The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe – Tips for how to make the best buttercream frosting for cake decorating. Smooth, creamy, and bursting with vanilla flavor, it's the perfect recipe for cupcakes!
While I consider this recipe to be the best buttercream frosting ever, I haven't always had a love relationship with buttercream icing.
In fact, the way I used to make it, using half shortening instead of all butter, was never my favorite way to make it. I never liked the dulled down flavor of buttercream made with shortening.
And that, my friends, is how this lovely frosting recipe came to be. I needed a buttercream icing for piping onto chocolate cupcakes, and I wanted to make it a more flavorful icing.
It turned out to be the best buttercream frosting I've ever tasted, reminding me of scrumptious wedding cake. And it's easy to make, with only 5 ingredients (including absolutely no shortening).
This frosting recipe makes it easy to pipe grass frosting onto Minecraft cupcakes or decorate whatever type of cake/cupcakes you're making.
If you love regular buttercream, you will definitely love butterbeer buttercream frosting.
I JUST WANT THE RECIPE! TAKE ME TO THE RECIPE FOR THE BEST BUTTERCREAM FROSTING!
If you’d rather skip all of my cooking tips, important cooking info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the scrumptious buttercream frosting recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
CAN I SUCCESSFULLY MAKE BUTTERCREAM ICING WITHOUT SHORTENING?
Yes, you can. While shortening does add stability to the recipe, heavy whipping cream can do the same thing.
Using all butter will create a very flavorful frosting, so if you'd rather not have all of that buttery flavor, you can cut the butter in half and substitute shortening instead.
WHY DO I NEED TO USE SALTED BUTTER?
I do recommend using salted butter for this recipe, because the salt in the butter adds a richness and a better flavor to your buttercream. It gives it a zing that unsalted butter just can't do.
And it's so much easier to use salted butter over trying to add salt to a frosting, especially when trying to get a good consistency and texture.
CAN I FREEZE THIS BUTTERCREAM FROSTING?
You sure can! If you think about it, bakeries put their cakes in a cooler to store them for customers.
Freezing won't hurt the texture, consistency, or flavor of your frosting. I always have a little bit of icing leftover, and I usually do freeze it for the next time I need it.
TIPS FOR HOW TO MAKE THE BEST BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
Making homemade buttercream frosting is really easy, and it doesn't require a lot of ingredients either.
- Make sure you soften the butter first. Try to get it out ahead of time and let it soften naturally; don't be like me and use the microwave to soften it, therefore melting it.
- Mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and heavy whipping cream.
- Then add in the powdered sugar, and let the mixer work its magic for 2 to 3 minutes.
You'll end up with a very smooth, creamy, vanilla buttercream frosting that's perfect for cake decorating, piping onto cupcakes, and more. Plus, it tastes really good.
PAIR HOMEMADE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING WITH THESE DESSERTS:
Lime Vanilla Poke Cake Cupcakes
CAN I CHANGE UP THIS BUTTERCREAM ICING RECIPE?
While I do have a chocolate buttercream frosting, here are a few more ways you can change up this vanilla frosting recipe…
- Add a flavored extract for additional flavor… Think maple, caramel, peppermint, etc.
- If you want a lemon frosting, try adding in a little lemon juice and/or lemon zest.
- If you don't like the buttery flavor of the icing, you can substitute the same amount of shortening for half the butter.
- You can use milk instead of heavy whipping cream, but keep in mind, you may end up with a softer icing, especially at room temperature.
- Add a little food coloring to create any color you want or need for your project.
IF YOU LOVE THIS BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE, TRY SOME OF OUR OTHER FROSTING FAVORITES:
Deliciously Easy Cream Cheese Frosting
Peanut Butter Cream Cheese Frosting
KITCHEN TOOLS YOU’LL NEED TO MAKE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING:
Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer – You can definitely mix homemade frosting by hand, but a mixer enables you to get a really smooth texture.
Measuring Spoons and Measuring Cups
8 ounce Bowls – These would be perfect for separating your icing to make different colors.
Cake Decorating Kit with Tips and Pastry Bags
THE BEST BUTTERCREAM FROSTING RECIPE
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The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
- 4 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
- First, allow the butter time to soften.*
- Then mix together the softened butter, vanilla extract, almond extract, and heavy whipping cream.**
- Add in the powdered sugar, and mix everything together for 2 to 3 minutes, mixing well.
- If you want different colors for your icing, separate the icing into smaller bowls, and follow food coloring instructions for creating colored frosting.
- You'll end up with a very smooth, creamy, vanilla buttercream frosting that's perfect for cake decorating, piping onto cupcakes, and more. Plus, it tastes really good.
If I want to make my cupcakes ahead of time, is it okay to decorate my cupcakes and put them in the fridge the day before or would the frosting melt/change shape?
Thank you
Rawan, so long as they are placed in an airtight container, they will keep in the refrigerator for 3-5 days. Just don’t the frosting touch anything in the refrigerator, including the walls or lid of the container; that will cause the frosting to stick and peel off when you remove the cupcakes.
How much frosting in cups does this recipe yield? I want to ice a 9×13 cake and I’m not sure if I’ll have enough.
Brigitte, probably 3-4 cups. It should be plenty to ice a 9×13 cake.
How would I store left over buttercream? How long is it good for?
Sheila, you can store it in the fridge in an airtight container for up to about a week. You can freeze it, though, and it will last a little bit longer, probably a month or two.
Wonderful frosting
Thank you, Paula!
Hi, i love your recipes and i want to try this buttercream frosting for my daughter bday party but as i dont work with measuring cup i put everything on the scale, but i have a little doubts regarding how much of powdered sugar in grams is there thank you
Hi Gabriela, it looks like 4 cups would equal about a pound or maybe a little more. I hope this helps! Thank you so much for your kind words.
I enjoy your recipe for Buttercream icing. I have one question… I tried to give it a orangy taste so instead of the vanilla extract, I used orange extract and zest but the orange taste is barely there. How can I make the flavor more intense…
Rose, hmmm… maybe more orange extract? Or you could try adding orange juice instead of heavy whipping cream. Thank you!
There is nothing like a good buttercream! YUM…Thanks for sharing at last week’s Reader Tip Tuesday. We hope to see you at this week’s party. xo
http://www.jodiefitz.com/2018/09/18/reader-tip-tuesday-weeks-craft-recipe-party-14-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2-2/
Thank you, Jodie! Have a wonderful weekend!