Classic Vanilla Buttercream
This flavorful Classic Vanilla Buttercream Recipe is one of our favorites! It couldn't be easier to make, and it is so delicious. Keep it in mind the next time you need a flavorful frosting for your cake recipes and buttercream cake designs!
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Why we Love it
There are so many reasons to love this delicious vanilla buttercream! Here are just a few:
- Delicious and SO easy to make
- Perfect for piping
- It can easily be changed up with add-ins, extracts, and an adjustment here and there ;0) - A few examples are our Oreo Buttercream, Mint Chocolate Chip Buttercream, Strawberry Buttercream, and Peanut Butter Buttercream!
- Develops a very light crust, which is great for those who use the Viva Paper Towel Method of Smoothing. Also, the Hot Knife Method of smoothing works great with this vanilla buttercream also!
How to Make Vanilla Buttercream
You can find the full, printable recipe card for this vanilla buttercream at the bottom of our post!
This frosting, which is known as an American Buttercream, is a simple combination of softened butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla extract, a pinch of salt, and a splash of milk.
Allow the frosting to mix for a few minutes to reach the best, creamy consistency. If you'd like to thicken the consistency of the frosting, (for piping buttercream roses, etc.) you can add a bit more confectioners sugar.
To thin out the frosting, you can simply add small amounts of milk.
Textured Buttercream
Of course, your frosted cakes don't have to be perfectly smooth. We love textured buttercream as well as the look of piping all over a cake.
Our classic vanilla buttercream frosting is versatile enough for just about any sort of buttercream cake or cupcake design you can think of.
Here are just a few of our free cake tutorials that demonstrate simple texturing and piping techniques: Ridged Buttercream Technique, Buttercream Petal Cake, Cascading Rosettes Cake, and Looped Ribbons of Buttercream.
Piping
If you are interested in learning more about piping borders or different piping techniques, make sure to check out our section of Buttercream Techniques, which features a section on Buttercream Piping.
There, you'll find tutorials on piping with star tips, piping with round tips, piping with ruffle tips, and more! All of these techniques can be done with today's Buttercream Frosting recipe.
Recipe FAQs
Classic Vanilla Buttercream (Crusting Recipe)
Ingredients
- 2 sticks unsalted butter, softened (226g) Should still hold its shape but dent when pressed.
- 5-6 cups confectioners sugar (690g)(You can adjust amount slightly up or down to your liking.)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract (8g) (For whiter frosting, you can use clear imitation vanilla)
- ⅓ cup milk or cream (72g) (Adjust amount as needed to reach desired consistency.)
- ½ teaspoon salt (3g)
Instructions
- Cream the softened butter until smooth. Blend in the vanilla.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and most of the milk. Beat at medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and milk and mix at medium speed another 3 to 4 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. Then, slow down the mixer to very slow for 1 to 2 minutes. This will help eliminate air pockets in the buttercream. The texture will become very smooth.
- This recipe can be doubled or halved.
- Yields approximately 4 ½ cups of frosting. Enough to frost a two layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
- Can be frozen in air tight container for at least three months . Thaw on countertop.
- If your buttercream is too thin, add more sugar. If the consistency is too thick, add a bit more milk.
Hello, is this a med consistency? What kind of butter cream did you use on the green ruffle cake?
Hi Natalie--yes, it is. The green ruffle cake may have been the "Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream", but this recipe would work well also.
ove your site especially your videos. I would like to make the green ruffle cake. How much buttercream do you estimate that i would need to frost an 8 inch round.
Hi Melissa,
I made this Buttercream frosting for my cupcakes this weekend and my family loved it. I did use a pinch of salt as an option like you suggested to cut the sweetness (because majority of us don't like real sweet frostings) and it was just right. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Is this recipe good to be covered in fondant.
Hi there, yes--it's fine to cover with fondant :0)
Lynn--I'm glad that you liked it!
Hi Melissa,
Do you prefer the paddle or whisk attachment for the buttercream frosting?
We use the paddle attachment for our buttercream frostings.
When we make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe we use the whisk attachment while beating the egg whites then switch to the paddle attachment when we add the butter. This change of attachments is noted in that recipe.
Hi Melissa,,, just became a member last night and already love your site.
The recipe that I use for buttercream is butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks.... It is very very good..... the thing is that when I cover my cakes with this and then the fondant and the weather is hot the buttercream starts melting and of course the fondant becomes a mess.... I am very new working with fondant .. any advise? I know that buttercream with shortening will work but really don't love the taste of it..... Congrats and thanks so much...
Hi Nona-- I know how frustrating that can be! I think you are going to have to hold off on using that icing unless either the weather is cooler or you know that the cake will be in a cool room, etc.
Aside from using a buttercream with shortening, you may want to experiment some with ganache beneath the fondant. You may even want to try another recipe--like swiss meringue buttercream beneath the fondant to see if that does better for you.
However, in cases of very hot temperatures, frostings containing shortening hold up the best.
Can you tell me how long this can sit out before it goes bad?
Hi, I think on the 3rd day this all butter recipe frosting begins to have an "off " taste.