Buttermilk frosting is a sweet vanilla buttercream frosting that's got a hint of tang from the added buttermilk. It's great on buttermilk cupcakes, brownies, and cinnamon rolls!
Heather's recipe summary
Flavor/texture: A sweet, traditional buttercream frosting just like Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, but made with buttermilk for a subtle tangy flavor.
Yield: About 3 ½ cups
Similar to: Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
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Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter - Butter is the base of the recipe, so make sure you're using sticks of real butter, not margarine or vegetable oil spread. If you're using salted butter, omit the listed salt in the recipe.
- Vanilla extract - Substitute at half the amount with other extracts like lemon, maple, or almond if desired.
- Buttermilk - Can be substituted with whole milk to make a regular Vanilla Buttercream Frosting if desired.
How to make buttermilk frosting
- Add butter to a large bowl and beat until creamy and smooth. Add confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time until incorporated.
- Add buttermilk, vanilla, and salt.
- Whip until fluffy, another 1-2 minutes.
- Pipe onto cooled cupcakes and serve.
Tips and tricks
Bring butter to room temperature - Set the butter out on the counter about 1 hour before preparing the frosting. To bring it to room temperature faster, unwrap and slice into pieces. Small pieces warm up faster than a whole stick.
Don't be tempted to use the microwave - I don't recommend microwaving your butter because any melted butter in the recipe can ruin the texture of the frosting.
Don't skip the salt - The salt listed in this recipe helps balance with the sweetness of the frosting and enhances the flavor.
Frequently asked questions
This recipe makes enough frosting to frost the following cupcake quantities and cake sizes:
- 6-inch three layer cake
- 18 cupcakes with piped frosting
- 24 cupcakes spread with a knife
- 9x13 sheet cake
- 13x18 sheet cake
- 8-inch or 9-inch two layer cake on the top, sides, and middle
No. Instead, make a frosting that's made with less sugar like ermine frosting or homemade whipped cream. Buttercream frosting is made with two main ingredients: confectioner's sugar and butter. It's popular because it's no-cook and made with few ingredients. Since it's mainly made of sugar, it's very sweet. Using less sugar means you'll mainly taste butter, the other main ingredient.
Yes, it's a great frosting for piping and making decorations for a cake.
Yes, this frosting will form a crust when allowed to sit at room temperature for several hours.
For years I've used this simple Wilton cupcake decorating kit (Amazon) to decorate my cupcakes. It comes with four piping tips, bags, and easy to read instructions. I also purchased this additional coupler (Amazon) to make it easy to secure the piping tips and to change out tips halfway through decorating.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Buttermilk Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (456 g) confectioner's sugar, sifted to remove lumps
- ¼ cup (56 g) buttermilk, cold
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter. Using a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamy and smooth, about a minute.
- Add confectioner's sugar, 1 cup at a time, mixing slowly until combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add buttermilk, vanilla, and salt, then whip until fluffy, another 1 to 2 minutes.
- Pipe or spread frosting with a knife onto cupcakes and serve.
Equipment Recommendations
Notes
- Yield: About 3 ½ cups
- How much frosting do I need? Recipe makes enough to frost up to 15 cupcakes with piped frosting, 24 cupcakes spread with a knife, a 9x13 sheet cake, a 13x18 sheet cake, or a round 8 or 9 inch 2-layer cake on the top, sides, and middle.
- Decorate while fresh: This frosting will crust, so sprinkles or additional decorations need to be added before your frosting dries.
- Storage: Buttercream frosting will keep for 3-4 days at room temperature, up to a week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
I had so much fun creating this recipe! I hope you give it a try and love it as much as I do. If you have a question, check out the post above, which is packed with information about the recipe. Tried the recipe? I'd love to hear your thoughts — leave a comment and a star rating to share your feedback!