This flavorful, versatile Classic Vanilla Buttercream Recipe is one of our favorites! It has wonderful buttery vanilla flavor, it’s perfect for piping borders or buttercream flowers, and it is so simple to make.
Our classic buttercream develops a light crust, and so if you are a fan of the Viva Paper Towel Method of smoothing, this vanilla buttercream smooths like a dream!
The butter in the recipe also makes it ideal for the hot knife method of smoothing, which involves frosting the cake, chilling until the frosting is firm, and then smoothing it with a hot spatula or bench scraper.
Of course, your frosted cakes don’t have to be perfectly smooth. I LOVE textured buttercream as well as the look of piping all over a cake. This vanilla buttercream frosting is versatile enough for just about any sort of buttercream cake or cupcake design you can think of.
This Vanilla Buttercream recipe can be easily doctored
Another bonus for this vanilla buttercream is that you can also easily doctor it to suit the type of cake you are making. For instance, add mini chocolate chips for a Chocolate Chip Buttercream, add a bit of peppermint extract to make Mint Buttercream, crushed Oreos for Oreo Buttercream, or any number of fruit extracts for various fruit flavored frostings. The possibilities are endless!
How to Adjust the Amount of Crusting
- As I’ve noted in the recipe below, you can reduce the amount of sugar used in this recipe for a lighter crust. I often do this when making this recipe for cupcakes.
- Another way to reduce the amount of “crust”. This won’t prevent crusting (we like a little bit of a crust for decorating purposes), but it will give you a softer result than if you were using skim milk or water as your liquid.
Vanilla Buttercream and Heat Considerations
Keep in mind that this is an all butter (no shortening) recipe, and so it doesn’t hold up as well in hot conditions. For hot summer days, you’ll want to keep the cake or cupcakes inside until the event, or opt for a shortening-based frosting.
Just as a stick of butter will melt if placed outside on a hot day, so will buttercream ;0)
Which Frostings are more Resistant to Heat?
We have a couple of great shortening based buttercream frostings in our Recipes Section. One popular option is our Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream, which contains both butter and shortening.
Another popular recipe that is shortening based and contains no butter is our High Ratio Frosting. Just like the others, this is a crusting recipe that is great for piping!
The more shortening that your frosting contains, the lighter the color will be and the more heat resistant it becomes. You do have to rely more on extracts and flavorings when using shortening-based frostings to make up for the absence of butter. However, in times when you need a more heat resistant frosting, shortening-based is a good way to go.
This classic vanilla buttercream recipe is the one that I make most often. We hope that you enjoy it!
Is your Buttercream Gritty? It shouldn’t be! Helpful Tips:
There’s nothing worse than finishing a batch of buttercream only to realize that it has an unpleasant gritty consistency. In my experience, it has everything to do with the type/brand of confectioner’s sugar used.
We’ve had great results with Domino’s confectioner’s sugar. Some brands of confectioner’s sugar don’t work as well with buttercream frosting recipes.
If a package doesn’t say pure cane sugar, it contains beet sugar which is more likely to give you a grainy outcome.
In addition to that, we’ve noticed that even some brands that say “Pure Cane Sugar” will give a grainy consistency. One example is Dixie Crystals (although it used to work great for us several years ago.) Something has changed.
I’ve read that sometimes brands will use an anti-caking agent that causes grittiness, but it’s hard to say. Your best bet is to do a little experimenting to find the brand that gives you the best results.
Anyway, this recipe should not be grainy, and so if it is, experiment with a different confectioners sugar.
Classic Vanilla Buttercream- A Crusting Buttercream Recipe
This easy, delicious Vanilla Buttercream Recipe is so versatile! It is a wonderful recipe that develops a light crust.
Ingredients
- 2 sticks (226g) unsalted butter, slightly softened but cool to the touch and holding it's shape
- 6-7 cups (690-805 grams) powdered sugar (depending on desired consistency. More sugar=more crusting). If you prefer a frosting that crusts less, see our note at the bottom of the recipe. *see our note about brands above.
- 2 tsp. vanilla (8 grams), use clear imitation vanilla if you like a whiter frosting
- 1/4 c. (60g) whole milk or more if needed
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (3g) to cut the sweetness (preferably fine grain or popcorn salt). Adjust to taste.
Instructions
- Cream the (slightly softened) butter until smooth. Blend in the vanilla.
- Add half of the powdered sugar and most of the milk. Beat at medium speed until the powdered sugar is incorporated.
- Add remaining powdered sugar and milk and mix at medium speed another 3 to 4 minutes scraping the sides of the bowl occasionally. I slow down the mixer to very slow. (#2 on the Kitchenaid) for 1 to 2 minutes. This will help eliminate air pockets in the buttercream. The texture will become very smooth.
- This recipe can be doubled or halved.
- Yields approximately 4 1/2 cups of frosting. Enough to frost a two layer 8 or 9 inch cake.
- Can be frozen in air tight container for at least three months . Thaw on countertop.
- If your buttercream is too thin, add more sugar. If the consistency is too thick, add a bit more milk.
Notes
**FOR A SOFTER BUTTERCREAM with a much lighter crust, I cut the amount of sugar from 6 cups to 5 cups, and adjust the amount of milk until you reach the consistency you like for piping. This lighter consistency of buttercream works great with cupcakes or cakes that don't require the Viva method of smoothing.
If you’re ever in the mood for something a little chocolatey (which is me, always) then save a copy of our Classic Chocolate Buttercream also! Just as with our classic vanilla, this chocolate frosting recipe is butter-based, silky smooth, and perfect for piping! You can find it here: Classic Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
You can never have too many options when it comes to frosting recipes! I hope you’ll give this one a try. Make sure to stop by our Recipes Section for all of our favorite cakes, cupcakes, frostings, and fillings!
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If you haven’t checked out our Free Tutorials Section, make sure to stop by for all sorts of fun cake decorating tips, tutorials, and designs!
If you are interested in learning even more about cake decorating, we would love to have you as a member of My Cake School! Members have full online access to every cake decorating video tutorial that we’ve made over the years. You can find joining information here!: Membership Details for My Cake School
Thanks for stopping by! Now, let’s go make some frosting!
Hello, is this a med consistency? What kind of butter cream did you use on the green ruffle cake?
Hi Natalie–yes, it is. The green ruffle cake may have been the “Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream”, but this recipe would work well also.
ove your site especially your videos. I would like to make the green ruffle cake. How much buttercream do you estimate that i would need to frost an 8 inch round.
Hi Melissa,
I made this Buttercream frosting for my cupcakes this weekend and my family loved it. I did use a pinch of salt as an option like you suggested to cut the sweetness (because majority of us don’t like real sweet frostings) and it was just right. Thank you so much for the recipe.
Is this recipe good to be covered in fondant.
Hi there, yes–it’s fine to cover with fondant :0)
Lynn–I’m glad that you liked it!
Hi Melissa,
Do you prefer the paddle or whisk attachment for the buttercream frosting?
We use the paddle attachment for our buttercream frostings.
When we make the Swiss Meringue Buttercream recipe we use the whisk attachment while beating the egg whites then switch to the paddle attachment when we add the butter. This change of attachments is noted in that recipe.
Hi Melissa,,, just became a member last night and already love your site.
The recipe that I use for buttercream is butter, sugar, vanilla and egg yolks…. It is very very good….. the thing is that when I cover my cakes with this and then the fondant and the weather is hot the buttercream starts melting and of course the fondant becomes a mess…. I am very new working with fondant .. any advise? I know that buttercream with shortening will work but really don’t love the taste of it….. Congrats and thanks so much…
Hi Nona– I know how frustrating that can be! I think you are going to have to hold off on using that icing unless either the weather is cooler or you know that the cake will be in a cool room, etc.
Aside from using a buttercream with shortening, you may want to experiment some with ganache beneath the fondant. You may even want to try another recipe–like swiss meringue buttercream beneath the fondant to see if that does better for you.
However, in cases of very hot temperatures, frostings containing shortening hold up the best.
Can you tell me how long this can sit out before it goes bad?
Hi, I think on the 3rd day this all butter recipe frosting begins to have an “off ” taste.
can this be use for the zebra inspired cake? I am just starting with baking and I am so happy to have found a site that is easy “and” pretty too!
Yes it can! So glad that you are enjoying the site ;0)
Hi there, Can you freeze the extra frosting? If so, are there any special tricks to defrosting it? Will it separate?
Hi Pam, we freeze in airtight containers and then let them defrost on the countertop. We do this all the time. You shouldn’t have a lot of separating, but you’ll want to stir or re-mix the frosting a little bit just to fluff it back up again and get it to a nice consistency.
how much icing does this make, enough to cover an 8″ 3 layer or would it need to be doubled?
Hi Sarah, this recipe makes 8 to 9 cups and you would be fine for filling and frosting a 8″ 3 layer cake.
LOVED this recipe!! Just joined your site and I am SO looking forward to every bit of info and skills you share!! I do have a question….is there somewhere in your website that you list a beginners list of important items that every cake/cupcake maker should have in their kitchen? Like which decorating tips I should have etc. Thank so much!! Love your video tutorials! I have always wanted to take a cake decorating class, but it has always been way to expensive for a short intro class. Thanks for sharing your knowledge AND making it affordable!!
Hi Kimberley! Thanks so much. I love this recipe too, lol. Just frosted some cupcakes with it this morning ;0) — If you look in our Member Resources section in the right side bar, scroll down to Supplies and you will see a rundown of a lot of the supplies that I like, including tips. Please let me know if you have questions about anything! I don’t have a specific “beginners” section necessarily–I would just start with the basics and work your way up as you see different techniques you’d like to try.
Piping tips, piping bags, couplers, coloring gels, offset spatula, bench scraper, and Viva brand paper towels (for smoothing) are what I use most often for basic decorating with buttercream. I like pixie/disco dust too for sparkle & candy melts & fondant for accents ;0) — If you are interested in modeling figures, etc., then gum paste or tylose is very good to have on hand too. Let me know if you have any questions!!!
Hi
How many cupcakes can you frost with this recipe ?? I need to work out how many cupcakes I get out of the batch of frosting.
Thanks
Ange
Would I be able to used the Classic Vanilla Buttercream for piping borders, scrolls, flowers etc.Or the fluffy buttercream would be better to work with?
I appreciate the time and effort you take to make these video and share them with us..I love your video keep them coming..
Thanks,
Sandra.
Hi Sandra, either recipe will work just fine for piping. The Classic Vanilla recipe uses all butter so if your cake in going to be in the heat for an extended period your borders and flowers could soften and not look as perfect as you would like. You could always keep your cake in the fridge until maybe an hour before serving. The Fluffy recipe has only a small amount of butter so heat is usually not an issue.
Hi! Will Swiss Meringue Buttercream work for this? I live San Francisco so super hot weather will not be an issue :D
Hi Eileen, yes, Swiss Meringue Buttercream should work great for you.
Hi there: I try the recipe and it is not crusting, what is wrong?…
Hi Claudia, is it very humid where you live? That may affect the crusting time. Typically it does not take very long, 5 to 10 minutes. When you can touch the frosting with you finger and your finger stays clean, (no frosting on it) it has crusted. It does not feel hard, it just does not stick to your finger or to the Viva paper towel if you are using that to smooth your cake. Hope this helps.
I live in Vancouver Island, B.C. Canada, wasn’t raining. Do you I have to use meringue powder?..I have to tell you something…I was very sweet for me and I added one more cup of butter, is that the reason? any suggestion for another option less sweet,
Hi Claudia, the Classic Buttercream is very sweet. You can cut the sweetness somewhat if you add a pinch of salt or you can use salted butter instead of unsalted. Some people do like to use meringue powder as a stabilizer if they live in a humid area.
You might like to try the Swiss Meringue Buttercream. It is not as sweet as the Classic Buttercream.
Hi Melissa,
I am baking a cake and I just need enough icing to dirty ice the outside and do a boarder between two layers (2 9×9 squares) to prevent a gooey filling from oozing out the sides. Should I halve this recipe?
Hi Jessi, yes, you should be fine to make one half the recipe
Hi love this site. It’s wonderful! I’m wondering the stiff buttercream you use to make you dam is there a recipe for it on here?b I can’t seem to find it if so. Thanks
Linda
Hi Linda, we just take out some of our buttercream (whichever recipe you might be using) put into another bowl, add more confectioners’ sugar …… just keep adding until it is the consistency to pipe a stiff dam. Let me know if you have other questions.
Thanks Bebe!
Hi, I was wondering if I could use the spreadable ganache to cover my cakes and then use the Classic Buttercream over it? Would that be ok to do? I’m having a little trouble with bulging on the side of my cake and trying different things to prevent that.
thanks!!!
Hi Angie, we have not tried buttercream over spreadable ganache but we have had several members tell us that they do this with success.
I have made this recipe and other crusting buttercream recipes. I keep having issues with cracking. It worked out ok for my latest cake which was a take on your woodland cake; the cracking helped it look more like bark.
Anyways, how can I avoid cracking in the future when I use crusting buttercream? Mine never looks as smooth as yours. :(
Hi Allison, I’m sorry you are having a problem. If your cake base is not sturdy enough, when you move your cake the board will bend and even if it bends only slightly it will cause cracks in your crusting buttercream. Before your cake reaches the crusting stage you will want to have it on its final base. Melissa has a video in Decorating Basics entitled How to Cover a Cake Base, here is a link if you would like to watch it, https://www.mycakeschool.com/video-tutorials/how-to-cover-the-cake-base/
I read the comments on the fluffy buttercream and it said that you can keep it in the refrigerator for 3 weeks and freezer for 3 months. Is that the same with this recipe?
Hi James, I keep mine in the refrigerator 2 weeks and if your milk and butter are not near expiration date when used you could probably keep longer. Yes, it can be frozen for 3 months. After the frosting thaws, you will need to fluff it up with your mixer and it will be fine.
I’m a little confused. In the recipe it says to use 2 sticks of butter (226 grams) and 8 cups (2 lbs) powdered sugar for a single batch. But in the video you are making a double batch of frosting and using 4 sticks of butter but still 2 lbs of powdered sugar. So is the correct recipe for a single batch actually 2 sticks of butter with 4 cups (1 lb) of powdered sugar and the double batch would be 4 sticks of butter with 8 cups (2 lbs) of powdered sugar?
Thanks
Hi Shelley, in the video I added 2 lbs. of powdered sugar to the 4 sticks of butter, mixed that with most of the milk, then I added 2 more pounds of powdered sugar. Maybe you skipped the video ahead and missed that part :)
I also want to say……this is not in the video, if you slow down your mixer speed to “very slow” the last 2 to 3 minutes of beating it will greatly reduce the number of air bubbles in your buttercream.
Let me know if you have other questions.
Great, thank you so much. Yes, I had to stop the video (can’t understand why my 6 year old doesn’t find this as stimulating as I do). I’m going to certainly try this recipe. The one I have been using uses twice as much butter and I have had a problem with air bubbles and greasiness at times.
Thanks so much for the prompt response and for all that you and Melissa do! I LOVE this website!
I have a strange question. I have heard of using different flavored International Delight creamers instead of your milk or heavy cream you may be using in your frosting. Would that work in this recipe and if so, should I also leave out the vanilla?
Hello ladies! So I’m making a two tiered square cake for my grandmothers 90th. It’s indoors and on that day it’ll be about 50 degrees outside. Will this recipe hold up alright?
Hi Taylor, there should be no problem.
when using cream cheese frosting do you still dirty ice? thank you Milissa
Hi Patricia–Not everyone crumb coats/dirty ices their cakes but I almost always do, with whatever frosting I’m using. I like that first thin layer to catch all of the crumbs.
The recipe says for whiter frosting use clear vanilla. I have the professional strength artificial flavor clear vanilla. The lady at the store said it was super concentrated. I’m sure how much I would use for this recipe. Could you help me figure this out. Also, I’m making a two tier cake for a client. Do you have a white chocolate cake recipe? My plan was to use the choc mousse filling between layers. Would the fluffy vanilla buttercream work for the dam or should I use this recipe? Thanks.
Would any of your chocolate cake recipes work as devils food choc cake?
Hi Tiffany, it should say somewhere on the bottle of vanilla if it is 2 times the strength of regular clear vanilla or 4 times the strength. If it is 2 x’s you would use half the amount the recipe calls for …….if 4 x’s you would use 1/4 the amount. I’m sorry we don’t have a white chocolate cake recipe on the site. You could use either buttercream recipe to pipe your stiff dam. Whichever you use, just take out a small portion and thicken it with confectioners sugar until it is the consistency you need to pipe the dam.
The only recipe that we have that would work as a devils food choc. cake is Chocolate Sour Cream Cake ( a doctored cake mix recipe.)
Good luck with your cake
Hi! I am about to make some “cakes in a mason jar” and was going to use your chocolate sour cream cake recipe. Would this be a good frosting to use with it or should I use the fluffy buttercream??
Hi Jana, we think the Classic Vanilla Buttercream recipe should be eaten by the third day if it is left unrefrigerated…….it could last longer if refrigerated. I would use the Fluffy Buttercream recipe with all shortening or high ratio shortening if it will be in high temperatures. Either of these recipes will pair well with the chocolate sour cream cake.
Hi Melissa and Bebe,
This recipe sounds so delicious! I am making a three tier cake that will be covered in fondant with lots of gumpaste decorations. It’s not going to fit in my fridge so I will need to keep it on the counter while I work on it. It is then going to be delivered to a location that is two hours away. It is 90+ outside on Texas right now but the cake will be indoors. What icing would you recommend me using? The classic or the fluffy buttercream or a combo of both. Maybe more like the classic but with added shortening? I just want it to taste really good but not mess up my fondant. Shortening is kind of nasty to me but I know it is a necessity sometimes. Anyways, thank you so much for all your help and keep up the good work!!
Hi Breinna, I do love the classic buttercream because of all the butter in it, when using under fondant be sure to let it firm up ten minutes or so before you lay on the fondant. We think the Classic recipe is best when eaten by the third day if it cannot be refrigerated so that may be a problem for you. I think you might prefer using the Fluffy Buttercream recipe, it has only 1/2 cup butter plus shortening. The high ratio buttercream is also a good option if you don’t like the “mouth feel” of shortening……high ratio shortening has a less greasy feel. Also, there would be no worries with heat or keeping the cake on the countertop. Let me know if you have other questions.
Hello,
I love this recipe and use it all the time! However I find that its very thick, and hard to spread, does not stick to my cakes that easy, and causes a lot of crumbs. I make it work but it can be very frustrating. When I watch tutorials it seems like the icing just glides right on but not for me. Is there something I am doing wrong, or something I can tweak to make it lighter and smooth on easier.
Hello Ladies,
I am a new member and I am enjoying this school with all its students that write. The problem with my buttercream icing is the bulging out from the side or even from the top of the cake. I appreciate the comment about using spreadable ganache first before icing the cake. But wouldn’t this make the icing extra sweeter?
Hi Nenita, There have been several Forum discussions on “bulging”. Click on this link, I think it will be helpful to you https://www.mycakeschool.com/message-boards/baking-questions/my-cakes-bulge-at-the-sees
Also, if you will enter the word bulging in the search bar, there are other discussions (just scroll down when the page appears). If you use dark chocolate when making your ganache, I don’t think it makes the frosting too sweet, and it is just a thin coating .
HI Melissa,
This is my favorite vanilla frosting and I have been using it for the past few years. It is perfect for my cakes but all of a sudden it seems too soft for my cupcakes and to pipe rosettes or other designs that need to hold its shape. I use my kitchen aide just as in your directions with my paddle attachment. Do I need to thicken it up before piping my cupcakes. If so, how much extra powdered sugar do you recommend that I add.
Thanks!
Abby
Hi Abby, Are you in a higher humidity area, that can make your buttercream softer. I would add additional powdered sugar 1/4 cup at a time until it reaches the consistency you like for piping your cupcakes.
Thanks BeBe. It definately has been a little warmer so that could be it. I have never had this problem before so the weather is probably a big factor. I just didn’t want to add to much extra powdered sugar to change the taste and make it sweeter.
Hi Abby, Heat and humidity are definitely the enemy of an “all butter” buttercream. Since you are consistently have this problem, try decreasing the amount of milk a bit and you may not need to increase the powdered sugar. You can dissolve about 1/2 teaspoon salt (preferably popcorn salt as it dissolves faster) in the milk to decrease the sweetness.
hello Ladies I have been with my cake school for a long time I never write in the Blogs because i’m not a big talker. but I just wanted to let you know that I appreciate and i’m so happy I found you. I’ve learned so much. keep doing what you’re doing God Bless you Both. again thanks one satisfied student.
Thank you so much for your message, Alethia! We are so thankful to have you as a member & really appreciate your feedback. Have a wonderful weekend! xoxo
Hi! I am looking for buttercream that will compliment both a white cake and a yellow cake. Will this? Also, what cake recipe of yours do you recommend for this buttercream?
Hi I’m making the butter cream for cup cakes using half the icing sugar and milk as recommended. How do you get your frosting to look so white? Mine is still the same butter colour I always seem to get?
Hi Victoria, Some butter is a lighter in color than others. Land o Lakes Butter is one of those. Also, using clear vanilla and beating the buttercream a bit longer can lighten the color.
Greetings ladies! I have been a member of your school for quite a while now, and you have TRULY helped me elevate my cake skills!!!!! I must say that as long as I have been a member, I have never tried this buttercream…TIL NOW! It is truly amazing!!! The texture is simply wonderful…and light!!! I figured it would be safe since it’s only 69 degrees today. What temp do you feel should be the cutoff for using this buttercream? I know you said not in hot conditions, but I wanted to know if the 70’s and 80’s is considered hot? Or should I just assume this is a “3 season buttercream? I am using it as a filling for a cake due tomorrow and will be covering the cake with fondant, but I have another question. Although it is quite tasty, there is a slight (very slight) grainy feeling when I taste it. I did not sift the flour, but I did use butter popcorn dissolved in milk. Any reason why I still have the grainy feel to it? It’s not a deal breaker, because it’s not bad. Most people probably would not notice…but I can tell. Is there any way to rid this wonderful icing of that? What did I do wrong?? Thanks so much in advance!!!! This site rocks!!!
Hi Terri, We use this recipe all year round but we are definitely more cautious with outside summer events. Keep your cake inside where it is cool until just before serving. We have had cakes outside in 80 degree weather for a short while, but after about 30 to 40 minutes the sharpness of the borders will begin to soften and sag a bit. It is not going to melt off the cake at 80 degrees but it will definitely soften. So above 80 degrees the process will happen more quickly. If you have a customer that wants to serve outside, it would be helpful to serve in a shady area. If your frosting has a grainy feel it could be because you are using powdered sugar made from beets rather than pure cane sugar. If your package does not say “pure cane sugar” then it has been made with beet sugar. Also, some bakers feel that softening the butter in the microwave can cause the gritty “mouth feel”. Hope this helps
Hello ladies, I have a question….I know this recipe is an all butter recipe, but when you list recipes with shortening as an ingredient, do you use high ratio for them? I just got around to purchasing hi ratio shortening, but am unsure which recipe(s) I should try it on. Please advise…thanks in advance!!!
Hello, I posted the question above, but I still haven’t received a response. I assume it just got caught in a computer glitch, as you girls have wonderful response times. Please respond when you get a chance. Thank you so much!! Also, please tell me if it would be detrimental for me to mix crisco with the hi ratio shortening…I have about 3 cups left of crisco but didn’t want to waste it…please advise. A HUGE thanks!!!!
HI Terri, We are using Crisco when we list shortening. You can substitute a high ratio shortening in buttercream recipes just making a few adjustments. In the Fluffy Buttercream recipe, https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/fluffy-vanilla-buttercream/, if using high ratio shortening you will need to decrease the shortening by 1/4 cup and increase the liquid used in the recipe by 2 to 3 Tablespoons. High ratio shortening holds more liquid than regular shortening. That is the formula that has worked for us. You may need to make slight adjustments depending on your own personal preference of spreading consistency.
Thanks BeBe!! Are there any recipes that you prefer hi ratio? Now that I have it, I want to use it! But it’s so expensive that I want to use it on a recommended recipe. Any recommendations? Thanks again!
We use it most often with the Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream recipe, using high ratio instead of Crisco. https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/fluffy-vanilla-buttercream/
Hi Melissa! I am wondering which recipe you would recommend to pipe the “fur” on these monster cakes. My DIL doesn’t want a real sweet icing, but I have to use what will work. She is in AZ and the temp inside where the party is will be 75-77 degrees. Thanks for your help! I doubt a SMBC would work in that temp. Is that correct?
Sorry for the second post! I meant which of your recipes would you recommend and does it have to be a crusting buttercream to do this? It will be refrigerated Friday night till Saturday at noon. Thanks for your help!
Hi Gloria, We do not use SMBC very often just because we prefer the American crusting buttercream. I think you could use SMBC in that temperature, but I think you would get the more defied look of fur with a crusting buttercream. You could use the Classic Vanilla recipe above, keeping the cake refrigerated or in an air conditioned area until the outside event would be fine. Also, the Fluffy Buttercream recipe, https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/fluffy-vanilla-buttercream/ that has only 1 stick of butter plus shortening would work well. In both recipes I would add 1 teaspoon of salt, preferably popcorn salt because of its fine grain to cut the sweetness since your DIL wants less sweetness. Also you can decrease the amount of sugar by 1 cup possibly more and still have a crusting buttercream (more sugar means a firmer crust). Just give it a test with your piping tip to see if you get the look you are going for. Hope all goes well
Hello, I am a new member and am looking forward to trying to get a smooth buttercream look which I have never been able to achieve with my current buttercream recipe.
I was wondering if I could substitute something in place of the milk and would this give it a longer shelf life than the 3 days?
Thanks
Whenever I make buttercream, it stays grainy, even after mixing with a oddly attachment, in a mixer for over 10 mins…..what am I doing wrong
Sorry, meant paddle attachment
Hi Lee-Ann, I am sorry we missed your question. Always feel free to repost your question or email us at info@mycakeschool.com. To get a longer shelf life for your buttercream you could use all shortening instead of butter and water instead of milk. When leaving out the butter you will want to add some butter flavoring to the recipe. The buttercream will crust much more quickly when using water so you will need to work a bit more quickly when smoothing. Hope this helps.
Hi Helena, Does your bag of powdered sugar say Pure Cane Sugar? If it does not, it is made with beet sugar and this can give your buttercream a grainy feel and taste. I don’t know what brands you have available to you but we use Dominos brand. We used to also use Dixie Crystals with no problem as it was also made with pure cane sugar and cornstarch. However, we began to notice that when we used Dixie Crystals brand our buttercream would be grainy. Our conclusion was even though both brand list cornstarch and cane sugar, Dixie Crystals must have changed its ratio of the two ingredients. So now we only use Dominos. You will need to experiment to find which brand of pure cane sugar works for you. It is also a good idea to beat the butter and/or shortening about 4 minutes to warm it up a bit before adding the powdered sugar. Here is a link to a Forum discussion on this, there might be other helpful info there, https://www.mycakeschool.com/message-boards/search/grainy+buttercream/
Hi Thank you so much, this has helped me a lot. I did beat the butter until it was really soft, and gradually added the sugar, then let it beat for a good 10mins, and then beat it some more….to no avail!!…..couldn’t understand what I was doing wrong!!.I am in the UK, and almost all supermarkets sell Silver Spoon sugar, which is made from UK beet, not cane, which must be why I was having so much trouble!!. Tate & Lyle makes theirs from cane, but have now added maize, which according to a lot of reviews from professional bakers, is not as good and many are now looking elsewhere for a different product. Why do these company’s do this?!!. Think I will look on cake decorating suppliers to see if I can find some there, thank you so much
Could I use whip cream instead of milk?
Can I also use 0% milk for less fat icing?
Hi Roxanne, Yes, you can use 0% milk. The frosting will crust more quickly with less fat in the milk so if you are using the Viva paper towel method for smoothing, you will need to work more quickly.
Thanks a lot for a quick response, I’m doing bears and wolfs cupcake so it should work fine.
What about whip cream?
Hi Roxanne, whipped cream would be fine also!
Hi Melissa and/or Bebe:
I need to cover a 2-tier cake with fondant and I am wondering which crusting buttercream is better for the crumbcoat,under the fondant, the High Ratio or the classic Vanilla buttercream?
I appreciate your suggestion.
Thank you in advance.
Wally
Hi Wally, if I’m not using ganache beneath fondant, I like to use a frosting that contains a good amount of butter since it firms up nicely when chilled. The Classic Vanilla buttercream is a good choice for this. Before covering with fondant, I chill the frosted tier just until firm.
Can i use a crisco hi ratio??
Hi Dalila c, You can use Crisco instead of butter in the recipe if you like, or half butter half Crisco. I don’t think that Crisco has a hi ratio product. You might like the Fluffy Vanilla recipe from the Recipe Section, it uses a of butter and shortening.
Hi Bebe! I have a silly question to ask you. Does the mount increase of liquid used for the buttercream will affect the crusting effect of it? For example, this recepie ask for 1/4 cup of milk. If for some reason I find the buttercream too stiff to work with and I ended using the double amount of milk, will my buttercream will crust still…? I thank you in advance
Hi Claudia, You should add enough liquid until the buttercream is the consistency you like to work with. More liquid will make the buttercream softer but it will still crust, it just might be a bit softer crust. The general rule is the ratio of fat to powdered sugar determines the crusting……..more powdered sugar equals a harder crust. If using whole milk, it does have some fat it in but most of the fat comes from the amount of butter or shortening in the recipe. Hope this is helpful.
Got it! So if I add on 8 cups of sifted powder sugar
2 sticks of butter (1 cup) and 4- 8 Tbs of heavy cream my buttercream should still crust right? I thank you so much Bebe for taking the time to help to understand this crusting buttercream business…
Hi Claudia, Yes, you will have a hard crust with that much powdered sugar, and you will probably need to add more milk or cream to get it to spreading consistency. When we frost cupcakes and cakes that we want to have a softer crust we cut the amount of sugar to 4 cups. Under the Directions below the ingredients, we make a comment about that. Give that a try sometime and see if you like that consistency and fluffiness.
Hello Melissa & BeBe! I have leftover classic & fluffy buttercreams, is it OK to combine them? I’m doing a mirror glaze cake & want to make sure it firms up OK if I refrigerate it before pouring the glaze & after to set up the glaze. Thank you!
Hi GuppyLove, that should be fine!
hi melissa! i have tried 6times of making vanilla buttercream frosting and it was rough because of the powdered sugar eventhough i strained it. what is the secret of fluffy and not roughed. thank you! god bless!
Hi Badette, I am sorry you are having a problem. Are you beating the buttercream long enough? You can beat it on medium to low speed and it will become very smooth. You can beat it longer than in the instructions. If the buttercream is too stiff, you will need to add more liquid 1 tablespoon at a time until it reaches the spreading consistency you like. Is the buttercream gritty? That could be due to the powdered sugar you are using. The package should read, Pure Cane Sugar. If it does not, it is made from beet sugar and will cause the
buttercream to have a gritty taste. We used to use the brands Domino and Dixie Crystals, both were pure cane sugar. Dixie Crystals must have changed their formulation because it now causes our buttercream to be gritty. You may need to experiment with different brands if grittiness is a problem for you. I am not sure what you mean by roughness so let me know if I have not answered your question.
Help. I need to know which frosting recipe will be the best one to pipe rosettes onto a cake with. My daughter-in-law has asked me to do my grand baby’s smash cake for her first birthday coming up in the spring. I will be doing a chocolate cake with a vanilla buttercream and I was looking at your classic vanilla buttercream and your fluffy vanilla buttercream. I was thinking the fluffy, but then I read the comment where the lady tried it on for her daughter’s birthday cake and the rosettes fell off. I have time to practice. Also, can the fluffy recipe be frozen?
Thanks – Melanie
Hi Melanie- Either recipe would work well. It’s a good idea to crumb coat the cake just before adding the rosettes so that they will adhere nicely. You shouldn’t have any trouble, although it’s nice that you have plenty of time for a trial run! ;0)
I was just wondering if a frosting made with butter and milk needs to be refrigerated once it is on a cake or can it be left out like a shortening based frosting? Thank you.
Hi Sonja, A cake frosted with buttercream made of shortening and water can be left out without concern. If your buttercream is made with butter and a bit of milk, it can be kept in a cool part of the house and should be eaten by the second day. It can be kept longer if it is covered and refrigerated. The cake will be best if allowed to come to room temperature before serving.
What is the best buttercream recipe to decorate a wedding cake.
Hello, I tried making this buttercream. It turned out really grainy. I couldn’t pipe it at all because of how grainy it turned out.
Could you help me troubleshoot why this could have happened? The butter I was going to use was at room temperature. But because the recipe called for ‘cool to the touch’, I popped it in the fridge for a couple of minutes before trying to make butter cream. Could this be one of the reasons? Could it be due to sugar? I used C&Hs confectioners sugar. I used Kitchen Aid Stand mixer.
Hi Shivani, I’m sorry that your buttercream had a grainy consistency. It definitely shouldn’t be. I would experiment with a different confectioner’s sugar. I’m not sure if you noticed our note beneath the recipe and so I’ll paste it below– I really think it must be the sugar.
We’ve had great results with Domino’s confectioner’s sugar and US Sugar (we buy ours from Costco). Some brands of confectioner’s sugar don’t work as well with buttercream frosting recipes. If a package doesn’t say pure cane sugar, it contains beet sugar which is more likely to give you a grainy outcome. In addition to that, we’ve noticed that even some brands that say “Pure Cane Sugar” will give a grainy consistency. So frustrating! One example is Dixie Crystals (although it used to work great for us a few years ago.) Something has changed…it’s a mystery. Anyway, this recipe should not be grainy, and so if it is, experiment with a different confectioners sugar.
Thanks for the quick response. I probably failed to read that note as I was working on this late in the night. In your experience, have you seen one brand of sugar working really well with one recipe of buttercream and failing miserably in another?
I used the same C&H in fluffy-vanilla-buttercream recipe (https://www.mycakeschool.com/recipes/fluffy-vanilla-buttercream/) and it worked wonderfully in that recipe. Hence my confusion. At some point I was also thinking if it could have been the speed at which I operated the stand mixer? I did run the Stand mixer at 6 for a brief period and then 4. Would 6 be too fast? I don’t know :(. Anyhow, I really appreciate you taking time to answer my question! Thank you.
The sugar which i powdered can i use for this recipe..
Hi Aathi, We have never made our own powdered sugar so I’m not sure of the outcome. If you give it a try, please let us know the outcome.
Hi Melissa? Love love love your website. I’m growing a pastry business in NYC and I’m amateur baker although I’m doing for over 15 years I never went to school or anything like that so I find this site very educational and helpful especially for bakers like me that can not afford a pastry school.
I have to make a unicorn cake which has piped flowers on top and side. Was wondering if the buttercream recipe is thick enough to hold the side flowers when it is a room temperature ? Will they stay there whitout falling all over to the bottom ?
The reason why I asked is because I tried the same thing last weekend whit a cream cheese frosting and it didn’t work really well.
Thank you!
Natalia from Brooklyn
Hi Natalia- Thanks for your kind words about our site! We are happy to have you!
Yes, buttercream holds up much better to piping flowers, etc. than cream cheese frosting. Our unicorn cake is a buttercream cake also– I happened to use a different version of buttercream (which contains some shortening) for that video, but I wouldn’t hesitate to use this one either. It’s a great recipe. Good luck!!
https://www.mycakeschool.com/video-tutorials/unicorn-decorating-tutorial/
How many cupcakes will this batch of frosting make if I am going to pipe a swirl around each one all the way to the edges of the cupcake? I have to make 80 of them.
Hi Tina, On a standard size cupcake, using a 2D or 1M piping tip, you should be able to pipe a simple swirl onto 10 cupcakes. Of course, that depends on how tight or high your swirl will be. Since you are going all the way to the edge of the cupcake you probably will not get 10. As you will read in the directions, when frosting cupcakes we often use 5 cups of powdered sugar instead of 6 for a lighter crust on the cupcakes and then the recipe will give you 5 cups instead of 4 1/2 cups of frosting. I would double the recipe to take away the stress of running out.
Help! Help! Help! I think my buttercream has to much salt in it. I had to triple the recipe and I made have put to much salt in it. How do I fix it with out throwing it out. :(. I could kick myself
Hi Claudia- I’m sorry! You could try adding more sugar and milk? Or you could make a half batch (minus the salt) and combine it with what you have already. Good luck!
Hi! Thank you for getting back to me so quickly what I thought was my really salted butter cream frosting. I said I had to triple the frosting for the 10 inch round cake that I was doing but actually I had to quadruple the frosting. I had not mixed it well enough and just overly tired from doing this cake. I got up the next morning And remixed the frosting and it was wonderful. I did your doctor lemon cake and everybody raved about how moist the cake was.
I had to make to 2 10 inch round cakes and did a simple Chambon catch syrup and a raspberry filling catch up. I’m uploading some pictures that I did of the cake. Please remember that I I am just a beginner and thank you for all the things that I’m learning from you.
Hi Claudia! I’m so glad that everything worked out with the frosting and that you got rave reviews on the cake- it looks beautiful! Thanks so much for following up and sharing a photo ;0) Happy baking! xoxo
I need to stop posting things from my phone. Sent the wrong picture and what is a catch Syrup and a raspberry catchup filling. I really need to see what I am writing or rather speaking before I send it out. Just think of me as an old woman and tired after making this cake. I will now upload the correct picture hopefully. At my age you have to have a good sense of humor . Thank you for teaching an old dog new tricks
Can I add food colouring to your Vanilla Buttercream icing recipe. I want to add the colour purple for “International Women’s Day” celebration.
Hi Josie, Yes, you can add food coloring to the buttercream recipe.
When I use to make a lot of icing while catering, one way I could tell if the icing had been whipped long enough was to lightly dampen my finger and touch the icing in the bowl. If my finger had frosting stuck on it, it needed to be whipped longer. If my finger was clean (without icing), that meant it had been whipped enough. Also, this was making “Crisco” frosting, I’m not sure if making buttercream icing! In Georgia, our weather is always sticky with humidity !
I recently learned that other parts of the US uses those 4 tbsp sticks of butter while the rest of us use the 8 tbsp sticks. Can you clarify what you consider a stick of butter, as I don’t have a kitchen scale?
Hi Amber, I hope people are not confusing this. Half sticks of butter are sold and the wording on the package states Half Stick. When we list 1 stick of butter in a recipe, we mean 8 Tablespoons. Thank you for your post.
Hello. Had an issue with the buttercream starting to “coddle”. What could have happened?
Can I use vanilla Essence for this buttercream frosting
Hi Alicia, If the mixture begins to curdle, the butter could have been too cold, if you just keep mixing it will warm up and the mixture will come together and be fine.
Hi Chinyere, I have not used vanilla essence for buttercream. Vanilla extract has a stronger flavor than essence so I am not sure how much more you would need to use.
How many cups does this recipe make? It isn’t listed and I really need to know. Thank you! ?
Hi Lynn, Number 5 in the instructions — 4 1/2 cups
Hi Melissa & BeBe! I am making a mocha frosting to be used as a filling. It will be 80 the day of the birthday and I would like to know which will hold up better as a filling – a buttercream thats all butter because I can get it hard in the fridge before setting it out, or one with half shortening? I do not have any high ratio shortening and cannot get any before the date of the party. I tried using Crisco the vegetable one and then the one for baking. Both stayed real soft and the baking one was actually super loose at room temp (tested it by leaving some on the counter before making the icing.) I don’t really want to use a super sweet crusting buttercream for a filling, especially if its not high ratio and won’t stablize the filling anyway.
Which way would you go with this since I can’t get the high ratio shortening? Thanks for any advice! :)
Hi Gloria, I would use the frosting that you like the taste of best. I don’t see any problem with using butter based frosting in the filling, even in very warm temperatures.
hi i made this today and it came out great! the only thing is that i made it with extra c. sugar so it can crust more, its been 5 hrs and it didnt crust! also how do you get it so white? mine turns yellow from the butter
Hi Adina, Did you put the frosting onto cold cake cake layers? If so, it can take many hours to crust. If the cake layers were not cold, I don’t know why it would not crust with that amount of powdered sugar. Let me know how it goes. As for the color of the frosting, some butters are more yellow than others. We often use Land O Lakes. You can also use a white coloring gel to make it whiter. Americolor has a Bright White coloring gel and Wilton has a White-White Icing Color.
Hi! I had buttercream in the freezer, how do I defrost it?
Hi Wilmari, A day or 2 before you need it put the frozen buttercream in the refrigerator. Then place on the countertop to come to room temperature. Remix for a few minutes to smooth it out.
Thank you!