This is the best Vanilla Buttercream Frosting Recipe that you are going to find!
This buttercream frosting recipe gives you a light, fluffy and delicious bakery style buttercream frosting that is perfect for decorating cakes or cupcakes! On top of it being delicious, you can whip this bakery buttercream frosting recipe up in just a few minutes!
If you are wondering What is the perfect recipe for buttercream frosting?, you are in luck! This is the most perfect light and fluffy frosting recipe you are going to find! And it has the perfect buttercream frosting flavor!
Buttercream frosting recipe
The BEST Buttercream Frosting
This is the only Vanilla buttercream frosting recipe I will use and have used it for years (it has been on the blog for years too!). Every time I make a cake or cupcakes with this buttercream frosting everyone is always asking me for the recipe.
Seriously this is the best buttercream frosting recipe to use if you are wanting to make cupcakes or cake. I don’t just say that – over the years the comments and repins have spoken for themselves (Over 100,000!). I just recently updated the photos for this amazing buttercream frosting recipe so they were prettier but this bakery style homemade buttercream frosting recipe hasn’t changed a bit!
This is the best buttercream frosting that you can make at home and have everyone thinking you went to a bakery because the flavor is amazing. This buttercream icing recipe is one that will remind you of that amazing bakery buttercream frosting that you love.
Uses For Homemade Buttercream Frosting
You can use this homemade Buttercream icing on top of cakes, cupcakes, of course but it also makes an amazing filling for stuffed cookies and other desserts too!
Check out some of these tasty desserts that use buttercream frosting!
- Cookies and Cream Cookie Sandwich
- Birthday Cake Cookie Sandwiches
- Funfetti Cookie Sandwich
- Chocolate Chip Cookie Sandwich
Decorating with Homemade Buttercream Frosting
This homemade buttercream frosting is perfect for decorating cakes and cupcakes. It is the perfect texture to spread on a cake and also the perfect texture to pip on cupcakes with a piping bag. You can get vibrant colors really easily also with this buttercream frosting recipe.
How to Color Buttercream Frosting
Coloring frosting is easy to do. All you need is a few drops of food coloring that you will add in to the buttercream frosting after you are done the first mixing.
I highly recommend using gel food coloring. The liquid food coloring I find adds to much liquid to the buttercream and makes it kind of soggy.
Change the Flavors of Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
The great thing about this homemade buttercream recipe is that you can easily change the flavor from Vanilla buttercream to any other flavor you want to.
All you have to do is use a different flavored extract like almond extract or peppermint extract instead of the vanilla extract. This buttercream frosting can be used as the base to make many different flavors of buttercream.
Looking for more frosting recipes? Check these out and don’t miss this awesome list of cupcake frosting recipes including:
- Chocolate Buttercream
- Blackberry Buttercream Frosting
- Pink Lemonade Frosting
- Peanutbutter Buttercream Frosting
- Mint Buttercream
- Caramel buttercream
- Raspberry buttercream
- Mocha buttercream
Why Does buttercream have shortening in it?
I know when people think of buttercream frosting they think that it is fully made with buttercream and are shocked to see shortening as an ingredient. Shortening is important to use when you are making buttercream because it is a fat and you need fat in your buttercream to make it perfect.
You need the extra fat to make the buttercream light and fluffy and useable for decorating cakes and cupcakes. If you were to only use butter you would end up with a texture that is not good to work with.
On top of that reason, if you were to only butter and not use the shortening then you are going to end up with a very greasy, very heavy buttered flavor frosting.
Shortening is a tasteless fat, that gives the extra fat needed but without giving a heavy butter flavor. We want to be eating frosting, not feel like we are eating a stick of butter. 😉
Making Cakes at Home
I love making homemade cakes and cupcakes for my family’s birthdays instead of going to the store to get one. I find that they taste so much better and they are much fresher too.
I love the ability to make them however I want to. If you are nervous about making the switch to making a homemade cake vs a store bought cake for birthdays don’t be. It really is not as scary as it sounds.
You really just need an amazing frosting and amazing cake. Both of which are really easy to make at home! When I am in the mood for quick and easy I use this trick for how to make box cake better.
Using those tricks I am able to make a boxed cake taste homemade, when I am making cupcakes and cakes. However I do normally try to make sure I have the time to make a from scratch cake because I do prefer them.
When I make a cake I like to decorate it. Sometimes I go simple and sometimes I go all out it all depends on my mood. This is my favorite cake decorating set to use when I am decorating cakes. It comes with icing bags and lots of different icing bag tips so you can pick which style you want your frosting to be when you are decorating your cakes.
To make life easier when decorating a cake, having a cake stand, will help a lot. You can easily spin the cake while you are decorating.
Looking for Cake Ideas? Check these out!
Making Cupcakes at home with Buttercream Frosting
Making cupcakes at home is super easy to do, and just like when you are making a homemade cake, the frosting is one of the most important things! This homemade frosting is also perfect for piping frosting on to cupcakes with!
Looking for awesome cupcake flavors? Check these out!
- chocolate cupcakes
- vanilla cupcakes
- strawberry cupcakes
- Peanut Butter cupcakes
- Chocolate Raspberry Cupcakes
Cupcake Decorating Tips
If you have never decorated cupcakes, be sure to check out these posts to help you. I promise you that it is super easy to have bakery fancy cupcakes made at home in your kitchen!
- How to get a perfect cupcake swirl
- Easy Way to Fill a pastry bag
- How to Swirl multiple Flavors of Frosting
Supplies You need to Frost a Cake
- Mixer– This is the one I use
- Frosting bags
- Frosting Decorator set
- Angled Spatula
Tips for Making amazing buttercream
Make sure your butter is room temperature. Do NOT put it in the microwave to soften, put it on the kitchen counter and soften.
Use the paddle handle on your mixer when you are mixing your frosting.
Be sure you are putting the confectioners sugar in slowly, other wise you will end up with a big mess of the confectioners sugar spewing out of your mixer.
Homemade Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- Butter
- Shortening
- Vanilla Extract
- Confectioners sugar
- hot water
How to make Buttercream Frosting
I use my kitchenAid mixer when making this easy buttercream frosting, but if you do not have a stand mixer then you can use a hand mixer . Either one will do the job, but I prefer using the stand mixer.
Making homemade buttercream frosting is SUPER Easy.
In your mixer’s bowl mix butter and shortening.
Then add in the confectioners sugar and mix it little bit little until the sugar is incorporated into the butter/shortening mixture.
Continue mixing the buttercream for 10 minutes on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Bakery Style Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature
- 1 cup of shortening
- 2 pounds confectioners sugar
- 1 1/2 tablespoons hot water
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place your butter and shortening together in the bowl of your mixer. Mix them together on medium speed until they are nice and creamy.
- Turn the mixer down to the lowest setting and slowly incorporate the powdered sugar into the shortening mixture.
- Once you have added all the powdered sugar in to your mixture, add in the vanilla extract and then the hot water.
- Turn the mixer up to medium-high speed and continue mixing for 10 minutes until light and fluffy.
- The buttercream can be stored at room temperature for up to three days or in the refrigerator for up to two weeks. When you bring it out of the refrigerator let it sit at room temperature for two hours. Then re-whip it for ten minutes to bring it back to life.
Nutrition
16 Weight Watchers SmartPoints per serving on the Freestyle Program
More Frosting Recipes you will love!
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Can this recipe be halved?
yes i do that all the time
How well does this recipe hold color if using for decorating?
It is the only recipe I have used for years when decorating any cakes and it holds colors really well.
Can you add cocoa powder to this?
I haven’t tried that but I always make this chocolate buttercream and it is amazing! https://www.midgetmomma.com/bakery-style-chocolate-buttercream-frosting/
This is the best frosting!!!! I added a little amaretto for flavoring.I only did 1/2 the recipe and now I wish I would of done the whole. 🙂 thank you
Halved the recipe, added 1/2 c melted chocolate instead of vanilla and it tastes amazing!!
Will this Frost and simple trim decoration on a double layer 9 inch round cake ?
yes
Could i use only have of the powdered sugar? or will it change the consistency?
You may use powder sugar and it will work
Does the butter have to be salted butter or can it be salt free butter?
I normaly use salt free but i have used salted.
This will be my first time making buttercream frosting. For the butter, should it be salted or unsalted?
I normaly use salt free but i have used salted
I just learned (from watching Duff Goldman from Charm City Cakes) that the reason he does not use shortening in his frosting is because shortening has a higher melt point than butter, so when you eat frosting with both butter and shortening, the heat of your mouth melts the butter but not the shortening, so the shortening coats your taste buds therefore reducing your ability to fully taste what you are eating. This is why I don’t use shortening in my frostings anymore. Just something to think about and make your own choices. 🙂
Your welcome to use all butter in the recipe but I like to use half and half because the flavor of all butter is just too rich for most people.
Using both shortening and butter makes it so the powdered sugar isn’t overwhelming! I have been making mine the same way for years. But I used warm milk instead of hot water.
Could you use lard? Would lard also give that greasy feeling in your mouth?
I’m sorry, I haven’t tried yet. If you try it let us know how it turns out.
I used this recipe today for my son’s birthday cake. I’ve been making all-butter buttercream for years and its always been too sweet. This recipe was perfect and held up great with gel food color. I don’t understand why people say they get a greasy feeling in their mouths, I didn’t experience that at all. This will now be my go-to recipe for all of our family’s birthday cakes. Thank You!
I made the butter cream today. It is delicious and it came out perfect! This recipe is a keeper!
Thanks for sharing😀
I’ve always used 1/2 Shorting and 1/2 butter. It makes it a little sweet but not over whelming. It also makes it fluffier. Learn this from my Grandma when I was a kid. But do not use lard. It ruins the flavor
Why do you use hot water instead of cold?
it melts into the frosting to help it mix in.
This is the perfect recipe . The addition of shirrrjing actually lightens the frosting- using all butter makes a heavier frosting.
What type of shortening do you use?
crisco
Delicious, closest to bakery frosting that I have been longing for. I like the 1/2 & 1/2. I agree the all butter flavor can be overwhelming & the frosting too dense. I added a dash of salt when mixing & a bit more vanilla.
This frosting has a light texture and more to my liking.
There are very few bakeries where I live and find most Grocery store cakes frosting just tastes greasy.
Thank you for the recipe! I am making my own Birthday cake due to the Corona virus. A vegan lemon loaf cake with your frosting a center layer of raspberry preserves and I will risk going out for some fresh berries to serve with it!