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 Alexina,
A crusting buttercream takes forever to crust if applied to a cold cake due to condensation. This doesn't really matter unless you are planning to do the Viva paper towel method of smoothing which only works if the buttercream has crusted.
As a side note, you can settle your filled, unfrosted tiers before doing the crumb coat. (I usually wrap the unfrosted tier in plastic wrap and place a book on top to apply a steady (but not crushing) pressure for a few hours. Then you can apply the crumb coat and final coat to the cake.
Let me know if you have any more questions!
Thank you! I haven't used this buttercream as a filling yet but wondering if it will still have that slight crust to it if used as a filling. You mentioned before to use a little less powdered sugar if I wanted it to have less of a crust if using a a filling.
Thanks!
No, a crusting buttercream doesn't form a crust when used as a filling since it's not exposed to the air (and the crust is so thin that even if it did form you wouldn't notice). You can use less powdered sugar for a frosting that crusts less...not so much for the filling but if you are doing cupcakes, you may prefer a softer frosting. It's just personal preference.
Thank you! I'm curious if you have a non crusting buttercream that is made with shortening and butter so that it's still more white than an all butter- buttercream? Or maybe just use less sugar with this recipe? If so how much less sugar would you recommend?
Thanks a million
Is it safe to leave cake out if using this frosting
Hi Sylvia, Yes, it can be left out. It can be left out approximately 3 days unless you are in a very hot, humid climate. After that amount of time it begins to have an "off" taste.
Hi Sylvia can I add cream cheese and make it a cream cheese crusting frosting? Thank you.
Hi Sylvia, This is a Crusting Cream Cheese recipe from one of our members that you might like, Crusting Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butted
8 oz. cream cheese - slightly softened
1 Tablespoon clear Vanilla Extract
2 lbs. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
In the mixer combine the shortening, butter, salt and cream cheese
Add vanilla
Gradually add powdered sugar
Mix until combined
Once cooled in the fridge can you paint a watercolor picture on this icing?
Hi Samantha, you can paint on this buttercream after it has crusted using a very light touch. I haven't experimented with painting on the cake when it is cold. If you'd like to try it, you could experiment with this by frosting a plate, chilling, and painting to make sure that condensation will not be an issue for you.
(There's a Tulip Cake in our member cake video section where I painted tulips all over the buttercream if you'd like to see!) https://www.mycakeschool.com/video-tutorials/painting-on-buttercream-video-field-of-tulips/
Hi, is there a nice crusting recipe using a coconut crisco and/or dairy and soy free butter and also a non dairy milk? I have a child allergic to soy and dairy.
Hi Jennifer, I am sorry but we do not have experience with a coconut shortening. There is a Spectrum shortening that has coconut oil, I am not sure of the other ingredients but you might want to do a Google search on it. You can use water in place of milk in a buttercream recipe. The buttercream will crust more quickly if using water. Good luck.