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!

Table of Contents

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.

The BEST Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe by MyCakeSchool.com! A crusting buttercream recipe. So delicious and easy to make!

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

Another bonus for this vanilla buttercream recipe is that it can easily be doctored to complement the type of cake that you are making

For instance, add mini chocolate chips for a Chocolate Chip Buttercream, add a bit of peppermint extract to make Mint Buttercream, crushed Oreos for Oreo Buttercream, or any number of fruit extracts for various fruit flavored frostings. The possibilities are endless!

**We also have a delicious Vanilla Bean Buttercream recipe which swaps out vanilla extract for Vanilla Bean Paste- it has wonderful flavor (and pretty flecks of vanilla in the frosting too!)

Don't let the term "crusting buttercream" scare you! This frosting develops the slightest "crust". It's something that most people would not even notice when biting into a slice of cake.

However, if you are cake decorator using the Viva Paper Towel method of smoothing or an impression mat (as in our quilted buttercream video), you'll need a crusting frosting.

A frosted cake develops its "crust" after sitting out about ten minutes. When lightly touched, it will leave an impression without removing any frosting.

You can reduce the amount of sugar used in this recipe for an even lighter crust. I often do this when making this recipe for cupcakes (use 4.5-5 cups of confectioners sugar).

Another way to reduce the amount of "crust" is to use whole milk or cream. This won't prevent crusting altogether, but it will give you a softer result than if you were using skim milk or water as your liquid.

We have a couple of great shortening based buttercream frostings in our Frosting Recipes section. One popular option is our Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream, which contains both butter and vegetable shortening.

Another popular recipe that is shortening based and contains no butter is our High Ratio Frosting. Just like the others, this is a crusting recipe that is great for piping!

The more vegetable shortening that your frosting contains, the lighter the color will be and the more heat resistant it becomes. You do have to rely more on extracts and flavorings when using shortening-based frostings to make up for the absence of butter. However, in times when you need a more heat resistant frosting, shortening-based is a good way to go.

Today's classic vanilla buttercream recipe is the one that I make most often. We hope that you enjoy it!

There's nothing worse than finishing a batch of buttercream only to realize that it has an unpleasant gritty consistency. In my experience, it has everything to do with the brand of confectioner's sugar used.

Personally, we've always had great results with Domino's confectioners sugar as well as US Sugar (sold at Costco). I'm sure there are others! Some brands of confectioner's sugar don't work as well with buttercream frosting recipes.

If a package doesn't say pure cane sugar, it contains beet sugar which is more likely to give you a grainy outcome.

In addition to that, we've noticed that even some brands that say "Pure Cane Sugar" will give a grainy consistency. One example is Dixie Crystals (although it was a go-to of ours years ago.) Something has changed.

I've read that sometimes it is the type of anti-caking agent that certain brands use that cause grittiness. Your best bet is to do a little experimenting to find the brand that gives you the best results.

Keep in mind that this is an all butter (no shortening) recipe, and so it doesn't hold up as well in hot conditions.

For hot summer days, you'll want to keep the cake or cupcakes inside until the event, or opt for a shortening-based frosting.

Just as a stick of butter will melt if placed outside on a hot day, so will buttercream.

Cold Temperatures: Butter-based frostings like today's recipe also become very firm in the refrigerator (just like a stick of butter). So, cakes frosted in buttercream should be removed from the refrigerator a couple of hours before serving. This is not only helpful for the frosting, but it also allows the cake layers to warm and soften.

Everything tastes great with vanilla frosting!

Some of our most popular recipes are vanilla buttermilk cake, lemon cake, yellow cake from scratch, strawberry cake, and chocolate cake from scratch.

Delicious Classic Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe by MyCakeSchool.com! You'll love this easy and flavorful crusting buttercream recipe! MyCakeSchool.com Online Cake Tutorials, Recipes, and More!

Classic Vanilla Buttercream (Crusting Recipe)

BY Melissa and Bebe

This easy, delicious Vanilla Buttercream Recipe is so versatile! It is a wonderful recipe that develops a light crust and is perfect for decorating cakes and cupcakes.

Prep Time: 15

Course: Dessert

Servings: 0

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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.

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4.52 from 139 votes (139 ratings without comment)

141 Comments

Abby Cobb says:

May 18, 2014 at 7:17 am

Thanks BeBe. It definately has been a little warmer so that could be it. I have never had this problem before so the weather is probably a big factor. I just didn't want to add to much extra powdered sugar to change the taste and make it sweeter.

BeBe says:

May 18, 2014 at 10:03 am

Hi Abby, Heat and humidity are definitely the enemy of an "all butter" buttercream. Since you are consistently have this problem, try decreasing the amount of milk a bit and you may not need to increase the powdered sugar. You can dissolve about 1/2 teaspoon salt (preferably popcorn salt as it dissolves faster) in the milk to decrease the sweetness.

alethia cooper says:

February 6, 2015 at 12:36 am

hello Ladies I have been with my cake school for a long time I never write in the Blogs because i'm not a big talker. but I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate and i'm so happy I found you. I've learned so much. keep doing what you're doing God Bless you Both. again thanks one satisfied student.

Melissa Diamond says:

February 6, 2015 at 1:05 pm

Thank you so much for your message, Alethia! We are so thankful to have you as a member & really appreciate your feedback. Have a wonderful weekend! xoxo

Kim says:

April 7, 2015 at 9:01 pm

Hi! I am looking for buttercream that will compliment both a white cake and a yellow cake. Will this? Also, what cake recipe of yours do you recommend for this buttercream?

victoria fordham says:

November 1, 2015 at 9:05 am

Hi I'm making the butter cream for cup cakes using half the icing sugar and milk as recommended. How do you get your frosting to look so white? Mine is still the same butter colour I always seem to get?

BeBe says:

November 1, 2015 at 2:44 pm

Hi Victoria, Some butter is a lighter in color than others. Land o Lakes Butter is one of those. Also, using clear vanilla and beating the buttercream a bit longer can lighten the color.

Terri Tate says:

April 11, 2016 at 6:04 pm

Greetings ladies! I have been a member of your school for quite a while now, and you have TRULY helped me elevate my cake skills!!!!! I must say that as long as I have been a member, I have never tried this buttercream...TIL NOW! It is truly amazing!!! The texture is simply wonderful...and light!!! I figured it would be safe since it's only 69 degrees today. What temp do you feel should be the cutoff for using this buttercream? I know you said not in hot conditions, but I wanted to know if the 70's and 80's is considered hot? Or should I just assume this is a "3 season buttercream? I am using it as a filling for a cake due tomorrow and will be covering the cake with fondant, but I have another question. Although it is quite tasty, there is a slight (very slight) grainy feeling when I taste it. I did not sift the flour, but I did use butter popcorn dissolved in milk. Any reason why I still have the grainy feel to it? It's not a deal breaker, because it's not bad. Most people probably would not notice...but I can tell. Is there any way to rid this wonderful icing of that? What did I do wrong?? Thanks so much in advance!!!! This site rocks!!!

BeBe says:

April 11, 2016 at 7:45 pm

Hi Terri, We use this recipe all year round but we are definitely more cautious with outside summer events. Keep your cake inside where it is cool until just before serving. We have had cakes outside in 80 degree weather for a short while, but after about 30 to 40 minutes the sharpness of the borders will begin to soften and sag a bit. It is not going to melt off the cake at 80 degrees but it will definitely soften. So above 80 degrees the process will happen more quickly. If you have a customer that wants to serve outside, it would be helpful to serve in a shady area. If your frosting has a grainy feel it could be because you are using powdered sugar made from beets rather than pure cane sugar. If your package does not say "pure cane sugar" then it has been made with beet sugar. Also, some bakers feel that softening the butter in the microwave can cause the gritty "mouth feel". Hope this helps

Terri Tate says:

April 28, 2016 at 1:34 pm

Hello ladies, I have a question....I know this recipe is an all butter recipe, but when you list recipes with shortening as an ingredient, do you use high ratio for them? I just got around to purchasing hi ratio shortening, but am unsure which recipe(s) I should try it on. Please advise...thanks in advance!!!

Terri Tate says:

May 4, 2016 at 3:32 am

Hello, I posted the question above, but I still haven't received a response. I assume it just got caught in a computer glitch, as you girls have wonderful response times. Please respond when you get a chance. Thank you so much!! Also, please tell me if it would be detrimental for me to mix crisco with the hi ratio shortening...I have about 3 cups left of crisco but didn't want to waste it...please advise. A HUGE thanks!!!!

BeBe says:

May 4, 2016 at 12:12 pm

HI Terri, We are using Crisco when we list shortening. You can substitute a high ratio shortening in buttercream recipes just making a few adjustments. In the Fluffy Buttercream recipe, https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes-tutorials/fluffy-vanilla-buttercream/, if using high ratio shortening you will need to decrease the shortening by 1/4 cup and increase the liquid used in the recipe by 2 to 3 Tablespoons. High ratio shortening holds more liquid than regular shortening. That is the formula that has worked for us. You may need to make slight adjustments depending on your own personal preference of spreading consistency.