Buttercream Frosting

Every baker needs a go-to buttercream frosting recipe in their back pocket. As the finishing touch and first impression (eyes eat first!), the best buttercream frosting must hit every mark: silky-smooth, thick, dense and sweet but not cloyingly so. And, maybe the most important aspect, there should be zero air bubbles. Our recipe for buttercream frosting hits these marks exactly.

We’ll show you, step-by-step, how to make buttercream frosting that will spread on cakes and decorate desserts like a dream. Feel free to make it yours by playing around with different extracts or liquids other than milk (like coffee or orange juice!) and dyeing it any color under the sun.

What is buttercream?

Buttercream is a type of frosting that’s thick, silky, sweet and quick to whip up. This frosting is a favorite among bakeries since it’s easy to use to frost and decorate cakes and cupcakes. Buttercream is made from butter, confectioners’ sugar, milk and a little vanilla extract for flavor. The flavor can easily be changed by using different extracts and liquids other than milk. Its white hue lends itself to quick color changes with food colorings or natural food dyes.

Here, we’re whipping up American buttercream, but there are five types of buttercream frosting. American buttercream is by far the easiest and sweetest, but Swiss, French, Italian and German buttercream are all suited best for different desserts.

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

To make buttercream frosting, take out a hand mixer or stand mixer and a large bowl. Add softened butter to the bowl and beat the butter on high speed until it’s fluffy and pale in color. There should be no butter lumps left. Add in confectioners’ sugar and a splash of vanilla extract, and slowly beat everything just until it comes together. Next, add enough milk to thin the frosting to your desired consistency, and beat everything together on medium-high until your frosting is light and fluffy without adding air bubbles to the frosting, about two minutes.

Ingredients for Buttercream Frosting

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• Butter: Soften two sticks of butter so they whip up easily. If you’re in a time crunch, soften the butter quickly by cubing it or grating it against a box grater. If you want a very pale buttercream, look for the palest butter at the store. For a flavorful, buttery buttercream, go with one of the best butter brands like Kerrygold or Plugra.
• Confectioners’ sugar: Also known as powdered sugar, confectioners’ sugar has a fine, powdery consistency that dissolves easily in no-heat applications like frosting. I recommend a cane sugar-based confectioners’ sugar rather than a beet sugar-based confectioners’ sugar, as the former dissolves more easily and won’t leave your frosting gritty and grainy. If you’re unsure if your confectioners’ sugar is cane or beet-based, it’s probably cane, as beet sugar would most likely be advertised on the package.
• Vanilla extract: When recipes have so few ingredients, the quality of each one counts. That’s why I always splurge on the best vanilla extract or vanilla paste for my frostings (and, honestly, all baked goods). I especially love to use vanilla paste in creamy desserts (like buttercream frosting or homemade custard) because the black vanilla bean flecks are so pretty, and they’re like little vanilla flavor bombs.
• Milk: Milk thins the frosting. We suggest 2% milk, but you can really use any kind of milk or cream here, like skim or whole milk, heavy whipping cream or nondairy milk alternatives. The only milk that’s not suitable is buttermilk, as its natural tang may throw off the frosting’s flavor.

Directions

Step 1: Beat the butter

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Use a hand mixer or stand mixer to cream the butter in a large bowl until it’s pale yellow in color and fluffy. This creamy consistency will help the butter combine with rest of the ingredients for an extra-smooth result.

Step 2: Add the confectioners’ sugar

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Add in the confectioners’ sugar and vanilla extract, and start beating them into the butter on the mixer’s lowest speed until everything is combined.

Editor’s Tip: Take care to stop the mixer every once in a while and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is fully incorporated.

Step 3: Thin with the milk

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Beat in a few tablespoons of milk at a time until the frosting reaches your desired consistency.

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Test Kitchen Tip: For a super fluffy consistency, beat the frosting for a few extra minutes to add more air.

Ways to Use Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream is such a versatile ingredient. While it’s ideal for decorating cakes and cupcakes, there’s a slew of other dessert recipes that can benefit from a healthy dollop of freshly whipped buttercream.

• Cakes and cupcakes: The most common use for buttercream is to frost cakes and cupcakes, decorating them with pretty piping. Since buttercream frosting is so mild, it pairs nicely with any cupcake or cake recipes.
• Cookies: Between sandwich cookies, whoopie pies, macarons and sugar cookies, buttercream can adhere cookies together or decorate them as the final finishing touch.
• Brownies and bars: Brownies are delicious on their own, but frosted brownies? Pure decadence. The same goes for dessert bars like blondies, banana bars or cheesecake bars.
• Cake rolls: One of the most important steps in cake roll recipes is rolling up the cake in a tea towel while it’s still warm from the oven so the cake can take on the roll shape. However, to adhere the roll after the fact, you’ll need a healthy amount of frosting.
• Cake pops: Cake pops are made from cake crumbs mixed with buttercream frosting, creating the tacky, chewy inside that’s easy to shape and delicious to eat.

Buttercream Frosting Variations

• Make a chocolate frosting: For a decadent, rich chocolate frosting, substitute 1/2 cup baking cocoa for 1/2 cup of the confectioners’ sugar.
• Indulge in peanut butter frosting: Peanut butter frosting is delicious on vanilla and chocolate cakes alike. Substitute no-stir peanut butter for the butter in this buttercream frosting recipe.
• Lighten up with strawberry buttercream frosting: In our strawberry buttercream frosting recipe, a healthy amount of seedless strawberry jam is beaten into the buttercream frosting for an instant strawberry boost and baby pink hue.
• Try a lemon or orange frosting: For a citrusy frosting, substitute lemon or orange juice for the milk and add 1 teaspoon grated lemon or orange zest.
• Use a different extract: Our basic recipe makes a plain vanilla frosting, but it’s simple enough to use almond, coconut, rum, butter, peppermint or even anise extract instead to quickly change the flavor.

How to Store Buttercream Frosting

Store any leftover buttercream frosting in an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days. Yes, you need to refrigerate buttercream, even if it’s decorated on a dessert that doesn’t need to be refrigerated.

Can you freeze buttercream frosting?

Yes, you can freeze buttercream frosting. Store it in an airtight container and freeze it for up to two months. Thaw the frosting overnight in the fridge, then let it sit for 30 minutes at room temperature. Finally, quickly beat it one more time to revive the frosting.

Can you make buttercream frosting ahead of time?

Yes, you can absolutely make buttercream frosting ahead of time. Make it two days before serving and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. When you’re ready to use it, let the frosting sit at room temperature for 30 minutes. Quickly beat the frosting with the mixer one more time to refresh it so it’s nice and fluffy again.

Buttercream Frosting Tips

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How do you get air bubbles out of buttercream frosting?

Knock out the air bubbles in your buttercream by swapping the mixer for a wooden spoon. Stir the buttercream by scraping it against the side of the bowl to smooth out the frosting. This will take a few minutes and a bit of arm strength, but your frosting will look exceptional!

Why is my buttercream grainy?

Your buttercream may be grainy if you didn’t mix the buttercream enough to dissolve the confectioners’ sugar. Keep beating the frosting and add a little bit of milk to dissolve the sugar. Also, I recommend sifting the confectioners’ sugar next time, so it mixes more evenly and dissolves quickly.

How do you thin buttercream?

To thin buttercream, beat in a splash of milk 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.