The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
This is The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting! It’s rich and creamy, and is super easy to whip up. It pipes beautifully, and is the perfect way to finish off all of your cakes and cupcakes!
We celebrated our daughter’s fifth birthday last week and even as I type this, I find myself still sitting here in a state of denial!
It seems like just yesterday I was sharing a tutorial on how to make her 1st birthday smash cake. But in reality, it was actually FOUR years ago!!!
When people say “the days are long but the years are short,” that is the absolute truth. I sure wish time would slow down with these babies of mine.
Our princess’s request for her birthday cake was a “pink cake with a ballerina on top.”
I was able to provide the pink frosting just fine, but after realizing my construction efforts are pretty subpar, I turned to Etsy for a ballerina cake topper. Which was GORGEOUS by the way! If you’re interested, this is the one I ordered.
As for the frosting, I made this one (and dyed it pink). This is my go-to frosting recipe, and in my opinion, is The BEST Vanilla Buttercream Frosting ever!
I’ve been making it for AGES so I’m surprised I haven’t shared it before!
I have another recipe for buttercream here on my site that I use a lot as well, but this one right here is my favorite because it doesn’t require shortening, and it’s SO SO delicious!
I add plenty of vanilla to give it really good flavor and it pipes onto cakes and cupcakes so well, and holds its shape beautifully! I think y’all are really going to love it!
If you share this Vanilla Buttercream Frosting or any other recipe from my site on Instagram, tag #belleofthekitchen so I can see what you’ve made! And follow me @thebelleofthekitchen, too!
Recipe: The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks),, softened
- 4.5 cups powdered sugar
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 4-5 Tablespoons heavy cream or whole milk
Instructions
- Beat the softened butter over medium speed with an electric mixer until soft and creamy. Continue to beat over medium speed as you gradually add the powdered sugar. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a spatula as needed to fully incorporate all of the sugar.
- Once butter and sugar have come together, add the vanilla. Beat in the heavy cream or milk 1 Tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. This frosting is perfect for piping, or for simply spreading onto cakes and cupcakes!
Notes
If you like this recipe for The Best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, then you might also like:
Skinny Chocolate Cake
Can you at food colouring gel to the icing or will it mess with the recipe and taste
Yes you can definitely add food coloring! It’s the perfect base for color.
Can this be made the night before for cupcakes? Would the cupcakes need to be refrigerated?
Yes you can make it the night before. If you frost the cupcakes, I would recommend refrigerating them overnight.
My family likes vanilla but not too much, so I halved the vanilla and it was delicious!
Best recipe ever
Hi Ashlyn, Giving 5 stars in advance! I am reading the comments and I can’t wait to make this. A friend requested I make a choc cake with vanilla icing for her husbands birthday. this August. It is super hot here in Richmond. Any suggestions d for keeping it cool and not melty for transport?
Hi Laurel! I definitely recommend keeping the cake refrigerated and then packed in a cooler for travel. I’d let it set out for about 20-30 minutes before serving. Enjoy!
LOVED this recipe! Buttercream was perfect consistency. I’ll definitely be making this again!
I have baked cakes for years and made decent enough frosting. This recipe, however, is amazing! It is fluffy and smooth. It pipes easily. I have a new go-to!
I have tried other buttercream frosting recipes and this one (clears throat) takes the cake (if you will). I never comment on recipes (being more of a quiet person)…this one I felt I had to comment on and at the least express a huge “Thank you” to Ashlyn for sharing an excellent recipe. I made this for my daughter’s birthday opting out of buying an expensive birthday cake in NYC. My daughter wanted a cow theme (she’s 10 and loves cows). The cake was chocolate and topped with Ashlyn’s buttercream frosting which is white. My daughter does not like too much sweet, so I did alter the recipe by using a little less confectioners sugar and incorporated sugar until just the right preference for my daughter (about 3.5 cups of sugar in the end). The frosting spread easily on a simple 9×13 cake with extra frosting remaining that I added color to and created simple decorations with a piping tool. Cow themed cake toppers were used (I’m not a skilled cake maker). The kids loved the look of the cake and everyone loved the taste of the frosting – parents and children alike. The cake tasted professional. One of the children asked for more frosting alone! Again, thank you for a tasty recipe, that was easy to make, easy to alter to taste preference, and also very spreadable. Perfect!
Thank you for sharing, Colleen! I’m so glad you all enjoyed it. Happy birthday to your daughter! I bet the cake was super cute!
Fantastic buttercream!! How do you store it as in, maybe a day before you make something else? Just the fridge and let it thaw, or freeze it?
Hi Debra! Yes, just store it covered in the fridge. I like to take it out and let it set for about 20-30 minutes before frosting cake/cupcakes with it.
This buttercream is wonderful!! It tasted great on the birthday cake my daughter made for her 15th birthday! She really enjoyed making this and loved the consistency and flavor. Super easy to make a day ahead if your busy too!
I loved this recipe so much it’s so good and creamy!! Just one question after freezing it..Do you just let it thaw out when you want to use it again? or should i mix anything in to even out the consistency?
Great recipe, it pipes very well into roses, ices cakes very smooth.
So delicious! I made it, and its perfect!
it was amazing i will make it for my party