Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is one of my quick, classic go-to frosting recipes that I turn to time and again.
My family absolutely adores it, it is so very simple to make, and you just can’t beat that classic vanilla buttercream for all sorts of celebratory and everyday type of desserts. It is perfect for my white cake recipe for birthdays, weddings, and other celebrations and works as a delicious, yet stark visual contrast on chocolate cake, too. It is great sandwiched between a couple of butter cookies or spread on top of a cookie cake, as well. You just can’t beat the versatility of good ole vanilla buttercream frosting. It just works.
I am consistently receiving emails asking about my vanilla buttercream frosting, so I thought I’d repost the recipe by itself instead of it being included along with my chocolate cupcake recipe where it is scaled down for just 12 cupcakes.
I also thought I’d answer a few of your questions as well.
How do you get your vanilla buttercream frosting so white?
There are a few tricks to getting my vanilla buttercream frosting as white as I do. First, after each cup of confectioner’s sugar that I add, I turn my stand mixer on the highest speed that it will go. This not only makes the frosting extremely fluffy, it also lightens the coloring of the frosting as air is incorporated.
My second trick is to use clear vanilla extract whenever I want my vanilla buttercream as white as possible. Mind you, vanilla buttercream frosting still has butter in it, so it is virtually impossible to get it pure white. It will still have a bit of a tint of the yellow, albeit it will be faint. Most folks probably will say it is pure white. We’ll just know it isn’t exactly pure white, just as close as a vanilla buttercream can get without substituting shortening for the butter.
How do you get your vanilla buttercream frosting so fluffy?
I skipped ahead when I answered the question above and explained how after each cup of confectioner’s sugar that I add to the buttercream, I turn my stand mixer on the highest setting that it will go. This incorporates air into the buttercream and makes it lighter and fluffier.
I also use the paddle attachment of my stand mixer as I have just found it to make a smoother, fluffier buttercream frosting than when I use the whip attachment. Also, it is easier to get all of that delicious buttercream frosting off of your paddle attachment than it is the whip attachment. And I’m all about easy. Heh.
How do I make my vanilla buttercream firmer for a prettier decoration?
The firmness of your buttercream frosting greatly depends on the amount of sugar to liquid ratio in your frosting. If you want a firmer frosting, add more confectioner’s sugar. If you want a softer frosting, add more milk or cream.
Please know that I in no way am professing to be a professional baker, frosting maker, or anything else for that matter. These are my observations after years and years of making buttercream frosting and finding little nuances that make it easier, prettier, tastier, and more everything -er.
Here’s my Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe along with a few instructions and notes.
Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) butter, softened
- 3 – 4 cups (340-454 g) confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 2 teaspoons (9 g) vanilla extract
- pinch (0.4 g) kosher salt
- 2-3 tablespoons (28-42 g) milk, heavy cream, or half-and-half
Instructions
- Place softened butter into the bowl of a stand mixer that has been fitted with the paddle attachment. Turn the mixer on a medium setting and cream the butter until it is smooth and has lightened in color, about 3 minutes.
- Add confectioner’s sugar, 1/2 a cup at a time. After each cup has been incorporated, turn the mixer onto the highest speed setting and for about 10 seconds to lighten the frosting.
- Add vanilla and a pinch of salt and combine until well-incorporated.
- Add milk, heavy cream or half-and-half until the frosting has reached the preferred consistency. For a firmer frosting, add more confectioner’s sugar, a 1/4 cup at a time. For a softer frosting, add more milk or cream, a tablespoon at a time.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Happy frosting making! Do you have any tips you’d like to share on how you make the perfect vanilla buttercream frosting? Please share them in the comment!
If you are looking for other buttercream frosting flavors, you might like these:
Perfect Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Salted Caramel Buttercream Frosting
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Love ya,
Robyn xo
DO you use unsalted or salted butter in your buttercream icing recipe? I am assuming unsalted since you add a pinch of salt to it?
Deb, I use salted butter in this frosting.
Great CAKE!!!!
Thanks, so glad you loved it.
Can the cake, once frosted, sit out over night, or does it require refrigeration?
Michelle, the cake frosted with buttercream frosting can sit out at room temperature overnight. However, be sure to cover it with a cake dome so the cake won’t dry out.
I rate this recipe the best tasting butter cream icing I have ever eaten. I don’t like icing or frosting at all.
I have to be honest due to my allergies I used non dairy cream (I only can have rice milk and it is in no way as heavy as standard milk) and butter.
I did crumb cover, refrigerate 15mins. then added a covering and it smoothed out perfectly. Refrigerate 11-15mins.
Ready for decorating.
LyndaJane, I love that this recipe can be adapted to meet your allergy requirements and you loved the buttercream frosting. Thanks!
Hi, wondering if you can make this diary free?
Laura, you can make this dairy free. You could use a plant butter and a non-dairy milk. Hope you enjoy!
Ridiculously perfect!!!
Thanks, Rob!
The frosting is delicious but if you are making a double layer cake with the icing also in the middle you must triple the recipe to do both inside and out…instead of vanilla extract I used pure peppermint extract and a bit of green food coloring to make a chocolate cake with mint buttercream frosting …this recipe is very good! Kudo’s to the chef!
I’m so glad you love this frosting. It sounds delicious as a mint buttercream frosting for chocolate cake. I double this frosting recipe for my 3 layer Best White Cake Recipe but you may like more frosting. Check out the post for information on how I make mine lighter and fluffier. Thanks so much, Pat!
This is a great go to recipe. Nice texture that is forgiving for the smoothness or thickness wanted. I am only confused that I did not have enough frosting to cover your 3 layer white cake. I ended up going with the partially frosted, rustic look which was fine for what I was doing, but can’t understand that if I used 4.25 cups of sugar, how did I not have enough? Is it because I sifted then measured?
I’m happy you love this frosting, AOK. As I state in my post, I always double this frosting recipe for my Best White Cake. I’m sorry you missed that in the post.
Very good. Appreciated all the notes and suggestions. One additional little note: When creaming butter in the bowl of my stand mixer, I did find that I had to repeated scrap down the bowl and pull butter out of paddle. It came out great.
Jane, make sure your butter is at room temperature before you start to cream the butter.
Thank you really really delicious And it is very easy to make thank you very much