Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe
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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
I loved your white cake! It tasted like one of the cakes from my favorite bakery here in town, my family could not get over how delicious it was. Putting this and others like this in my repertoire of cake recipes!!! Thank you so much for sharing!!!
I’m so glad you and your family enjoyed it, Lisa! xo
Before I try this recipe, I have one question.. Does the buttercream taste too much like vanilla or smell like it? Whenever I buy a cupcake at a bakery, it never smells or tastes too much like vanilla, which I love, but every time I attempt to make some at home, I feel like the vanilla scent and taste is overpowering. The same problem at times occurs with the cakes, but mostly frosting.
I made this yesterday. Loved it, but my cake was a little dense. The baking powder was good, I used all purpose flour,. . . . I am wondering if cake flour would lighten it up? I poked a few small holes on top of each layer and used a little liqueur-flavored thin icing between layers before I put the butter cream to fill the layers. I also put a little of the orange flavored liqueur in the buttercream. . . Just about 1T. The buttercream was wonderful, and overall the cake was a big hit w/ guests. Thank you for sharing!
I really loved the texture ( so did my family) but this was definitely too sweet for me.(It’s all about the butter in buttercream usually) But next time I make frosting, I will be using this… technique? Again, really liked it. Also, it came out white. So , success! And it was amazing to frost with, it was like a pillowy cloud. I’ve never gotten homemade frosting like that at all. SO thank you.
I generally make 3 layer cakes. How many layers will this recipe cover, please? I like for there to be enough to make the icing between the layers thick enough to hold the layers in place.
trying this today along with your white cake recipe I love baking as well so I decided to give you Robyn my wonderful yeast biscuit recipe. Since you were so kind to share so many things with people. So here it is
3 tsp (teaspoons) of Fleischman’s active dry yeast from jar (or you could use bread machine yeast from the jar) plus 1 TBS (tablespoon) of sugar
1 cup of 115 degree water
3 Cups of sifted all purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
3 TBS (tablespoons) of warm temp butter
In a big liquid measuring Cup Dissolve yeast and 1 tablespoon of sugar in the one cup of water lightly stir with fork to mix. Cover with paper towel set aside and let set for 12 minutes or until yeast mixture doubles in size.
In stand mixture combined the dry ingredients. Mix for a few seconds to combine ingredients. Mix butter on medium speed until mixed well about 2 to 3 minutes. Mix in yeast and stir until dough sticks to paddle attachment or forms a ball about another 2 to 3 minutes.
Dough should still be a little warm, roll out on lightly floured surface to 1/4 inch thickness, cut with a 2 inch biscuit cutter, and place on a lightly buttered cookie sheet. No more than 1inch apart. Cover with a light towel or something that’s light to keep air off biscuits. ( I use a old worn out pillow case.) let rise in a warm place, for about an hour.
Bake at 400 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.
(Depending on what kind of oven you have weather it’s gas or electric you might even have to cook them up to 20 minutes.) I have propane so they take about 14 minutes for me. should make about 1 1/2 dozen. if using a 2 inch cutter. when done brush with melted butter. then enjoy,
tip) dough should be at temp between 80 to 90 degrees to rise, make sure you have good yeast. if it doesn’t double in size in water after the 12 minutes the yeast isn’t active, also you can set covered dough on a large pan of steaming hot water. I also use a digital meat thermometer to gauge the water temp.
This is the best white icing I have ever tasted! It was the perfect consistency and spread so beautifully! Thank you for sharing!
About how many cups of this would be needed to frost 12 cupcakes? I don’t want a ton of extra frosting on my hands. Although it would taste good…
Perfect! Exactly what I was looking for to decorate a few sheet cakes. Deliciously light and fluffy and the bright white color makes it stunning. Already had great customer feedback about this buttercream. Thank you!
I made this today…very close to white, easy to spread, and tasty too! I put a link to this in my blog. I hope you don’t mind.