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
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Hi, I have a couple questions, forgive me if they are answered elsewhere... I'm a new member and haven't explored everything yet. Here are my questions:
1. Do you find that your icing isn't bright white when you add butter? I usually use all-shortening because I'm afraid of a yellowish tint. Just wanted your opinion on that.
2. I was taught that adding meringue powder to buttercream is what causes it to crust, but in reading your recipe here, it says it is a crusting buttercream but there is no meringue powder in the ingredients. So what causes it to be 'crusting'?
Thanks so much & I LOVE your site so far!!!!
Hi Rebekah, you are right when butter is in the buttercream recipe it is not bright white. You will find that some butter is more yellow than others. I suppose it is a matter of personal preference. We love all butter buttercream, we use clear vanilla with it but it is an off white color because of the butter. We also frequently use the Fluffy recipe that has only a small amount of butter. For customers who like the taste of all butter they are fine with the fact that it is not bright white. All shortening is the way to go for a whiter look.
It is the sugar to fat ratio that causes buttercream to crust. The higher the amount of sugar the better it will crust. Meringue powder is not in our recipes, but I have read that some bakers think it helps piped flowers and leaves hold their shape. We haven't felt the need for it, but in certain locations with very high humidity it might help.
I, like Julia (Feb 24th post) had issues with this frosting. Made 2 batches and ended up looking a little curdled, not smooth at all. Then, I attempted to rewhip on high, ended up with a grainy texture which meant I over-whipped the frosting. I have to say that after numerous emails with BeBe and reluctantly attempting a third batch (1/2 recipe), I was able to get it PERFECTLY SMOOTH. Here is what I did per BeBe's wonderful instruction:
1. Added Kosher salt to milk and set aside
2. Creamed butter, Crisco shortening, vanilla and lemon extract for approx 4 minutes on speed #4 on Kitchen Aid mixer until creamy and smooth
3. Added sifted C&H powder sugar and milk and beat on HIGH, speed #8 for approx 5 minutes, stopping once to scrape bowl. Stopped mixer, scraped bowl again and on the "Stir" setting (lowest speed), mixed for an additional 2 minutes and this resulted in a beautiful, smooth frosting.
The first 2 times I made the frosting, I mixed on speed #4 and the frosting never looked smooth, so beating it on high made ALL the difference! BeBe did mention that it can take "up to 8 minutes" so you have to watch the frosting for the proper consistency. This frosting tastes great and without BeBe's guidance I would not have been able to get this frosting right. I also made their White Almond Sour Cream cake recipe which is super awesome!!!!!!
Is it okay to leave out the lemon or almond extract? I am not a fan of either tastes... Thanks!
Hi Tracy, yes, it would be fine to leave out those flavors and use the flavors you like. Sometimes you need to experiment to create the flavor you are looking for. Hope you like the recipe.
I used this frosting and followed the recipe to a "T" and I found it very hard to work with. It was great for crusting but to do in the piping bags or to frost the cake was very hard. Can you tell me if this happens again how I can thin it out or correct whatever I did wrong...
Thanks
Lori
Hi Lori, if you find it too stiff, add more liquid a very small amount at a time until it is the consistency that is good for spreading. You will be able to tell while it is still in your mixer if it is too stiff.
Hi! Melissa,
I wanted to know if I can use the hot knife method with the fluffy buttercream frosting to ice my cakes.
Thank you. Nilda
Hi Bebe an Melissa, hope you girls are doing ok. I have a question to ask:
1. When I smooth cakes with BC, they always look like BC is breaking
2. When I tinted BC and used on cakes they look like marble color
Can you tell me please what I'm doing wrong?
Hi Isabel, when you say the BC looks like it is breaking it makes me think that maybe it is too thick and need a bit more liquid. If you will scroll up to the post made by Catherine Heras on March 5, I think it might be helpful to you.
I'm not sure what is causing the marble color.....does it look right before you frost the cake? Are you using a gel color in your buttercream?
Hi Michaela, thanks for posting this recipe! It worked perfect for me :)
Tried this frosting on a cake and it never would crust good. Not sure why?? I tried putting it in the refrigerator and the freezer and it would get a tad crusty but if I had it out for longer the a few minutes it would start to stick to the viva paper towel. Can you give any insight?