Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe

This vanilla buttercream frosting is made from 1 cup (226 g) of softened unsalted butter, 3 1/2 to 4 cups of sifted powdered sugar, 2 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or whole milk, 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and a pinch of salt. It takes about 10 minutes with a mixer and frosts 12 to 16 cupcakes or a 2 layer 8 inch cake.

What makes it light instead of heavy and sugary is time in the mixer. The butter is beaten alone until pale, the sugar goes in a cup at a time, and the finished frosting gets another couple of minutes on medium-high. Vanilla buttercream icing and vanilla buttercream frosting are the same thing here, just two names for it.

What One Batch of Vanilla Buttercream Covers

• Butter: 1 cup (226 g, 2 sticks) unsalted, softened
• Powdered sugar: 3 1/2 cups (420 g) for a soft, spreadable frosting, up to 4 cups (480 g) for piping that holds its ridges
• Liquid: 2 tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk to start, a third tablespoon only if it is too stiff
• Flavor: 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract and a pinch of salt
• Time: about 10 minutes of mixing
• Covers: 12 to 16 cupcakes, or the top, middle and sides of a 2 layer 8 inch cake

For tall piped swirls the batch goes further on 12 cupcakes than on 16. For a 3 layer cake, or if you want a thick coat with piped borders, make a double batch.

Butter That Dents but Does Not Slide

Most soft, soupy buttercream starts with butter that was too warm. You want it at cool room temperature: press it with a finger and it should leave a clear dent without your finger sliding through, and the surface should look matte, not shiny or greasy. Butter softened in the microwave is almost always too far gone.

Beat it on its own on medium speed for 2 to 3 minutes, in a stand mixer with the paddle or with a hand mixer. It should turn noticeably paler and look creamy before any sugar goes in. That beating is what gives the finished frosting its volume, and it also lightens the yellow color of the butter.

Adding the Powdered Sugar a Cup at a Time

Sift the powdered sugar first. Lumps in the sugar stay as gritty bits in the frosting, and no amount of beating fully breaks them down. Turn the mixer to low and add it 1 cup at a time, letting each cup mostly mix in before the next one. Going in all at once sends a cloud of sugar over the counter and leaves dry streaks at the bottom of the bowl.

Once all the sugar is in, raise the speed to medium-high and beat for another 2 to 3 minutes. Then add the vanilla, 2 tablespoons of cream and the salt and beat for about 2 minutes more, until the frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the bowl at the end and give it one last mix. A thin layer of unmixed butter often hides under the paddle.

Heavy Cream or Whole Milk for Vanilla Frosting

Both work, and the recipe card lists either one. Heavy cream gives a thicker, richer frosting that holds sharp edges on piped swirls, borders and roses, and it copes better in a warm room. Whole milk makes a softer, more spreadable frosting that glides over a sheet cake or a crumb coat.

If you are not sure, use cream. It gives you more room for error, because a frosting made with cream is harder to make too thin. Use milk when you mostly want to spread, not pipe.

Pure, Clear or Bean Paste: Picking the Vanilla

Two teaspoons of pure vanilla extract gives a warm, rounded flavor and tints the frosting a soft ivory. That is fine on most cakes, including pink velvet cupcakes with vanilla buttercream frosting, where nobody will notice the color.

For a whiter frosting, swap in clear vanilla. It is milder, so taste before adding more. Vanilla bean paste, used in the same amount as extract, leaves tiny black specks that tell people it is real vanilla. Whatever you use, the pinch of salt matters more than it looks. It cuts the sweetness so the vanilla actually comes through.

Stiff for Piping Cupcakes, Softer for Spreading on Cake

Lift some frosting on a spoon. For piping, it should hold a peak that stands up straight and keep the ridges from a star tip. For spreading on cake, it should be a little looser, so it moves across the crumb without tearing it.

Too stiff to pipe through the bag or tearing the cake? Beat in 1 more tablespoon of cream. Too soft to hold a swirl? Add 1/4 cup more powdered sugar. Change one thing at a time and beat for 30 seconds before you judge it again.

For smooth cake sides, finish the batch by stirring it by hand with a spatula for a minute, or mixing on the lowest speed for 1 to 2 minutes. That pushes out the big air bubbles that medium-high speed leaves behind, which otherwise show up as little holes on the cake.

Soft, Grainy or Bubbly Vanilla Frosting and the Fix

• Soft and droopy: the butter or the kitchen was too warm. Chill the whole bowl for 15 to 20 minutes, then beat again. Add the extra 1/4 cup sugar only if it is still soft after chilling.
• Grainy: unsifted sugar or not enough beating. Beat 1 to 2 minutes more and add 1 teaspoon of cream.
• Too sweet: add another small pinch of salt and stay at 3 1/2 cups of sugar next time.
• Yellow: beat the butter the full 3 minutes and use clear vanilla.
• Curdled or lumpy after the cream: the cream was much colder than the butter. Keep beating for a minute or two and it usually comes back smooth.

Keeping Vanilla Buttercream in the Fridge or Freezer

The frosting is easiest to work with on the day you make it, but it keeps well. Cover it airtight and leave it at room temperature for up to 1 day, or refrigerate it for up to 1 week. It also freezes for up to 3 months; thaw it overnight in the fridge.

Chilled buttercream sets firm like cold butter. Let it come back to room temperature, then re-whip it for a minute or two until it is smooth and fluffy again. If it looks a little curdled at first, keep beating.

Cakes and Cupcakes to Frost With It

It is my go-to frosting for a simple moist vanilla cake, a vanilla sheet cake or a tray of lemon cupcakes from scratch. It also takes gel coloring well for birthday cakes.

Once you know this base, flavored versions are small changes: strawberry buttercream frosting, easy peanut butter frosting for chocolate layers, or a 10 minute chocolate frosting that adds cocoa to the same butter and sugar. When you need a silkier, less sweet frosting for a tall layer cake, Swiss meringue buttercream is the next step up.

Pin This Vanilla Buttercream Icing

Save it to your frosting or cake board so it is there for the next birthday. Questions about your climate or your cake? Ask in the comments.