Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream
This delicious Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is crusting recipe that is perfect for cake decorating! This American Buttercream is similar to our Classic Vanilla Buttercream recipe, however, it has a lighter, fluffier texture due to the shortening in the recipe.
Table of Contents
Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream: A Crusting Recipe
- What is a crusting buttercream? As the name suggests, crusting frostings like this one develop a very thin crust when exposed to air. In as little as 5-10 minutes, a cake frosted in a crusting buttercream can be lightly touched without removing any of the frosting. Beneath that thin layer, the frosting remains soft.
- Many cake decorators love to use the "Viva Paper Towel method" of smoothing when working with crusting buttercreams. Simply frost the cake, sweep around the sides and top with your spatula (or bench scraper) of choice, and then allow it to sit for a few minutes before smoothing over it with a paper towel.
- (Viva brand paper towels are a popular choice for this paper towel method of smoothing because it has no quilting or impressions.)
- You can find more information on this method of smoothing here: Leopard Print Buttercream (using the Viva Paper Towel Method).
Helpful Hints
- This Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream frosting contains both butter and shortening. Because of the shortening, it is slightly more heat resistant than an all-butter frosting recipe, and it is lighter in color than an all-butter buttercream recipe.
- If heat is more of a concern, you could switch to an all shortening (no butter) frosting recipe like this one: High Ratio Frosting. All frostings will melt if the weather is hot enough, but shortening certainly is more resistant than butter.
- If you are looking for a crusting frosting that does not contain any shortening, we love our Classic Vanilla Buttercream recipe also. You can find it here!: Classic Vanilla Buttercream.
- We often use clear vanilla in our buttercream frosting recipes because real vanilla gives vanilla buttercream more of an off-white or ivory color. However, this may not bother you! It simply comes down to personal preference or the design of your cake.
Does Brand of Confectioners Sugar Matter?
** Important note about the sugar: We’ve had great results with Domino’s confectioners sugar and US Sugar (we buy ours from Costco). Some brands of confectioners 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. So frustrating! One example is Dixie Crystals (although it used to work great for us a few years ago.) Something has changed…it’s a mystery. Anyway, this recipe should not be grainy, and so if it is, experiment with a different brand of confectioners sugar.
Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 2 lbs. confectioners' sugar 910 g
- ½ cup 1 stick (113 g ) unsalted butter softened (soften on countertop rather than microwave for best results)
- 1 ½ cups solid vegetable shortening such as Crisco or Trex 286 g. or 10 oz. by weight. ** If using hi ratio shortening, see below)
- 2 Tablespoons clear vanilla extract 24 g
- ¼ to ½ teaspoon butter flavoring if you are leaving out the butter and using all shortening
- ¼ teaspoons lemon or almond extract 1 g OPTIONAL
- ¼ cup milk 57 g any milk is fine but I like milk with higher fat content. You could substitute water too (See below)
- ½ teaspoon salt to cut the sweetness. We use popcorn salt because of its fine grain. If using table salt you can dissolve it in the milk before adding.
Instructions
- Cream butter, shortening , salt and extracts until creamy and smooth.
- Add powdered sugar and milk. Mix thoroughly on medium speed for approximately 8 minutes. For the last two minutes decrease the mixing speed to VERY SLOW ( number 2 speed on a KitchenAid) until creamy and smooth. Scrape the sides of the bowl occasionally during the mixing process.
Notes
Loved This Recipe?!
Thanks for stopping by! Don't forget to check out our entire collection of favorite cake and frosting recipes in our Recipes Section!
If you are interested in learning more about cake decorating, don't miss our Free Cake Tutorials section. Or, for full online access to every cake decorating video tutorial that we've made, you should consider becoming a member of My Cake School!
We have hundreds of cake decorating tutorials for all skill levels of cake decorating. You can find all of the details here!: Joining information for My Cake School
Hi! I'm Scarlett, I'm from Andalucía (south of Spain) and here it's very hot.
My buttercream is inconsistent in summer due to high temperatures. I use only butter.
The vegetable shortening will be more consistently? I know Crisco, is good?Sorry for my english ^^
I hope your answer, thanks for everything.
Kisses from Seville!
Hi Scarlett-- Yes, vegetable shortening has a higher melting point than butter, so the frostings that contain more shortening will be more stable in the heat. Let us know what you think!
Thank you! I ordered it and received it last week! Trying this recipe out right now. Can't wait to try it!
I've had a batch of the Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream in the frig for about 2 weeks. Can I still use it?
Hi Krista, it is good in the refrigerator 2 weeks and can be frozen for 3 months
Thanks BeBe!
Hi. I am attempting to make the baby leopard cake and using this buttercream frosting for the first time. Would using the Cisco butter shortening sticks work in this recipe?
Hi Be-Be and Melissa, thank you for your wonderful instructions on cake decorating, your videos are excelent to follow and I admire both of you for your talent & ideas.
I need to ask you girls where can I get the popcorn salt, any brand name or store where I can get it, I'm from Maryland and I will like to try this recipe without of being to sweet. Thank you.
Hi Isabel, the popcorn salt we use is made by Kernel Season's . Any brand will be fine, ours is from our local grocery store on the isle with the popcorn. The popcorn salt just has a finer grain that will dissolve more quickly. You could also use your regular table salt, just dissolve it in the liquid you are using in the recipe. You could also use salted butter instead of unsalted and cut the sweetness further........ the buttercream would still be sweet enough.
Hi, I was wondering if this recipe is stiff enough for roses. Am trying to learn to make roses. Saw your rose tutorial and was just wondering if this recipe would work for those.
Hi biscuit33, I think it will be stiff enough, but you can always add a bit more confectioners sugar it necessary
I just tried this recipe. It is the first buttercream I have ever made (up until now I purchased it) and I loved it. It was so easy to make and was the perfect consistency for decorating my pink lemonaide cupcakes. Thanks!