This post may contain affiliate sales links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is creamy, sweet and easy to customize! It’s perfect for piping onto cakes, cupcakes and more.
Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
So this post has actually been on my site for more than 5 years now and today I’m giving it an update. I get SO many questions about buttercream and direct people here often. I feel like the information that was here wasn’t as helpful as it needed to be, so today that changes.
Plus, in the last 5 years I’ve made SO MUCH BUTTERCREAM and my opinions have changed slightly, so I feel like those things are worth sharing. All that said, my recipe is still the same. But hopefully you’ll find everything else included with it even more helpful than before.
Let’s get started!
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
The ingredients used in a classic vanilla buttercream often vary only a little. Here is what I use when I make buttercream frosting:
Butter
Naturally this is the most important since we are making BUTTERcream.
In the past, I’ve said that I like to use a mix of salted and unsalted butter (or salted butter and shortening – see next ingredient), but this is one thing that has changed a little lately.
Now I recommend using all unsalted butter and then adding salt to taste. You most definitely don’t want to use all salted butter – it gives the buttercream a very strong salty butter flavor and you really don’t want that. So – you’ll need room temperature unsalted butter.
Shortening
This is one ingredient that often leads to questions.
“Can I substitute it for more butter?” Yes.
“Why do you use it? It’s gross.” Well, that’s a longer answer.
Let’s talk about it a bit. One reason I often use some shortening is for consistency purposes. When a cake doesn’t need to be refrigerated because of a filling or something, I like to leave my cakes at room temperature. I just prefer their texture that way. When an all-butter buttercream is left at room temperature for a full day or overnight, I find that it kind of releases moisture that I don’t care for.
By contrast, when I use some shortening, that doesn’t happen.Another thing about shortening is that if you live in a warm climate or are making cakes that will be outdoors, shortening can be really helpful because it’s not as susceptible to heat, like butter.And then the original reason that I started using some shortening was that I always found the buttery taste of an all-butter buttercream to be too much. But of course, this is another area where my opinion has changed a bit. Butter has grown on me. Lately I find myself enjoying an all-butter buttercream. Just be sure to use unsalted butter, like I said before.
Powdered Sugar
Also something I get a lot of questions about. This recipe uses a full 4 cups of powdered sugar to 1 cup of butter/shortening. The high amount of powdered sugar make this buttercream stable and pipe-able. This recipe covers roughly 12 cupcakes for me when frosting them quite generously, which I do. So when I frost cakes, which I also do quite generously, I double and sometimes even triple this recipe. That means anywhere from 8-12 cups of powdered sugar. A lot? Yes. But if you reduce it, you totally change the consistency of the frosting, which is super important – especially when frosting cakes and cupcakes. To read more about frosting consistency, check out this post.
Vanilla Extract
Naturally, this adds flavor. But the great thing about this buttercream is that it’s so adaptable. Swap out this extract for another and you’ve got another flavor. Score!
Heavy Cream or Water
I tend to use water, but cream also works well. Again, I like to leave my cakes at room temperature when I can, so I usually just go with water. That said, the high amount of fat in buttercream should keep buttercream that uses heavy cream fine at room temperature for a day or two.
Salt
Since unsalted butter is recommended, you’ll want to add salt to taste. I think this is really a big personal preference with this recipe. The salt can help cut back on the sweetness a bit. Too much though and it gets quite salty.
How To Make Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
This buttercream is super quick and easy to make!
- First, add your butter (and shortening, if using) to your mixer and beat until smooth and creamy. Again, be sure it’s all at room temperature.
- Next, you’ll add about half of the powdered sugar. It doesn’t have to be exact.
- Then add your extract and some water or cream. Basically, we want to add some liquid to keep the buttercream from getting super thick as we continue to add the powdered sugar. I usually add one tablespoon of liquid, plus the extract at this point.
- Add the rest of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth.
- At this point, you’ll want to add additional liquid as needed. How much you’ll add may depend a little on what you’re using your buttercream frosting for, but generally 2-4 tablespoons is plenty. Again, you can refer to my post on frosting consistency for a little more help on when to add more liquid and how much is too much.
- Finally, add a little salt. Start with a pinch and go from there.
How to Decorate Cakes and Cupcakes with Buttercream
If you’re looking for help decorating your cakes and cupcakes, I’ve got tutorials for both. My How to Frost a Smooth Cake tutorial is so well loved and an all time most viewed post. The video has more than a million views on YouTube. I really get into the details of how to actually frost your cake, so check it out. My tutorial for How to Frost Cupcakes is wonderful too. I show you 9 ways to frost cupcakes with 6 different piping tips. You can find links to all the tools I use in those posts, but here are some of my favorite piping tips.
- Ateco tip 844 – A go-to for piping onto cupcakes and for borders around cakes.
- Ateco tip 808 – A wonderful large round piping tip.
- Ateco tip 847 and Ateco tip 849 – Similar to the 844, but larger. I used the 847 tip on the cupcakes in these photos.
- Sprinkles – Not exactly a piping tip, but who doesn’t love them?
- Piping bags – Because you need these too.
Can I make buttercream ahead?
Absolutely! Make it and leave it on the counter overnight, or refrigerate it for up to a month.You can even freeze it for up to 3 months.
Why is my buttercream grainy?
If this happens, most likely this has to do with your powdered sugar. There’s no other ingredient that would be grainy. If you do experience this, you’ll want to try sifting your powdered sugar. I’ve never needed to do that, but if you don’t use your powdered sugar much and it’s been sitting for some time or you live in a humid environment, it may get kind of clumpy and then you’ll want to sift it.
Can I reduce the amount of powdered sugar?
Yes and no. Sure you can reduce it. Who’s to stop you? You’ll end up with a buttercream frosting (technically). But this question is really one of consistency.
I’ve been asked before if it was ok to reduce 8 cups of powdered sugar to 2 cups. If we talk about ratios here, then there’s 2 cups of butter for those 8 cups of powdered sugar. So if you reduce the powdered sugar to 2 cups without also adjusting the butter, it’ll be like eating straight butter with a touch of powdered sugar. Can you do it? Sure. Would I ever recommend it? Absolutely not. Not only would that taste bad (in my opinion), but the consistency would be totally off and it might not stay well on the cake it’s meant to go on. Not to mention that you couldn’t pipe it.
So I go back to recommending you check out my post on buttercream frosting consistency. Whether or not you can (or should) reduce it depends on how you want to use your frosting (and how you want it to taste).
And if you truly aren’t a fan of using much powdered sugar, then I might suggest checking out another kind of buttercream. This is an American Buttercream which gets it volume and stability from powdered sugar, so it’s hard to avoid. Swiss Meringue Buttercream gets its volume from egg whites that are cooked, so maybe check that out. I don’t currently have a recipe to recommend, but am working on it.
So there it is! Vanilla Buttercream Frosting. Super easy and totally delicious. I hope this updated post helps! As always, if you have questions, leave them below and I’ll do my best to help.
You might also like these frosting recipes:
Homemade Strawberry Frosting – 2 Ways
Cream Cheese Frosting
Fudgy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
Stabilized Mascarpone Whipped Cream
Easy Strawberry Whipped Cream – 2 Ways
Chocolate Ganache
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”nZKSELzU” upload-date=”2019-09-18T15:15:13.000Z” name=”Vanilla-Buttercream-FULL-BLOG” description=”The best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting! This frosting is so easy to make! Learn how to make great vanilla buttercream every time!”]
Print
Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: about 2 1/2 cups
- Category: Dessert
- Method: No Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
This Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is creamy, sweet and easily adjustable! It’s a must-have recipe that’s super easy to make and pipes perfectly onto cakes and cupcakes!
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1/2 cup (95g) shortening (or additional butter)
- 4 cups (460g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2–3 tbsp (30-45ml) water or heavy cream
- Salt, to taste*
Instructions
- Combine the butter and shortening in a large mixer bowl and beat until smooth and creamy.
- Add about half of the powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add the vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of water or cream and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add the remaining powdered sugar and mix until smooth and well combined.
- Add more water or cream until desired consistency is reached, then add salt to taste.
Notes
For the salt, start by adding a pinch or two and add more to your taste. I wouldn’t suggest adding more than 1/8 tsp.
You can add different extracts to change up the flavor. You can also add 1/4-1/2 cup of cocoa and a little more liquid to get a chocolate icing. For a peanut butter icing, add 3/4 cup of peanut butter.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 2 1/2 cups
- Calories: 3288
- Sugar: 391.8 g
- Sodium: 742.3 mg
- Fat: 194.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 399.7 g
- Protein: 1 g
- Cholesterol: 244 mg
Will this recipe be enough to GENEROUSLY frost a 9 by 13 cake?
Yes, it should be.
How long in refrigerator vs freezer for leftover frosting?
One week in fridge and up to 3 months in the freezer.
Can you use salted butter
You can, but it’s quite salty.
How long can this recipe sit on the counter? Thank you
It should be fine for up to 24 hours because of the high sugar content, but then you should refrigerate it.
I am a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher and my students are making sugar cookies for Christmas! I found your sugar cookie recipe and this butter cream recipe was one you recommended. With the sugar cookies you said it makes about thirty, how much butter cream frosting would I need? I do not want to make way to much or not have enough. I am very excited to try this recipe!!
Yes, I think it depend on the look you’re going for. This buttercream will definitely work, it just doesn’t dry hard and the cookie won’t be stackable. If you’d like one that will dry hard, try this sugar cookie icing. As for how much you need, that depends a little. You don’t really use that much buttercream per cookie, but that can vary based on the design. I always prefer to have more than I need, so that I don’t have to make more and end up with different colors. And then if you are dividing it between students, you may also want extra. It’s just really hard for me to say exactly, given the scenario. I’d probably at least double it.
its so nice to have a recipe site that has wonderful recipes. wonderful cakes and icing. Its also great to see your tutorials they are so instructional, your wonderful, and you do not charge your subscribers.. thank you so much
I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes and find my site helpful!
I am making this next week for a wedding shower and was so happy to find it! I’ve been looking for a recipe with Crisco for our climate. I want to know with the butter if this is white enough to tint or is it light yellow? I am making light blue for the piping and the cake will be white. I do want some butter flavor so I don’t want to do all crisco. Does this tint well?
It probably has a very slight yellow tint from the butter. It’s not going to be as yellow as an all butter frosting. But it does tint well. A common thing to do is actually add a hint of purple to the frosting to offset the slight yellow color.
Hi!! How do I know what is a good brand for shorting? Never bought any!
I use crisco. That’s really the only brand I ever see in our area.
I have a question, having occasional problem of my frosting coming away from the cake in spots when I do a round cake, I do not have this problem with sheet cakes. I use 1/2C crisco 4 cups p sugar 1/2 t flavor and 1/4 C water. Appreciate any help
It sounds like the frosting is probably too dry. I’d recommend using a full cup of crisco, or half butter/half crisco – just use 1 cup of whatever you prefer (butter or crisco).
Hello can you use this underneath fondant? How do you make Frosting thicker
I think that really depends on how you like to do cakes and the look you are going for. I don’t really use fondant much at all. When I did work with it a little more years ago, I found that I preferred chocolate ganache under the fondant because it stayed stiffer. You can use buttercream, but without adding much more powdered sugar, it won’t be as thick as chocolate and white chocolate ganache. I hope that helps.
If I wanted to make this a chocolate buttercream could I just replace some of the powdered sugar with cocoa powder?
Yes, you can find that recipe and amounts in my chocolate buttercream recipe.
This recipe is great! I enjoyed it a lot. How can you double or triple it? Is it a direct doubling of the ingredients? Thanks!
I’m glad you enjoy it! Yes, you can just double it or triple it.
What do you think about adding black raspberry jam to this butter cream?. Do you have a recipe for raspberry buttercream frosting?
You could certainly do that. I don’t personally love the flavor of jam in buttercream. I’d probably make some of this raspberry filling and use that in the buttercream.
Hi Lindsay,
I love your recipes! I use them all the time and they always turn out great! Thank you! When you use shortening in your buttercream do you use butter flavored or the regular? Thank you! Kelly
Thanks Kelly – glad you enjoy them! I use regular shortening.
Do this frosting withstand heat?
It’ll do better in heat than an all-butter version, but how well it does depends on how high the heat is and how direct.
This is the absolute best Buttercream Frosting!!! I used a caramel extract and frosted a 3 tier 9” Toffee Pecan Caramel cake. I actually doubled the frosting recipe and the amount was perfect!!
So glad you enjoyed it!
Is this recipe ok to freeze and use when needed?
Definitely!
How much shortening would you use in this recipe?
It’s listed in the recipe – half butter/half shortening.
Do you use vegetable shortening?
Yes
Is it OK to use gel food coloring for this recipe?
P.s. I love ALL of your recipes that I have tried including this one! You’re recipes are always my #1 go to!
Definitely!
And thank you! I’m so glad to hear that! 🙂
I chose this recipe randomly while baking a cake today, as I knew I wanted an American vanilla butter cream. Everything in Japan is in grams, so first thank you for giving the weight measurements in grams. When I was making it I realized that I only had 400g of powdered sugar. I could go downstairs to the supermarket and buy more, but I decided to go with 400g and see what it was like. I would like to report that reducing the powdered sugar to 400g in my opinion gave it a nice consistency. It was sweet, but did not feel overly sweet, so if you are one of those who doesn’t want “all that sugar”, and you want to reduce the sugar, I can suggest 400g of sugar being a good amount.
I’m glad you enjoyed it!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yC0RyLGLkgY&ab_channel=ChloeRuth
Please tell me what I’m doing wrong! XD
Your buttercream looks way too thick. I’d try adding more heavy whipping cream and checking out my post on frosting consistency.
Can I use all butter flavor crisco
If you don’t mind that flavor, then certainly.
Does the frosting need to be refrigerated?
It can sit at room temperature for about 24 hours but then should be refrigerated.
My question is about the powdered sugar. Do you measure out 4 cups then sift it or do you sift it then measure 4 cups?
Also, I’m not sure what I’m doing wrong. I used a standing mixer with a paddle attachment and my butter was definitely softened. However, my butter/shortening mixture is full of lumps.
I actually measure by weight and don’t typically need to sift it. Weight is going to be most accurate. It’s a little hard to say when measuring by cups because if the powdered sugar is really lumpy and packed, you could over measure using a cup. But if you sift it, it’ll lighten it up a good bit and you may end up not measuring enough. You could really do it either way and then just add more or less if it seems like you need it. Or you could try a food scale. I hope that helps!
How much frosting would you use to cover a 3 layer 9-inch cake (generous of course) PLUS extra frosting for different color flower decor?
Also, I see you say a pinch of salt and then add more to taste BUT do you know how much you use in the way you prefer? It would trust that more as a jumping off point for my first go at this.
I would probably at least triple this frosting, and depending on how many flower decorations you’re adding you may still want more.
As for the salt, anywhere up to an eighth of a teaspoon should be ok, but I’d start with less. You may want more if you want it to be a little more salty. The salt enhances the flavor of the buttercream but at a certain point will start to make it taste salty.
Do I use butter flavored shortening or vegetable flavored shortening?
Thanks, love your recipes!
Vegetable. So glad to hear you enjoy the recipes! Thank you!
Hello! I love that you have this option with shortening and butter so the frosting won’t melt for an outdoor party, but it’ll still have the nice buttery taste. Could you please advise on how many batches of this frosting to make for your lemon poppyseed cake recipe? I made that last week and loved it but want to try a buttercream instead of the cream cheese frosting next time. Thank you!
Glad you enjoyed the lemon poppyseed cake! I’d recommend the lemon buttercream on this Lemon Cake. It’s about 2 1/2 recipes worth of this frosting, with some lemon adjustments.
Great, thank you so much for your reply!!
Easy, Delicious and versatile ! Made these as vanilla , as chocolate, and as strawberry 🍓 frosting
What kind of shortening do I use?
I use Crisco brand
Hi!
I love this recipe. Do you need to sift the powdered sugar??
I don’t typically sift my powdered sugar. But I also go through it fairly quickly and it doesn’t usually lump together. If yours is kind of clumpy, you may want to sift it.
Hello, Would this recipe provide enough icing to cover the cake you iced in your “How to frost a smooth cake with buttercream frosting”? Just trying to determine how much I would need to make and if I need to double the recipe. Thanks.
It depends a little on how much frosting you use. If you’re following that tutorial, I typically use more like 2.5 recipes worth for a fully frosted cake that way. Not everyone likes to use that much frosting though.
I love this recipe. I just tried it for the first time last week and it turned out great. I would like to make more and add color. At what point in the steps do you add coloring?
Glad you enjoyed it! I usually add coloring once it’s made.
I was wondering how to store this buttercream properly?
You could leave it on the counter for about 24 hours, or store it in the fridge for a couple of weeks or freeze it for up to three months.
I found my new butter cream recipe and it was a hit❤️❤️Thank you so much for sharing.
So glad you enjoyed it!
Hello!
I have a question. Maybe this will sound weird, but my English is not the best. What is shortening, and where I can buy it, if I live in the Europe.
You can replace it with additional butter.
How many cupcakes does this recipe frost
It depends on how much frosting you put on your cupcakes. If you like an amount similar to what is shown in the pictures, then it should frost about 12 cupcakes. If you use less frosting, it’ll cover more cupcakes.
I have to make 144 cupcakes, and making they fairly high with frosting (probably similar to the vanilla cupcakes you posted with the sprinkles around it) – About how many cupcakes will one batch frost…Sorry, if it’s written somewhere, I couldn’t find it. lol This is my go-to recipe, but have never made that many that high at once!
This is a perfect recipe! I used it to decorate cupcakes for a visit from my best friend! Thank you so much for sharing.
I usually never comment but here goes, I was looking for a frosting that would hold in the hot Caribbean climate. This one is perfect! Followed the recipe exactly and added coloring and flavoring. Very good frosting for hot weather, gets hard in the fridge but is perfect again when you let it reach room temperature again. Would recommend 100%!
So glad it worked well for you!
If you dont have a stand mixer is it fine to use a hand mixer?
Definitely
Lovely and well explained . Thank you so much. Can you please tell me the brand of shortening which is used in your recipe?
I used crisco.
I just made this yesterday and it turned out great. I didn’t need that much as I made a small one layer cake, so I cut everything in half and it was still perfect. Thank you so much, this will be my go-to frosting (when I’m not baking for my vegans!)
So glad you were happy with it!
Hi love your recipes, use them all the time. Is the shortening butter flavored or vegetable flavored?
-Thank You
I use vegetable shortening.
Happy Thanksgiving week and I just today found your video on YT. I used to make wedding and party cakes and my icing was WIlton’s with my own additions… it was delicious, fragrant and creamy. Then Crisco changed and I just am restarting my business and have been making a butter icing which is good, but thick almost like “mud”. I used to beat my icing 7 minutes and it would “grow” but I attempted to do that with the butter icing and it doesn’t do that… do you beat your icing for any length of time… you didn’t mention that, Maybe I’m just used to what I used to do and need to give this icing a chance. One thing I always put a border on the edge of the cake but when I did that a few weeks ago, it slid down… will make tonights cake with flowers on top like you make… very pretty and happy I’ve found your work AND this recipe.
Crisco changed? When and how? Also, thanks for mentioning that it was a Wilton recipe.
My mom passed her recipe down to me, but it’s more of a this is what you use, and this is about how much, and find your consistency. Problem is, that’s harder to teach my kids, lol. So I was looking for a recipe that used shortening to get the basics and then modding it, if needed, to help have better instructions.
To Lindsey, thanks for posting this entry. It’s perfect at explaining stuff I just took for granted and couldn’t explain why I was looking for something harder to find (namely, why to use shortening).
I am curious, can I sub shortening for the same amount of butter?
Glad it was helpful. And yes, you can swap it out for the same amount of butter.
Can I use regular butter with shortening if I don’t have unsalted butter?
If you’re using salted butter, you just want to leave out any additional salt.
I know it will vary depending on how much icing you use but approximately how many cupcakes can you frost with this recipe (the way your photo looks)
About 12 cupcakes.
Can I color this frosting?
Definitely! Just use gel icing color.
I’m adding 3/4 of a strawberry reduction to my frosting. Will that work?? Or would it be less than the peanut butter? I figured I could just maybe do without the cream or water???
Here is my strawberry buttercream recipe. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/homemade-strawberry-frosting-two-ways/
This might be a crazy question but what kind of shortening do you use?.. I have noticed shortening with no trans fat is not the same consistency as shortening with trans fat. I currently use a icing shortening?
I use Crisco brand vegetable shortening
If I make the frosting ahead and refrigerate it, how do I get it soft enough for frosting my cake? Let us sit out to come to room temp?
Yes, let it come to room temperature.
I’ve been looking for a recipe for this for years and I have it now!!!😊
I tried the recipe on a cake. it was very sweet. i will use 3 cups powdered sugar next time.
Great recipe!! so easy Thanks
Hi there, I’m totally convinced that this is the recipe for me & I’d like to try this recipe for my daughters wedding cakes (a12″ a 9″ & a 6″ cake stacked on top of each other) I’m in the U.K. so I’m trying to figure out how much I’ll need if each cake has two layers plus a thin coating going over the top and around the sides.? (Prior to a fondant/ sugar-paste icing layer encasing each cake)
Also…is it possible to make this a chocolate flavoured buttercream whilst keeping the shortening in the ingredients? & if so How should I go about it?
I’m honestly not sure how much you’ll need. As for chocolate, try this chocolate buttercream and just use half shortening and half butter.
If you’re making double or triple batches, do you recommend just double/triple the ingredients or actually make multiple separate batches of the recipe size?
When I frost cakes I never feel like I have enough frosting in between the layers ( I guess I’m always afraid I won’t have enough for the top and sides) I think there’s a good amount but it’s always too little. How much frosting would you recommend in between a layer?
I almost always use one cup for each layer in my 3 layer cakes. You may need to adjust that for thicker or thinner layers though.
How much does this recipe cover?
I am making a 2 layer cake 9″ rounds.
Should I double or triple the recipe?
Depends on how much frosting you like. I would double it at least.
Best butter cream recipe I have found so far!!
I made it for a cake should I keep the cake in the fridge overnight or out at room temp?
So glad you’re happy with it! Buttercream can sit out at room temperature for about 24 hours but after that should be refrigerated.
Hi! Which Recipe I can use for the dam frosting?
This recipe can be used.
Hi! I’m excited to try your recipe. I have a question though – would the recipe change if I’m adding food gel for coloring?
No, the recipe doesn’t change if you are adding color.
Lindsay, thanks so much for your reply. I have 2 more questions I’ve failed to find answers to on the internet… first, after crumb coating and when putting it in the fridge, should the cake be covered? I don’t have a separate cake fridge so I’m afraid that the cake might absorb the smelly food in the fridge. Second, if I’m crumb coating the day before, should I leave the cake in the fridge overnight, or take it out after 30 min or so and leave it in room temp? I know that cakes shouldn’t be refrigerated since it will dry them out but wasn’t sure what the best thing to do is after crumb coating. Is it better to keep it unassembled if there’s no time to bake and decorate on the same day- then stack and crumb coat them another day? Instead of crumb coating in advance?
Will this buttercream version stand up to fully icing & smoothing a 3 tier wedding cake, I have an order coming up in December and I know an all butter buttercream will not hold well, so I am hoping this one will.
I don’t have a lot of experience with event cakes, but I would think that it would.
What kind of shortening (brand) do you use?
Crisco
How much does this recipe make? Also what is the ratio for making more?
The yield in the recipe mentions making 2 1/2 cups. It’s up where the timing information is (just so you know for future). As for the ratio, it’s 1 cup of butter to 4 cups of powdered sugar, so you can do a little math from there.
About how many cupcakes would one batch frost?
It really depends on how much frosting you use per cupcake. If you pile it on like I do, it’d be about 12 cupcakes.
Great recipe and information about how you developed it.
My wife is not a fan of really sweet icing and this met both our likes. I used salted butter for the half and no extra salt at the end. Only other modification was almond extract. It went perfect with a “Birthday Cake” style batter. Home run with my family! Thanks!!
I love these recipes so much! Very useful!💓💓💓
Hi Lindsay, how much does this recipe make? Would it be enough to frost a 3 layer 8-inch cake? Thank you!
It makes about 2 1/2 cups of buttercream. I would at least double it for a 3 layer 8 inch cake.
Is this buttercream sensitive to 30°? Is it sturdy enough to layer approx,6 half inch layer cakes?
It can start to get sensitive if it’s warmer than room temperature. And yes, it should be sturdy enough.
Hi,I live im Singapore and it is humid here,(30°+-).What can I do to prevent the buttercream from melting ?Is this buttercream good and suitable for frosting and layering cakes?
oh okay I just wanted to make sure because I’ve used margarine on many other frosting recipes and they didn’t turn out like frosting rather a very liquid texture
Well then considering that you’ve used it before, you probably know better than I do since I’ve never used it. Sounds like it might not work.
HI Lindsay
is it possible to be using margarine instead of butter?
I’ve never used margarine before. I’m guessing it would turn out fine.
Oh okay that’s great also will I be able to use margarine instead of butter
hi I have a question are you sure that it won’t turn out liquidy? Plzz replyyy
also it would be great if you had a to tutorial
If the recipe is followed correctly, it will not be liquidy. And there is a video tutorial right above the recipe. I walk you through the entire process.
Hi, thank you for sharing your Recepie. The thing which bothers me the most while making buttercream is the time. How many minutes do we have to give while beating butter ,after adding sugar and the liquid ingredients.
There’s not really a standard amount of time. You really just want to mix until things are smooth and well combined.
I find that my buttercream recipe separates when I use cream. I have not had the issue when using water.
I loved how easy ur recipe was for a beginner like me .
I could not achieve the right consistency with all butter frosting . Thanks for the suggestion to use shortening and ah well I can’t taste it at all and it’s so smooth . Can’t wait to frost my cakes and cupcakes.
Note – I reduced the sugar by 74 g and added 4 tbsp of heavy cream .
Can I Store this outside until I am ready to use it in Couple days ? Or if I do refrigerate it how long should I leave it out before frosting the cake ?
Glad you were happy with it! You can leave it at room temperature for about 24 hours, then you should refrigerate it. Just bring it back to room temperature when you’re ready to use it.
Can i use 1/2 cup cocoa for chocolate Butter cream recipe?
You can find my chocolate buttercream recipe here.
Question: Can you use milk if you don’t have cream?
Yes, you can.
How many cupcakes will this frost? Thank you for the help!
It depends a little on how generously you frost your cupcakes, but for me it’s about 12.
Can you use lard instead of shortening?
Nice! Thanks for sharing your recipe. My mom always taught me this way We live in a hot climate
and this holds up beautifully. Delightfully wonderful to find someone else making it this way.
Thanks so much for this recipe, will definitely try it. I was wondering if I could replace the butter in this recipe with margarine, and what effect will that have on the texture and taste.
I tried making this recipe and for some reason… My buttercream kept separating, I don’t know why, please help!!
I’ve honestly never had that happen, so I’m not sure. Was is possibly too hot or too cold? You could try turning up the speed on your mixer and letting it go for a few minutes and see if that helps.
I am so excited to try this! Every time I’ve made a buttercream so far it’s tasted too buttery, so I hope the shortening will help with that. I might have missed it, but is there a way to make this a lemon buttercream? Could I use some lemon juice instead of water, or add some zest somehow? I’m planning on making a lemon cake for my mom and I’m hoping to use this as a base for some fondant. Thank you!
Yes, I usually use lemon juice instead of water or milk and then add some lemon zest. Here’s a lemon cake where I used lemon buttercream that you can use for reference.
Thank you!!
I tried it today and it was AMAZING!!!
When subbing butter for shortening is it an exact ratio to substitute? Do cupcakes need to be refrigerated? Thank you
Yes, same amount. Refrigeration depends on the cupcake and what elements in/on them might need refrigeration.
I want to use heavy cream in frosting, but do not have any can I use heavy whipping cream instead? If yes how much heavy whipping should I use?
You can. Just use the same amount.
Hello! What about food coloring? Can I add that?
Yes, you can. I would suggest using gel icing color though, and not actual food coloring. Food coloring is much thinner and will thin out your frosting.
Question: I normally use the recipe you had with salted butter and it’s perfect…. Is this a crusted buttercream recipe?
This is the same recipe. I just changed it to use unsalted bitter and add your own salt. But you could easily just use salted butter.
Hi, your frosting recipe looks amazing. Is the same American buttercream frosting you used in your other recipe of how to smoothly frost a cake?
Yes, this is the frosting I use in the tutorial for frosting a smooth cake.
Delicious frosting!
As of 2019, Viva isn’t a plain paper towels and doesn’t make a smooth frosting. 👎🏻
Hmm, I haven’t had to buy any recently. That’s so sad if it’s the case! Glad you enjoyed the frosting!
Yikes I just bought some Viva today to try using the recipe
Hi nice i was looking for a good buttercream for so long. Can I ask if this can cover 9″ inch round cake and 6″ inch round cake? Thank you. I was planning to make two tier of cake for my grandma’s birthday.
This frosting is enough for about 12-14 cupcakes. For 8 inch cakes, I tend to double it or so, but I use a good bit of frosting. For a 6 inch, you might need 1 1/2 to 2 recipes worth. For a 9 inch, I’d say 2 1/2 or so, depending on how much frosting you like.
Hi, I really want to try this recipe but I do not own a stand mixer with the paddle attachment. I only have a hand mixer with the beater attachments. I was wondering if I could use this or if the buttercream would have too many air bubbles. I previously tried a different buttercream recipe and used the hand mixer but it had a lot of air bubbles and no matter what I did I could not seem to get it smooth. Thank you in advance!
It sounds like you have something fairly specific in mind regarding the air bubbles. I don’t think this buttercream will give you issues, but I’m not sure. It can be harder with a hand mixer because you have less control over the speed setting. Higher speeds when mixing are what adds air (sort of like whipped cream – you whip it on high speed to add air). If you truly want less air in something you’re making, you may want to invest in a stand mixer, which has lower speed settings.
Hi Lindsay,
I am an 81 year old granny looking for a homemade cake mix and I found your darling blog. My blog is all about IBS; your blog is all about yummy sweets, sprinkles and Jesus. So perfect!
I am so excited to find this recipe for homemade cake mix. IBS folks can’t eat boxed cake mixes because of all the chemicals, added whey, etc., so I must always bake from scratch. Your homemade mix will be such a time saver for me. I also bake for our Sunday kids Bible classes and I wanted to have a quick mix for the weeks when I don’t have so much time to bake. H.ere’s the answer
By the way, I also read your recipe for buttercream and I totally agree that shortening and salted butter are the way to go. That’s my favorite. All shortening is awful and that is what grocery stores use on their birthday cakes. It is so disappointing to eat one of their cakes and have the icing taste like soap! ha ha
Thanks again and I will be visiting regularly just to enjoy your darling pictures and clever styling.
Thanks so much Joan! I hope you enjoy the recipe and am glad you found it!
Hi… what kind of shortening do you use… I’ve tried to make buttercream icing and I can never get the consistency smooth ..it’s always a little grainy and sticky as well. Sometimes, once I mix all together, I notice that the shortening seems to harden around the walls or the bowl(any suggestions).
I use Crisco. If your buttercream is turning out grainy, you may need to sift your powdered sugar. I’ve never experienced shortening getting hard and firm. Are any of your ingredients cold?
Do you have a maple buttercream frosting recipes, or variations for one using this recipe??
I use a maple frosting on this cake. https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/bourbon-spice-toffee-layer-cake/ Definitely check that out. It’s a larger volume than what you see in this vanilla frosting but is the same recipe with some maple extract and cinnamon added.
Hi,
Just made your recipe today and the iceing is delicious!!
It will be my go to buttercream recipe from now on.
I have one question, in the future if I make it ahead and put in fridge
Do I cover it, and the next day should I mix it up by hand a little and let it
Warm up before frosting the cake?
Thanks for sharing and answering everyones questions.
Vicki
.
I’m glad you enjoyed it! I would store it in the fridge covered and then let it come back to room temperature before using it. You don’t necessarily have to remix it, but I usually stir up by hand just to make sure everything is nice and smooth again.
Can’t wait to try this recipe! Do you use pure icing sugar or icing mixture? Thank you
I use regular icing sugar.
Hello, I would like to know what shortening is? Thanks so much!
It’s a butter substitute. You find it at the grocery store near the vegetable oil.
Hello ma’am. Thanks for the recipe but I’d like to ask how big a cake this recipe would cover. And what adjustments would I need to make for a high stack 8″ cake. Thanks
I tend to use a fair amount of frosting so this recipe frosts about 12 to 15 cupcakes for me. If frosting a regular 8 inch cake that’s between three and 4 inches tall, I will usually use 2 to 2 1/2 recipes worth of this buttercream.
Dear Linsay,
I tried this recipe yesterday, but I did not get a completely smooth texture. When I tasted it, I noticed that the icing sugar did not properly mix with the butter and shortening since it felt very sandy. Although I refrigerated it and then it tasted really nice, like oreo’s cream but the sandy texture was still there.
It sounds like you might’ve needed to sift the powdered sugar. If your powdered sugar was sitting in the pantry for a while or it’s really humid in your area or something, that would probably be why.
Hi- is really like to use this recipe for cupcakes I’m making for a friends birthday but I’m looking for an Oreo/cookies and cream version. How would you suggest adapting this recipe to be Oreo?
Thanks!!
I would check out the Oreo buttercream on these cupcakes https://www.lifeloveandsugar.com/oreo-chocolate-cupcakes/
Which shortening do you use? I afraid to use it by smell, texture and flavor.
Thank you
I use Crisco. You can always replace the shortening with butter though, if you prefer.
Ok Thank you so much! I just need to frost about 60 cupcakes this weekend so I wanted to know how far in advance I could start making the frosting 🙂 . And how to store it
So thanks again,
Cindy
Hi Lindsay,
quick question, I know its posted somewhere I just can’t find it. What is the shelf life for your
Vanilla Buttercreme Frosting
Should I keep it in an airtight container on the counter or in the fridge? How many days?
Can it be frozen and then re used if there is extra? How do I defrost it?
On the counter or in the fridge?
Thank you 🙂
It should be fine at room temperature on the counter for about a week. It’s fine in the fridge for about two weeks. And then frozen for about a month or so. I’d probably suggest defrosting it in the fridge, but it should be fine on the counter as well.
This cake is beautiful. Quick question, do you have a recipe for cream cheese crusting butter cream?
If you were to add the cocoa powder or peanut butter to the frosting would the frosting still crust like it does? what about if you add cream cheese?
Yes, it would still crust. Same for the cream cheese. If you’d like a cream cheese frosting recipe, you can find that here.
So you only use shortening for flavoring purposes, not for crusting? And why don’t you use shortening for the cream cheese version?
More for consistency purposes, but in part for flavoring. Though I will admit that butter has grown on me recently. 🙂 I believe the buttercream would crust with all butter as well.
As for the cream cheese version, it’s a totally different frosting for me. I much prefer the flavor of it as is (no need to adjust for that reason) and as for consistency, I have no expectations of cream cheese frosting being nearly as stable as vanilla buttercream. You could certainly use shortening to help, if you wanted more stability, but you do sacrifice flavor. Plus, I always refrigerate cream cheese frosting, where as with vanilla buttercream, I mostly don’t.
Hi,
I was wondering if you leave out the merengue powder? I know in the Wilton buttercream, they use it to give stability. Does it not need it?
No, this buttercream doesn’t need meringue powder.
Hello Lindsey, just found your video on YouTube and came to check out your page. Excited to try the recipe. If I want to make the buttercream in bulk. What is the Ratio to use? Take for example I want to make the buttercream that can frost a two tiered cake. Thank you. Will definitely try it and let you know how it came out. A little skeptical of using shortening.
This is the recipe I start with and just adjust as needed. It’s hard to say how much you’ll need for a two tiered cake – what size are the two tiers? How tall? Are you using buttercream between the layers, or some other filling? How many layers are in each cake? All those things affect the amount of frosting you need. This recipe is enough to generously frost 12 cupcakes. I usually double it or do 2 1/2 recipes worth for an 8 inch cake with 3 layers inside, so maybe that can help as a guide.
If you aren’t a fan of shortening, you can use all butter. You’ll still be able to use the smooth frosting tutorial method. But you will need to refrigerate the frosting if it’s going to sit out for more than about 12 hours. It’s not as stable as when you use some shortening in it.
I hope that helps!
I’m excited to try this recipe. Is it firm enough to pipe flowers? I’m making a layered rosette cake. Thank you!
Definitely firm enough. Check out my post on frosting consistency too, if you’d like.
Thanks Lindsay for the response. I did it before the response. It worked out perfectly. Very different texture from just the good ole butter and icing sugar, but adding the shortening (copha) it definitely added that different element to a standard buttercream. A win being a lot whiter than using just butter. My copha wasn’t soft enough so did take along time to beat into the butter. I wonder if melting the copha down and beating it into the butter would be easier or more effective?
But overall my review is 5 stars. I use half and half unsalted and salted butter and bit of water as you said, I was a bit worried but it did all cone together eventually.
I agree with the crust when left, Christmas day was a bit of a made house so I had to keep walking away from the cake and that made things difficult and I am a perfectionist but I dipped a knife into hot water and that helped soften and make the buttercream movable in bits I needed to fix.
I had the cake on the bench all day, in Australia weather and surprisingly it held up and no melting or anything. You could touch it and no buttercream will go on the fingers. I was impressed.
Thanks
I’m glad it turned out well for you! As for melting down the copha, I don’t know about that. It would thin out the frosting a lot. If you refrigerated it so that it thickened back up, maybe it’d be ok, but I’m not sure.
Hello, I am going to try give his recipe a go, but I am going to do a semi-naked cake and was wondering if this buttercream will be OK? I read in comments that it creates a crust after sitting for a while. Would that be OK for a semi naked cake? Thank you
It should be fine for a semi-naked cake. I’ve used it before without a problem. Just be sure to finish smoothing out and touching up the frosting before letting it sit, because then the crust forms.
Can this recipe be smoothed for a wedding cake?
Yes, it can be. See my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake, which uses this frosting.
I tried this out and it was my first time using buttercream. Jesus this is the best thing I have got this month. It came out nicely though I have to practice more and more. Thanks so much dear for being generous and you share whole heartedly . May God give you long life. Lindsay I rate it with a 5
Hi Lindsay,
Just tried your recipe today and I would say the taste is not that bad although I preferred all butter. Followed to the T but end result is grainy no matter how long I beat.
May I know where goes wrong. I have tried many others and still face the same issue where the texture is grainy.
Seek your expertise on this.
Thank you in advance.
Hard to say without being there. The only thing that could add any texture to the frosting is the powdered sugar. Is it fresh and free of clumpy-ness before you add it? It sounds like something to do with the powdered sugar. Also, be sure you’re using powdered/icing sugar and not granulated sugar.
Can I use this recipe on sugar cookies?
You can. It’s a crusting buttercream, so it will firm up a bit, but won’t be as firm as royal icing.
Perfect thank you for the detailed explanation!
How would you turn this into white chocolate buttercream? Just add melted white chocolate?
If you’d like a white chocolate buttercream, I’d suggest the frosting on these cupcakes, but with white chocolate.
I just decorated a girlies cake using this recipe. This is the best I have tried in my years of baking. Thank you so much for sharing.
Awesome! I’m so glad you enjoyed!
Hi there, should I use a room temperature or cold butter?
Thanks
Room temperature butter.
I’m waiting for my butter to get to room temperature and I’ll be making this buttercream recipe. What will this recipe yield or how much cake will this recipe icing? I’m making cupcakes, 6″ and 8″ cakes. One more important question, what type and/or brand of shortening do you use? in my attempt of finding the perfect buttercream icing, all shortenings are NOT created equal.
I use crisco vegetable shortening. As for how much this frosting covers – I usually cover 12-ish cupcakes with it. It depends a little on how much frosting you top your cupcakes with though. And how you’re decorating them. Certain frosting tips and methods use more or less frosting. For cakes – I usually do about 2 1/2 recipes worth for an 8 inch cake, but I’m a little heavy handed with frosting so again, it depends on how much you like to use and what kind of decorations you’ll add.
I have tried this recipe two times now, Both times the taste was wonderful but the frosting reminded me more of a whipped frosting instead of a buttercream. Am I maybe mixing it on a higher speed than i should???
It sounds like that’s a possibility. Whipping it on high speed would have that effect. I usually mix on more of a medium to medium-low speed.
about how many pounds would you say this makes?
I really don’t know. I haven’t ever measured it by weight.
I usually just used canned frosting, but the one I had tasted rather sour so I thought it time to actually make my own. Of course, I thought of this recipe. I made the mistake of using unsalted butter which is all I had on hand, so it came out way too sweet, unfortunately. I still used it to frost my cake because I didn’t want it going to waste. Luckily, on the cake, it tastes slightly less sweet, so it didn’t ruin it. How much salt should I add if I don’t have salted butter on hand if there’s a next time?
I’d try adding about 1/4 teaspoon and then you could add a tad more, if you feel like you need it.
Hi Lindsay, What’s your take on using a 50/50 mix of butter flavored shortening and butter? Have you (or any of your subscribers that you know of) tried using butter flavored shortening?
I personally don’t love the flavor of butter flavored shortening, but that would probably be a preference thing. You could certainly try it.
Hello Lindsay!
I *love* your recipes and this frosting is no exception! I made a test batch of this for some galaxy cupcakes I am making for my daughter’s upcoming birthday. My question is, I would like to make the icing and possibly cupcakes in advance but I’m not sure how I should go about staggering that? I need to make 6x this amount and will need to dye it four different colors. Could I dye the icing and leave it out at room temperature and ice the cupcakes the next day? I would use the 50/50 butter/shortening and use water not milk. Could I ice the cupcakes and leave them out overnight in a cupcake carrier the day before the party?
I do leave the half/half frosting out at room temperature and don’t have any issues. You should be able to frost them the night before – I do that most every time I bake. 🙂
I need to ice a medium 3 layer cake (25 people) should I double this recipe to get enough?
Depending on how much frosting you like to use, I’d double or triple it.
can you use fondant icing sugar instead of normal icing sugar for extra stiffness? or would this not be good as a filling? i struggle to get a smooth cake and don’t always want to cover with fondant.
I’m not sure what fondant icing sugar you’re referring to.
Hi Lindsay. I used your recipe and absolutely love it. However it does come out too sweet to some people. Do you have any tips on how to make this less sweet? Thank you
One thing would be to add a touch more salt. You could also cut back on the amount of powdered sugar, but you’d end up with less volume, so you’d probably want to increase everything else a bit to adjust for it. Here’s a post on the frosting consistency that could be helpful, if you want to make adjustments.
Hi Lindsey, just had a question about the amount of frosting this recipe makes. I have read through the comments/replies and I see that it will frost approx. 12-15 cupcakes and that you recommend to triple (or quadruple) the recipe to make a 3 layered, 9″ cake. So if I do a layer cake (8″ or 9″) would double the recipe be enough? Thank you for all the great recipes!
It depends a bit on how heavy you like to frost your cakes. If you’re frosting the cake similar to how I do in my tutorial, I might do 2 1/2 recipes worth. If not, and you don’t like to use a large amount of frosting, you could get away with 1 1/2 or 2 recipes worth. I hope that helps!
Hi Lindsay! I was wondering: In your ingredients, it says POWDERED SUGAR – is it Icing sugar or confectioners? im not sure about the difference. please help me 🙂 thank you
Those three are all usually the same thing. It’s all very light and white.
Hi Lindsay! Love your tutorials and I’m going to give it a whirl for my own birthday cake next week. I plan on doing a 3- layered 9” Cake. How much of this recipe would I need? Also, can I make this frosting the night before and leave it out? Thank you!
Jess
I’m glad you enjoy them! How much you need might depend a little on how much frosting you like. I’d suggest 3 or 4 recipes worth.
I recently stumbled on this page and i think i have found what i have been looking for. But the issue is that it is a little difficult to come accross butter and it is also very expensive where i reside, can the butter be replaced with margarine? Will it give the same consistency.
I’ve honestly never tried margarine but my understanding is that it wouldn’t be quite the same. You could try it though.
Hello I am fairly new to baking and have just followed your perfect buttercream recipe and I agree it’s perfect! So easy to pipe! But having ordered the Crisco shortening online, I’ve since discovered it contains palm oil which I’m not really happy about using. Is there another shortening product I can use instead? Thanks! x
I’m not familiar with another shortening option. If you’d prefer not to use it, you can always substitute additional butter.
How long can the frosting be left out once the cake is frosted?
If using the butter/shortening combination, I often leave them out for 3-4 days. If using all butter, I refrigerate.
I had a hard time with crumbs. I did a crumb coat, but the crumbs came off from that. I felt like the frosting was too stiff, and kept grabbing the underneath layer. Should I have added more water?
Yes, it sounds like the frosting was a little thick. More water or milk would help with that.
I hope you’re still taking questions. I am a fan of your recipes, have never written before. I’m puzzled why the recipe doesn’t tell how much frosting is produced (in cups and grams). I often have to adjust quantities to to suit a specific purpose and it is SO helpful to know ho w much is produced with the recipe.
Thanks for your response.
So .. this is a silly question and pardon my very amateur baker mind lol But will this be a good icing for a layered cake and then smooth ( perfectly smooth) outer layer of a cake.
Yes, I use it that way. Here is my tutorial for frosting a smooth cake with this frosting.
I have been making frosting for 30+ years and have always used half butter and half shortening. I have people tell me my icing is the best they’ve ever had. My secret is using mexican vanilla. They aleays ask me of it has cream cheese in it. It does not and im not sure why they think that unless maybe they just can’t figure out the slight difference in the Mexican vanilla. The frosting is really really good though. Lol
Omg lindsay,i tried using shortening for the first time,for my buttercream icing and i am never going back???? i was so sceptical at first but it was amazing,gave me the texture ive been looking for all along( although i still used butter just like you suggested) and it didnt affect the sweet creamy taste whatsoever????…thank you! I def prefer this to just butter.Love from Nigeria!
Awesome! I’m so glad you were happy with it! 🙂
Can you taste the shortening in the icing?
I really think that depends on the person and how sensitive you are to the taste of it. I would say no. I’ve never had anyone who ate my cupcakes ever comment on it. If anything people tell me how great the frosting is. That said, some people who have made the frosting and really can’t stand shortening do notice it.
Hi there..I love all that you do…one question…sometimes all butter buttercream tastes grainy to me…probably due to the powdered sugar not fully disolving..where as swiss or italian meringue buttercream never does…by using half butter half shortening do you ever get a grainy texture?
I’ve never noticed a grainy texture either way. You could try sifting the powdered sugar.
Seen lots of UK posts regarding shortening. I use Trex which is a white vegetarian fat, widely available in supermarkets here in the UK Thanks for a great recipe Lindsay.
Hi,
I thought I posted a question but don’t see it on the board. What I wanted to ask was what kind of frosting consistency I should use to pipe the side of a cake. I plan to make a smash cake so I want to cover the entire cake with pipping frosting.
Have you seen this post? You might find it helpful. I would use something thick, but still sticky since you’ll want it to be able to hold onto the sides of the cake. Something more like a cupcake consistency or the thinner consistency I show in that post would probably be best.
Thank you for getting back to me! That post is really helpful.
Do I chill frosting before putting on cake??
No, it’ll get very firm in the fridge because the butter will harden as it cools.
Hi,
Thanks for the recipe. I’m Iin Nigeria. Will cisco be ok to use as the shortening?
Do you mean crisco? If so, yes.
Hello. How many cupcakes will I be able to frost with this recipe?
Depends on how much frosting you like on your cupcakes. 🙂 If you frost cupcakes like you see in my photos (a good bit of frosting), then it should cover about a dozen cupcakes. If you use a little less frosting, it could cover more.
My daughter is taking a cake decorating class and will be needing to decorate a cake for the county fair with 4H. They will not need to taste the cake or the frosting at all. Would using all shortening frosting be ok with the paper towel smoothing?
Yes, you should be able to use the paper towel method with an all shortening frosting.
Hi,
I just wanted to know how far in advance this frosting can be made and how it should be stored? Thanks so much!
It can be make a week or so ahead and left in the fridge. It could also be frozen for up to a month.
Hi
I have enjoyed reading all the questions and your answers . I’m wondering if you sift the powdered sugar before using it in the icing recipe?
I do not usually. But if you have a powdered sugar that is kind of lumpy or has been sitting a while, you might want to.
I am Very New to making buttercream icing, and want to make yours. I wanted to know what type of shortening do you use? I know they make all veg & 1 that has meat fat in it. I am making 2 cakes ( each are full size sheet cakes ) and about 50 cupcakes, for my granddaughters graduation. We like a good amount of icing so knowing that how much icing do you think I would have to make to have enough? Thank You So Much!
I use regular vegetable shortening, not the butter flavored one. I don’t really make any sheet cakes, so I’m not as sure about those, but I use this full recipe for about 12-15 cupcakes and that’s with a good bit of frosting on each. I hope that helps!
Hi Lindsay. I thought I’d post a comment that someone may find useful. Most people complain about how sweet buttercream is (especially if it’s a crusting buttercream). I read somewhere to put a wee bit of lemon extract in the mix. I tried it last time and I have to say it is the very best “holy cow good” frosting I’ve ever made. The lemon flavor is barely discernible, kind of like the tang of cheesecake, but it balances out the sweet. I’m sorry to say I didn’t measure but my guess is somewhere between 1/3-1/2 tsp.
how would I make coffee buttercream with this recipe ?
There are a couple options – one would be to add dry powdered coffee, another would be to add actual coffee or espresso. I often dissolve powdered espresso or coffee in a small amount of water so that it’s more concentrated and then I can add the flavor to the frosting without adding too much liquid. I have some coffee flavored frosting on this cake, if you’d like to take a look for guidance.
Hi Lindsay. I want to know how sweet is your buttercream frosting. I want to make a buttercream that people will want to eat and not scrape away like most store-bought cakes. They are way toooooo sweet. Please reply. Thank you.
Isabella
This really is such a preference thing. I’ve shared my cupcakes and cakes with countless people and the only people that scrape the frosting off are those that simple don’t like frosting (my dad and husband, ironically – they scrape it off everything – homemade or storebought). You can also check out my post on frosting consistency. Even though that’s different than flavor, it can help you adjust a recipe like this one to your liking. I find that if you follow this recipe as written, it’s not too sweet. If you use all unsalted butter, it probably will be very sweet. With unsalted butter, you’ll want to add a little salt – it cuts down the sweetness. Some people like to leave out some of the powdered sugar, but it does change the consistency so you’d want to check out that post. Hopefully that’s helpful – as you can see the answer isn’t entirely straight forward. 🙂
Hello Lindsay
Do you freeze your cakes before smoothing with paper towel?
I don’t. The frosting will actually develop a little crust on the outside if it sits for too long and you won’t be able to smooth it anymore without getting cracks in the “crust”. You want to do it right away.
Hi Lindsay
I am Scared of you, But LOVE LOVE LOVE your cakes and your Web site.
I am a Home Baker who will try anything once. All I can say is God Bless you
and who ever gave you that gift……
Friday
I don’t usually write a review but I think this may be helpful for people who don’t have easy access to shortening and haven’t used it before. I live in Australia and shortening is not a thing here, it doesn’t exist unless you go to a specialty bake store and buy it (for $14.00 at Bake Boss) as I bake a lot I knew where to find it. I had no idea of the texture, consistency, colour or taste of it as i’m sure many non Americans find the same! I made your recipe and found the texture was a lot different than regular American buttercream, it has a smoother texture than all butter, it’s creamier and pleasantly surprising. I’m also really glad that this was less sweet than an all butter recipe, I hate overly sweet things but I also did add half a teaspoon of Lemon juice so that could have contributed! (it didn’t affect the taste though). Thanks for the recipe Lindsay, it was fun to try! I think I will use it again as it paired well with my caramel filled chocolate cupcakes. Excited to see what my friends think as I have made these for Australia Day celebrations (much like 4th of July) 🙂
Great feedback and hopefully helpful for others! Thanks so much for sharing Alicia! 🙂
I use the Wilton recipe that asks for shortening. I notice that the frosting on my cakes will at times start to fall off. I researched this and it stated it was the shortening. Will this recipe stop that from happening if I mix half Crisco and half butter?
Hmm, I remember taking the Wilton classes and using all shortening frosting. I don’t think I had that issue with the frosting. My guess would be that it has to do with the amount of liquid added and the thick/thin-ness of the frosting. I do think shortening can lend a dryer frosting though, so the half butter/half shortening could help. I also just prefer the taste. 🙂
Hi, I just stumbled onto your blog from Pinterest, trying to refresh my memory on cake decorating (it’s been a while!), and tell you, beautiful work! I have been using a recipe for buttercream from a professional decorator for years, and would like to share a tip she uses to stabilize her frosting. Use hot water and powdered coffee creamer in equal parts in place of the liquid in the recipe. She streams the liquid in at the beginning of her recipe, with the shortening, but you could let it cool and add as needed into any buttercream recipe as needed. This gives the creaminess of milk, bit is more stable and heat tolerant. It makes a great, creamy frosting!
I love that idea! Can’t wait to try it! Thanks Kelly!
How would you suggest adding color to the frosting? I purchased some gel coloring and need to get the frosting a bright red, and I am worried that adding so much color to a white frosting will affect the consistency? If you have any tips they would be greatly appreciated!
Thanks so much for your time!
I usually add small amounts of the gel color at a time using a toothpick. You don’t want to reuse the toothpick and get frosting in your gel. The gel is quite concentrated, so it shouldn’t really affect the frosting. The darker the shade of a color, the more gel you use, but even so, it should be fine. You could always add a little less milk or water to start when you make the frosting, then thin it out after you’ve colored it, if needed. If you are making red frosting, there’s a gel red called “no taste red” that’s a good option. Because you’ll use so much gel to get a true red, it can help make sure you don’t get a funny taste.
How many cupcakes, or what size cake will this recipe cover?
It should cover 12 cupcakes. I usually double or triple it for a full sized 8 or 9 inch cake.
I made a small amount of this, just to try it out with only butter since I didn’t have shortening on hand and it was too sweet for me. Does using half shortening take away some of the sweetness?
No, that wouldn’t bring down the sweetness. You can add less powdered sugar, it’ll just reduce the volume of frosting (the yield).
Hi Lindsay,
one question about your frosting. Can I freeze it? Let’s say I make cupcakes in advance and I want to freeze them with the decoration. Will the frosting (when I defreeze them) make little drops of water?
Thanks!
I’d suggest defrosting the frosted cupcakes in the fridge. The condensation shouldn’t be so much of an issue that way.
Hi, I live in the UK can you tell me what shortening is?
Is there anything I can use to replace it if it’s not available here?
Thank you
Shortening is basically a butter replacement that holds up better in warmer weather. If you don’t have it available, you can just use all butter.
Hello I want to make a cake for my sister’s baby shower that is professional and smooth. I want to make icing, but I don’t have a stand alone mixter. Is there another way to mix this and still get smooth icing?
Do you have a hand mixer? That would work just as well as a stand mixer.
Hi,
I love your blog and tips!! Just curious to know the trick(s) for adding fresh fruit to give a hint of flavour so that the icing doesn’t lose it’s consistency – i.e.: strawberry or raspberry? I loved seeing the fruit icing in your pictures. Also, I have never tried vanilla bean instead of extract. Do you recommend this, if so, how would I replace the extract?
Thanks so much!
Adding fruit can be tricky because it’ll thin out the frosting. I’d recommend pureeing the fruit, then straining it to remove the seeds. If you find you can get a strong enough flavor just adding the puree, do that. Otherwise, maybe cook the puree a bit to reduce it and make the flavor more concentrated, then add it. With the vanilla bean, I typically do a 1-1 replacement, but you could add a little more extract if you like.
I recently made a strawberry frosting for cupcakes and cake for my daughter’s first birthday – it turned out fantastic. I took Lindsay’s recipe and instead of adding water, milk or vanilla I added pureed frozen strawberries (about 8 tbsp I think). I didn’t strain them or anything, just pureed in my bullet. I did end up adding water at the end to make it the right consistency for my liking. But it tasted great and people raved about it!
I have to say the half/half frosting recipe has changed the way I make frosting for life!
Hello! I am very new to baking and find that the taste of powdered sugar in frosting is chalky. I have not attempted this recipe yet, but is there another sweetener I can use? I suspect you need powdered sugar for stiffness.
Hmm, I’m not sure. The powdered sugar is definitely for stiffness and volume. I’m sure there are recipes that use less powdered sugar but I think most, if not all, will use at least some powdered sugar. Regular sugar would be quite grainy.
Amazing recipe! Thank you so much! I made a cake with it today and I couldn’t believe how smooth it was! And the flavor was amazing! Next thing I will be trying is your trick to making a smooth cake (which is what actually brought me to your blog in the first place). I’ve done a lot of self teaching/experimenting with cake decorating. I was wondering how you make your crumb coating (I believe thats what you called it)?
I’m not much into blogging however this may be one blog I come back to often. I’ve enjoyed reading some of your blogs and am encouraged to hear of your faith in the Lord! We have so much hope in Him! Thank you again for the recipe!
Stefanie
Thanks Stefanie! I’m glad you enjoyed it! The crumb coating is really just a light layer of frosting that’s added to the cake to seal in crumbs. I use the same frosting, just add a thin layer before adding the full layer.
Hi Lindsay, i tried your recipe.. its so delicious and the texture is steady considering i live in a hot climates country Malaysia. But i find it a bit too sweet to my liking and reduce the sugar the 2nd time i made it. . its still steady and thank you again .. !!!
I used your recipe and made my first buttercream frosting yesterday. This frosting tastes like my favorite wedding cake frosting! I frosted a lamb cake for my 2 year old’s birthday and it came out delicious and lovely (especially considering I bought my first decorating tips for this project). I am going to use this recipe every time I need buttercream. Thank you very much!
Awesome! I’m so glad you were happy with it!
Going to try this receipe. I have always used all shortening because I want a white icing and butter makes it off white. Is the half and half usually white and do you have to refrigerate after frosting?
It’s not going to be as pure of a white with salted butter since it’s a bit yellow in color normally. You could try unsalted butter though. Unsalted is usually more white. Personally I prefer the tradeoff with half and half. Better flavor and texture. I do not refrigerate the half and half buttercream.
First time using shortening. I will not use another recipe. Piped on cupcakes. Thank you
Looking to try this icing….what brand of shortening do you prefer? I’m wondering if a store brand would be fine or do I need to look for high-ratio shortening? Thank you <3
I don’t use high-ratio, I just use regular vegetable shortening from Crisco.
Thank you Lindsay! I always have that on hand 🙂
What is “shortening”, never heard of this in uk. Is it a form of lard(animal fat) or margarine?
It’s a fat that is often used as a butter replacement. If you don’t have it in the UK, you can replace it with additional butter.
I ca not wait to try this. However, for some reason I cant find the actual recipe. Im on my phone so maybe that’s the problem though. your blog is amazing.
The recipe is displaying fine for me. I made some updates to the blog earlier today, so you may need to clear your browser cache. I went into the recipe and tried to make a couple updates as well, so if it still isn’t working I’d suggest clearing the browser cache.
Hi, wondering how you get the butter and shortening to blend together with out clumps?
Make sure they’re at room temperature and beat them together well. If there are still some little clumps, they’ll smooth out as you start adding the powdered sugar.
About how much frosting does this make? I have to make 2 – 6″ smash cakes for my nepews…would I need to double it?
I live in Scotland, please can you tell me what ‘shortening’ is?
in England you can buy trex white vegetable shortning
Shortening is a fat made from vegetables, and you can basically use it as a substitute for butter anywhere.
Hi! My name is Jo-anne, and I live in the Philippines. Ever since I fell in love with baking, I’ve been in the look out for the best frosting that can actually hold its shape because from where I live, summer seems to be all-year round. I’ve tried every recipe I found in books and online but they all tend to be too sweet and an all butter recipe just doesn’t work; some tends to be coarse and looks dry. It’s a good thing that I found your Red Wine Chocolate recipe on my facebook newsfeed. It lead me to this recipe. And so, all I want to say is thank you!! Now, I can try decorating cakes with this. I might even try it with Calamansi in the future! Salamat, Lindsay:)
Tried this the other day it was amazing! Love the taste I only used it for a 6 inch cake though! I will be making a larger one this weekend. Do you by chance know how many cups this recipe makes so I can plan accordingly? Love your decorating videos by the way! So so helpful!
I’m so glad to hear you’ve enjoyed everything! I’m not sure exactly how much it makes, I’m sorry! It’s usually enough for 12 cupcakes or so, but with cakes it depends on the size. I often double it or so for an 8 inch cake with two layers of filling inside.
Hi,
Do you ever make this frosting ahead of time and put it in the fridge? If so how does it hold up, or is it best made the day you are frosting.
Thanks!
Kristin
Yes, it works great refrigerated. Just let it come back to room temperature for frosting.
I want to make this recipe for some chocolate cupcakes? Will this recipe is good enough and sweet enough for this? Since the Coco powder will be unsweetened.
Yes, just swap out some powdered sugar for cocoa powder and it will be plenty sweet.
I invite you to try my French Buttercream Frosting. I found it in a cook book in the mic 70’s, written by a gal who had a deli in NYC. It has fabulous recipes, some of which I’ve won Blue Ribbons with.
Here’s her recipe:
1 c. butter (not margarine)
1/2 c. shortening (I use Sweetex)
2 t. light corn syrup
1 t. vanilla
2 c. 10X sugar (Domino’s 10X)
1/2 c. cocoa (leave out if you don’t want a chocolate frosting)
2 eggs (her recipe called for 2 eggs, but I only use the whites)
I like to make lemon frosting with lemon extract and lemon zest; orange with orange extract and orange zest, or any flavor you want. Tint with color if desired.
I pasteurize my own eggs, but they can be purchased many places (WalMart)
What is the shelf life of your French buttercream frosting
Anyway I can add strawberry puree to make it a strawberry buttercream frosting ?
Yes, I would check out my recipe for strawberry frosting.
Hi Lindsay! Love love love your blog!
I wonder if I could substitute the milk with baileys, I want to make a baileys buttercream from your vanilla buttercream recipe. Hope you can help.
Thanks <3.
Thanks Erika!
Yes, definitely! The Baileys would work great!
Hi,
I love your blog. Everything looks so amazingly beautiful. I am going to try the Vanilla Buttercream Frosting and was wondering if you can freeze the frosting after frosting the cupcakes. Also, if I make the frosting before I need to frost the cupcakes how do I reconstitute it after it has been in the refrigerator. Hope you can help! LindaM
I live in Australia and we don’t really have shortening here what would be a good substitute?
You can just replace it with additional butter.
Yes we do have shortening in Australia…at least in Victoria. You can buy it from the specialist cake supply shops. I use 1/2, 1/2 & it always tastes delicious. I also use some white colour if the butter has made it too yellow.
I just read on line that shortening in our Australia is Copha. Leave it out to soften & beat the butter 125grams & Copha 125grams really well before adding the sugar (pure icing sugar if possible not icing mixture if you want it firm & your climate is hot) . Add 1 tsp vanilla extract, 4 cups pure icing sugar added 1 cup at a time & beat well. If too thick add a little water.
Did you use salted or unsalted butter?
I use salted.
I made two small 9” cakes and layered, and the frosting was enough for the crumb coat. I’ve recently taken an interest in baking, should I multiply recipe for the cake?
Yes, typically. Everyone likes varying amounts of frosting on their cake, but I’d say you’d want to double this recipe (do 2 1/2 recipes worth) for a full sized 8 or 9 inch cake.
Hi Lindsay! Your blogs are amazing…love it!! I’m from Curaçao (Caribbean) and this happens to be my to-go buttercream recipe for ages. Always a crowd pleaser 🙂
I add about 1 tablespoon of freshly squeezed lime juice to the icing. Gives it a total different ‘fresh’ dimension as it breaks down the sugar sweet taste. If you feel like it, perhaps next time you can give it a try.
Thank you Farienne! I bet the lime juice is great with it!
[…] the frosting, I made the vanilla buttercream from Lindsay’s recipe. If you don’t read Lindsay’s blog, go there immediately. She is one of the most […]
Great idea! Does anyone know what shortening (vegetarian) is in the UK? It’s not margarine right? Maybe Trex? Thank you!
I’m not familiar with a substitution in the UK. You can replace it with additional butter though.
Definitely Trex,
Hi I have to make cupcakes for a wedding ..do you suggest I use all vegetable shortening or half and half. It’s over 35 degrees in the UK. Also can I add lotus or nutella spread to the mix ?
Will the cupcakes be sitting outside? If so, you’ll probably want to use all shortening. If inside, then half and half would be fine. And yes, you can add Nutella or lotus spread.
I took that Wilton class when I was pregnant with my first and I have to agree with you. I have been doing the half butter/half shortening for years!! It is the best and surprises everyone when they hear what is in it!
Yes! Everyone’s always surprised! So glad you agree. 🙂
You have convinced me. I will try half and half! After all, that is how I like my pie crusts… 🙂
Want tobmake it hold up a little better in the heat? Add 2 heaping tablespoons of marshmallow creame!
I’ve tried your equal parts crisco and butter and I can attest, it is really good!
Oh I love this frosting! I am now dubbing you the queen of amazing cakes! Your talent is seriously unreal.
Thanks girl! 🙂 Right back at you!
I have been looking for a buttercream icing recipe for ages! Thank you for posting it. I have a wedding cake to make for next weekend and whereas the other wedding cakes i’ve made they have just wanted chocolate ganache, this couple want the traditional fondant icing with a non traditional decorating. Does your buttercream set hard? Im needing a recipe for the crumb coating.
Yes, this is a great crusting buttercream.
Hi. I’m really looking forward to making this sheet cake and butter cream frosting recipe, but the sweetness of all that sugar kills me. However, I do want the consistency which you mention isn’t possible without all that sugar. My question is could some of the sugar be replaced with cornstarch?
I wouldn’t recommend using cornstarch. You could try a swiss meringue buttercream.
I took the Wilton classes too, and learned so much! Our teacher had us just buy the tub of pre-made wilton decorating icing. This was before I started making all mine from scratch as well. Shortening does add a whole new element to the frosting! I like to add a little in my mostly-butter frosting as well.
I grew up with (gasp!) canned frosting, so it was a revelation to me when I first learned to make buttercream frosting (with all butter). As I happily licked buttercream off a spatula the other day, I did wonder if sprinkling powdered sugar on a stick of butter and taking a bite might not taste the same. 🙂 Though I am quite happy with all butter frosting, I am open to experimentation, and your cakes and cupcakes are ALWAYS gorgeous. I am curious to give your recipe a try. Now, if you can just figure out a recipe for your talent in applying that frosting, I will be set! 😉
I took a cake decorating class many years ago that was taught by a woman who had a successful cake busiess. She taught that the full shortening icing was for making roses because the stiffer texture would help the structure of the flower. Think about the last time you had a rose off a bakery cake.
It is evident that your version of buttercream works and it is gorgeous! What size tip do you use to frost the cupcakes?
Now, can you help me find a non-goopy version of cream cheese frosting?
Great tip about the flowers, that makes sense. I used Ateco tip 844 for these cupcakes.
Please ma, am from Nigeria I have a lot of questions to ask you about butter icing…. And I don’t know how to contact you..
Which kind of social network are you… Please send your usernames for Facebook to my mail (abosedeabigailowolabi@gmail.com)
Thank you so much I really enjoyed your tutorials..
I’m so glad you did this post!! I too did the Wilton class several years ago, and I’ve been disappointed with the icing. I also tried the all butter variations and thought it was like eating butter. So just this past weekend, my sister had me make cupcakes for my nephew’s birthday party, and I decided to do a combo of the two, and it totally worked! I love that your post confirms what I tried!!
Lindsay, I am absolutely making this vanilla buttercream when I get home!!! I have to try this!!! It’s been so fun meeting you and hanging out with you this weekend! you already know how much I love your blog and now I love it even more! 🙂
Your pics look like you’ve been decorating cakes your whole life, not just 4 years! That is really inspiring.
I love the combo of shortening/butter. Shortening does help the icing stand firmer, but yeah, it’s missing a little something. And it does have that oily finish. Yours is so much better!
Hi how long can this icing be left for? Can it also go in the freezer and reqhipped when needed? Does it even need to be frozen or can it just stay in the fridge ?
It should be fine on the counter for a couple days or so, fine in the fridge for about 2 weeks and fine frozen for about a month. I hope that helps!
Hi,
Recently have been learning about shortening. Found Hi ratio shortening is better to use than crisco and its preferred if piping using Russian decorating tips. Have you tried the hi ratio shortening in your recipes?
I haven’t tried it. I just haven’t really tried to find it to test it. But I’m sure it would work just fine.
I am going to try this recipe for some cupcakes and just wanted to make sure you are using unflavored shortening rather than the butter flavored?
Correct