This White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe belongs in your recipe file of favorites! Not only does it have a wonderful white chocolate flavor, but it’s creamy consistency is perfect for piping. What’s not to love?
If you are a fan of white chocolate, this is the frosting that you’ve been waiting for. Actually, we’ve been waiting for it too! For nearly eight years we’ve been chugging along on our cake site without a go-to white chocolate buttercream recipe. Ohhhhh, we didn’t know what we were missing!
What I love most about frosting recipe is that the white chocolate flavor really shines through. The recipe calls for white baking chocolate (we really prefer this over white chocolate chips or candy melts). You are going to love the flavor.
How to Make White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
*You can find the full recipe card at the bottom of this post
This easy-to-follow recipe involves combining the melted white chocolate with the usual key players…butter, confectioners sugar, vanilla, and milk (or cream).
- Cut/chop the white chocolate into very small pieces, put into a microwave safe bowl and add 4 Tablespoons milk or cream. Chopping the chocolate into small pieces will help it to melt more quickly and evenly.
- Microwave the chopped white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl for 15 seconds and let sit for a minute, stir and microwave again 15 seconds letting it sit a minute to soften further, stir. (Repeat heating in small increments as needed).
We do it this way so that we do not accidentally overheat or burn the white chocolate. The heated chocolate will continue to melt as it is stirred. The melted chocolate should not be hot when added to the mixture and so allow to cool as needed.
- Beat the butter until softened and smooth, add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add the white chocolate and milk mixture. Add vanilla and salt. Add another Tablespoon milk if needed. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes and it will become smooth and creamy.
- This recipe makes 5 cups frosting, which is enough to frost a 2 or 3 layer eight inch cake. If you will be doing a lot of decorative piping, you will need additional frosting.
What Cakes Pair Well with White Chocolate Frosting?
This luscious, white chocolate frosting is a heavenly complement to so many cake flavors. It’s perfect with fruity cakes, chocolate cakes, and more! Here are a few favorites:
Strawberry Sour Cream Cake with White Chocolate Frosting
White Chocolate Raspberry Cake
White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
White Chocolate Peppermint Cake
Is this White Chocolate Frosting Good for Decorating?
Yes! This white chocolate buttercream is not only delicious, it pipes perfectly!
As an added bonus, this frosting recipe develops a slight crust, making it perfect for smoothing using the Viva Paper Towel Method of Smoothing for those of you who prefer this technique! (We use this technique in this tutorial)
If you’ve ever had Grainy Buttercream, Read this!
** We’ve had great results with Domino’s confectioner’s sugar and US Sugar (we buy ours from Costco) in our frostings. 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 brand of confectioners sugar.
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
This white chocolate buttercream has a nice white chocolate flavor, is smooth, creamy, and, pipes beautifully!
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (339g) unsalted butter, softened (do not soften in the microwave)
- 8 ounces (227g) white baking chocolate (I used 2 Ghirardelli Premium Baking Bars)
- 5 cups (575g) powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon (4g) vanilla extract
- 4 tablespoons (42 g) milk or cream
- 1/2 teaspoon (3g) salt - optional to cut the sweetness
Instructions
- Cut/chop the white chocolate into very small pieces, put into a microwave safe bowl and add 4 Tablespoons milk or cream.
- Microwave for 15 seconds let sit for a minute or two, stir and microwave again 15 seconds letting it sit a minute to soften further, stir. Be careful not to over heat the chocolate. The chocolate will continue to melt as it is stirred. Let the chocolate cool down before using.
- Beat the butter until softened and smooth, add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time. Add the white chocolate and milk mixture. Add vanilla. Add another Tablespoon milk if needed. Beat on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes and it will become smooth and creamy.
- Makes 5 cups frosting. Makes enough to frost a 2 or 3 layer eight inch cake. If you will be doing a lot of decorative piping, you will need additional frosting.
Here’s our White Chocolate Buttercream in action, as the frosting for our White Chocolate Raspberry Cake! YUM!
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Hi Breauna, Your cake sounds delicious!! Thank you for giving the recipe a try and posting your review!!
Hi! I’m not a baker. Can I make this the day before I bake the cake so that it’s not overwhelming?
Hi Sandy, Yes, it will be fine to make the frosting the day before you use it. Cover with plastic wrap and keep at cool room temperature. Give it quick stir to fluff it up before using. Buttercream can develop an “off” taste by the 3 day so you would need to refrigerate if keeping longer than that.
Hello, thanks for the recipe. Can I add colour to it? TIA
Hi Felina, We had never colored our white chocolate butterceam but I think it would be fine to do so. Test with coloring just a small amount.
Hi, can it be frozen for about a week before use?
Hi Julie, If you are using it in a week, you can refrigerate the buttercream. When ready to use bring to room temperature then stir or remix with your mixer until smooth. Yes, it can be frozen in an air tight container, do not thaw in the microwave. Thaw in the refrigerator or on the counter top.
Is this a good buttercream to use under fondant?
Hi Dottie, Yes, it will be fine under fondant. Chill before you lay on the fondant.
Can you substitute Ghirardelli Premium Baking Milk Chocolate bar for the white chocolate using the same ratios as in the White Chocolate buttercream recipe? ie.. Just substituting the chocolates…. milk chocolate instead of white chocolate.
Thank you
Sue
Would this be good if you swirled it with milk chocolate icing? My daughter wants to tone icing on her cupcakes and she wants white chocolate and chocolate together so I’m just trying to figure out if this would be a good pair.
Do you think it would be good swirled with a milk chocolate icing? My daughter wants two tone icing on her cupcakes and I just wanted to see if it would pair and taste good.
Hi Shannon, We have not used a milk chocolate baking bar but I would think it would be fine to do so. Most importantly do not over microwave the chocolate when melting it. Letting it sit and stirring when it is still holding its shape but softened a bit will help it to melt. The microwave time may be different with the white and milk chocolate. Also, you can adjust the powdered sugar and milk bit if needed. The white and chocolate flavors will pair well together.
I posted a year or so ago, and never got a response, so I am trying again… If using water as opposed to milk, would this recipe be shelf stable? As a baker working out of my home, legally I am not able to sell anything that requires refrigeration. Also, maybe you could list which frostings on your site are shelf stable? That would be super helpful to us home bakers. :)
Shannon Rankin, It is very good swirled together. I did it before for a friends cupcakes. Make sure when you do the chocolate buttercream to use semi sweet chocolate chips instead of a milk chocolate baking bar.
Hi!
I have to make a chocolate cake but I need to do White chocolate frosting. The problem is I need to add color to the frosting. Will this frosting seize up on me if I add color? If so how do I fix it. I have worked with white chocolate before and I have to add a special oil to it before I add color. The problem with that is I have to add 10 drops of oil to one drop of color. Please Help. Thank you
Hi Claudia, AmeriColor and Wilton make an oil candy coloring. This is what you need to use. Add just a few drops at a time.