Vanilla buttercream frosting is a simple, four-ingredient frosting that's sweet, creamy, and smooth. This classic American buttercream is easy to make with a hand mixer and pipes beautifully onto cupcakes.
If you're looking for a simple cupcake frosting recipe, you've come to the right place. A classic vanilla buttercream frosting is made with just four ingredients and requires no cooking at all.
Butter and confectioner's sugar serve as the base for this frosting recipe. Vanilla and salt are added for flavor, and heavy cream makes this frosting rich, smooth, and extra creamy. All you need is a mixing bowl and a hand mixer to get started.
Add vanilla buttercream to your next vanilla sheet cake or batch of chocolate cupcakes. Want to make chocolate frosting instead? I've got a recipe for that too - chocolate buttercream frosting.
Ingredients and substitutions
- Butter - The base of the recipe. I only recommend making this recipe with sticks of real butter, not margarine or vegetable oil spread (commonly found in a tub). I recommend unsalted butter so that you can control the amount of salt in your buttercream, but salted butter can be substituted (and the listed salt omitted) if desired.
- Confectioner's sugar - Sometimes called powdered sugar or icing sugar. Confectioner's sugar sweetens and stabilizes the frosting, making it thick and pipeable. I don't recommend blending granulated sugar to make confectioner's sugar because you often can't achieve the superfine texture of manufactured confectioner's sugar at home.
- Vanilla extract - Adds vanilla flavor to your frosting. Vanilla extract can be substituted with other extracts to make unique frosting flavors, like lemon or maple.
- Salt - Balances with the sweetness of the frosting and helps it taste less sweet. I don't recommend omitting the salt unless you're using salted butter.
- Heavy cream - Creates a creamy, smooth texture. Whole milk can work as a substitute. I don't recommend lower fat milk alternatives because they won't add a creamy texture to the frosting. The fat in the milk is what creates a creamy texture.
Tips and tricks
Use a hand mixer or stand mixer - This frosting must be whipped with a whisk attachment for several minutes, so I recommend using a mixer instead of trying to mix it by hand.
To bring butter to room temperature - Set your butter out on the counter about 1 hour before making your frosting. To bring it to room temperature faster, unwrap your butter and slice it 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 with thin frosting on the tops, sides, and middle. For thick frosting all over, make an additional ½ batch of frosting.
I don't recommend it. Buttercream frosting is a traditional, very sweet frosting that is often found in grocery store bakeries and used on birthday cakes. It is popular because it's easy to prepare with two main ingredients - butter and confectioner's sugar. Since buttercream frosting includes so few ingredients, it is not easy to alter or make less sweet. Adding less sugar makes the frosting too soft to pipe and tastes like sweetened butter.
Instead, I'd suggest making a less sweet frosting recipe like ermine frosting, homemade whipped cream, Italian meringue buttercream, or Swiss meringue buttercream.
Baked goods can be frosted with buttercream the day before an event and left at room temperature in a sealed container. Keep in mind that butter (and in turn, buttercream) melts around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit.
If your location is nearing this temperature, I'd recommend refrigerating your baked goods until an hour before you're ready to serve them. Refrigerating your frosted baked goods for a short amount of time will not hurt them. However, you will want to give them some time to come to room temperature before serving.
Here's a fantastic article about how frosting holds up to heat: The Best Cake Frosting For Hot Weather
No, buttercream frosting can be kept at room temperature for 3 to 4 days with no issues. However, if your frosting contains other ingredients like eggs or cream cheese, it must be stored in the refrigerator.
If not frosting a cake immediately, buttercream frosting can be stored in the refrigerator for up to a week or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Troubleshooting
Buttercream frosting is made with butter, which melts around 90 to 95 degrees Fahrenheit. If your home is nearing that temperature or your cake is being displayed outside or in the sunlight, it may begin to melt.
Confectioner's sugar can sometimes contain lumps. If your confectioner's sugar looks lumpy after measuring, give it a sift before incorporating it with the rest of the ingredients.
Buttercream frosting is one of the sweetest types of frostings. You likely chose buttercream because it's made with two main ingredients, butter and sugar, and it requires no cooking. The trade-off for being so easy to make is that it is very sweet. Buttercream frosting relies on the confectioner's sugar to stabilize it, making it thick and pipeable. If you reduce the amount of sugar in the recipe, your frosting will get too soft to pipe and taste a lot like sweetened butter. I don't recommend reducing the sugar in this recipe for those reasons. Don't skip the salt in this recipe - it helps balance the sweetness of the frosting.
Buttercream frosting can have a grainy texture if the butter isn't room temperature or if the sugar isn't confectioner's sugar. Room temperature butter melds seamlessly with the sugar, and the liquids in the butter help melt the sugar granules. If your confectioner's sugar contains anti-caking agents like cornstarch, this can also add noticeable texture. Granulated sugar does not work in this recipe. I don't even recommend blending your granulated sugar to make confectioner's sugar because this process doesn't usually achieve the fine, powdered texture you get from store bought confectioner's sugar.
Allow your buttercream to set at room temperature for a few minutes. Add a bit more heavy cream and continue to whip. This allows the butter to warm up (if it was still a bit cold) and adds more moisture to help dissolve those sugar granules.
When refrigerated, buttercream frosting will firm up. Allow refrigerated frosting come to room temperature before spreading. If your room temperature frosting is still too thick to spread, add a splash of heavy cream or whole milk and mix until incorporated.
Recommended
📖 Recipe
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1.5 cups (339 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 4 cups (456 g) confectioner's sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ cup (57 g) heavy cream, or milk
- ¼ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a large bowl, add room temperature butter. With a hand mixer or stand mixer, beat until creamy and smooth, about 1 minute.
- Add confectioner's sugar 1 cup at a time and slowly mix until ingredients are fully combined. Then, whip at high speed for 2-3 minutes, or until light and fluffy.
- Add vanilla extract, heavy cream, 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
- Recipe makes enough to frost up to 18 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 with thin frosting. For thick frosting on all sides of a layer cake, make an additional ½ batch of frosting.
- This frosting will crust, so sprinkles or additional decorations need to be added before your frosting dries.
- Buttercream frosting will keep for up to a week in the refrigerator or 3 months in the freezer.
The icing taste amazing but not really thick ,did I not mix it enough?
The frosting should be thick enough to pipe onto cupcakes. Refrigerating will help thicken it, or adding more sugar (however this will also make it sweeter).
First time attempting frosting and this one worked. I didn’t use exact measurements as i cut in half to test first. It held and tasted great with the almond extract. Next time i make it i will use less sugar to my liking but this one is yummy!: thank you
Hi! Does this have to be stored in the fridge bc of the heavy cream? Thanks 🙂
Hi Emily, the sugar stabilizes the frosting, so it can remain out at room temperature for 3 to 4 days safely. No need to refrigerate unless your frosting is made ahead of time and you don't plan to use it right away.
Can this be used to pipe flowers? TIA! 😊
Yes, this frosting is perfect for piping flowers!
Not sure what I did wrong but mine didn’t come out. I did the smaller recipe. I couldn’t even use it on my loaf cake. I had to trash it 🙁
Hi Stacy, I'm sorry to hear that your frosting didn't turn out. What exactly went wrong with the recipe, did you substitute any ingredients?
Excellent recipe! Everyone loves it.