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
a little too sweet but the consistency is great! recommend using only half a tablespoon of vanilla. Used with carrot cake and loved it. definitely using this recipe again! Also recommend using 4 tablespoons of milk instead of heavy whipping cream!
Nice frosting
Normally, alot of the buttercreams I come across or make are way too sugary. This was by far the best recipe! Everyone loved the frosting!
Idk what but mine was really watery and it had like white little specks like what did I do ? I literally followed the video
Hi Felix, did you soften your butter in the microwave? The microwave can sometimes soften butter unevenly, and especially if some of the butter is melted, it can effect the texture of the frosting and leave specks that don’t incorporate well.
So delicious. Used for a two layer lemon cake and it was a hit by everyone at the party. The only change I made was I used 1.5 T vanilla cause I wanted a bit more vanilla flavor. Excellent.
Fluffy and delicious!
Perfect frosting
Love this recipe! Does it have to be refrigerated after decorating (because of the milk) or can I leave it out at room temp for a few days? Thanks!
Hi Nicole, I recommend refrigerating to prevent the frosting from melting, especially during the warmer months. Just take your cake or cupcakes out of the fridge about 30-45 minutes before serving to allow them to come to room temperature.
I just made this today. Let me say one thing–YAY love it!! If you just try one recipe, make it this one. Never made frosting like this until today.
Your x2 recipe says 2 cups 2 sticks but it should say 2 cups 4 sticks
Hi Karen, you are correct. When the recipe card adjusts the ingredient amounts, it only adjusts the numerical amount and not what I have written in the ingredient section, which is why you are seeing that it still says the 2 sticks. Sorry about that, and thank you for bringing that to my attention!
would you recommend this icing for wedding cakes? will it give the smooth look with no bubble look?
Yes, this is a great frosting for special occasion cakes.
Seriously the best recipe! I’ve even made fancy professional buttercream that didn’t taste as good. It was so easy to pipe onto both cakes and cupcakes. Absolutely delicious.
Perfect buttercream frosting. I did feel like a pinch of salt elevated it even more! Otherwise, I can’t wait to use it for all my cakes and cupcakes! It’s my sons birthday and this is going on a classic chocolate cake!
So good
I only used 3.5 cups powdered sugar as it’s all I had but they were perfect! Wouldn’t t want them any sweeter!
Awesome buttercream recipe, definitely the best I have made….thank you!
What is the best way to store it? I won’t be using it until tomorrow. I am going to put it in the fridge. Is there anything I should do before I use it?
Allow it to sit out on the counter top for about 15 to 20 minutes after you take it out of the fridge to let it soften up a bit.
This is a very good tasting recipe for vanilla butter cream recipes I tried a few different ones and this one is the best so far I thought because of the amount of confectioners sugar it was gonna be to sweet but figured try it anyway and I did and I’m glad I did the grand babies are coming over today I’m sure all the cupcakes will be gone 🙂 thank you 😊 for the recipe:)