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 love this recipe SO much! Your tip for mixing in 1/2 cup at a time makes all the difference. I do this will all my frosting recipes now! My modification: I use an all natural vanilla flavored coffee creamer instead of milk or cream…gives it that extra layer of deliciousness! Keep up the delicious work! 🙂
I’m so glad you find that tip useful! I think it makes a huge difference in the consistency of frosting! I love your idea of adding the vanilla flavored coffee creamer! Oh at the possibilities! 🙂
I am an impatient cook/Baker whatever. So if I get bored, which happens very quickly, I tend to shorten things up (i.e. properly mixing the frosting). Thanks for sharing the science behind it. Now that I know what the purpose of mixing so long is, I will do it! Frosting is amazing!
LOVE this recipe. I did 1.5 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 1/2 teaspoon of imitation butter flavor. Just for a bit of an extra butter flavor. Soooo yummy!
Could you use buttermilk to replace the milk/half-and-half??
You can avoid the yellow tint from butter by getting all-natural butter. most store-bought butters have an artificial yellow coloring in them, home-made butters will be a nearly pure white.
This is a GREAT point! I just made butter yesterday (we were making a thank you gift that included homemade bread so it is only proper to include homemade butter, right?) and it is MUCH more white than store bought butter.
I remember the ingredient but was putting to much sugar,Thank for the help hand.
I want to make a sponge cake with butter icing for my mum’s birthday,which is going to be my first time…am so scared of how its going to turn out to be
Any tips for assembling the cake??? i really like how it looks in the photo. how can i replicate that??
Hi Lucy,
I placed about 1/4 cup of frosting on the cake stand before I placed my bottom layer on it so that it worked as a sort of “glue” to hold the cake in place on the stand. Then, spread frosting on top of the bottom layer and stacked the second layer on top of it. Some use cake dowels or bamboo sticks cut to size to hold their cake layers in place. I don’t find it needed with this cake, but you may decide you need them. Once I have the cake layers stacked and aligned like I want them, I spread a thin coat all over the cake to seal it as a crumb-coat. Once the crumb coat is on the cake, I then begin with the sides and frost the cake, moving all around until the sides are well covered. Then, I frost the top of the cake. Once it is completely frosted, I go back over it with a spatula to make sure it looks as close to how I would like for it to look as possible. That’s it. It sounds a lot harder than it actually is. I hope that answers your questions and I didn’t misunderstand you! xo
thanks heaps all the way from aussie! will try tonight and let you know the result!
Am making this for a first communion, as i don’t like the taste of fondant! This cake looks amazing on the website (don’t know what mine will turn out like though 🙂
fingers crossed!!!!
I’m sorry you didn’t care for it, Trish.