this question before asking it. 🙊 I hope it’s not a repeat offender and I missed that!
If I make the icing today, and refrigerate it to use in a few days, should I expect any differences in consistency, applicability, etc when I take the frosting out to sit at room temp before using? IOW, will refrigerator the frosting change it (for the negative) before I use it?
I’m trying to save time and prepare as much as I can ahead of the party day!
If you’re making double or triple batches, do you recommend just double/triple the ingredients or actually make multiple separate batches of the recipe size?
When I frost cakes I never feel like I have enough frosting in between the layers ( I guess I’m always afraid I won’t have enough for the top and sides) I think there’s a good amount but it’s always too little. How much frosting would you recommend in between a layer?
I almost always use one cup for each layer in my 3 layer cakes. You may need to adjust that for thicker or thinner layers though.
How much does this recipe cover?
I am making a 2 layer cake 9″ rounds.
Should I double or triple the recipe?
Depends on how much frosting you like. I would double it at least.
Best butter cream recipe I have found so far!!
I made it for a cake should I keep the cake in the fridge overnight or out at room temp?
So glad you’re happy with it! Buttercream can sit out at room temperature for about 24 hours but after that should be refrigerated.
Hi! Which Recipe I can use for the dam frosting?
This recipe can be used.
Hi! I’m excited to try your recipe. I have a question though – would the recipe change if I’m adding food gel for coloring?
No, the recipe doesn’t change if you are adding color.
Lindsay, thanks so much for your reply. I have 2 more questions I’ve failed to find answers to on the internet… first, after crumb coating and when putting it in the fridge, should the cake be covered? I don’t have a separate cake fridge so I’m afraid that the cake might absorb the smelly food in the fridge. Second, if I’m crumb coating the day before, should I leave the cake in the fridge overnight, or take it out after 30 min or so and leave it in room temp? I know that cakes shouldn’t be refrigerated since it will dry them out but wasn’t sure what the best thing to do is after crumb coating. Is it better to keep it unassembled if there’s no time to bake and decorate on the same day- then stack and crumb coat them another day? Instead of crumb coating in advance?
Will this buttercream version stand up to fully icing & smoothing a 3 tier wedding cake, I have an order coming up in December and I know an all butter buttercream will not hold well, so I am hoping this one will.
I don’t have a lot of experience with event cakes, but I would think that it would.
What kind of shortening (brand) do you use?
Crisco
How much does this recipe make? Also what is the ratio for making more?
The yield in the recipe mentions making 2 1/2 cups. It’s up where the timing information is (just so you know for future). As for the ratio, it’s 1 cup of butter to 4 cups of powdered sugar, so you can do a little math from there.
About how many cupcakes would one batch frost?
It really depends on how much frosting you use per cupcake. If you pile it on like I do, it’d be about 12 cupcakes.
Great recipe and information about how you developed it.
My wife is not a fan of really sweet icing and this met both our likes. I used salted butter for the half and no extra salt at the end. Only other modification was almond extract. It went perfect with a “Birthday Cake” style batter. Home run with my family! Thanks!!