This Perfect Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is creamy, fluffy, melt-in-your-mouth soft and is packed with vanilla flavor without being overly sweet! And it’s simple. I’ve also shared tips and tricks that I have for making consistently great vanilla frosting for all of my baked goods and desserts!
The BEST Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe!
Here are more recipes for Easy Creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting, Classic Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting, and Easy Vanilla Swiss Meringue Buttercream Frosting (Cheat’s Recipe).
Today’s recipe for Perfect Creamy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting is deceptively simple, but it’s one that can go wrong in so many ways! So here I’ll be sharing all the tips and tricks that I use to make consistently AMAZING vanilla frosting.
It’s only my second favorite frosting (everything comes second to chocolate!), but I make it all the time, and I’m not at all shy when it comes to slathering it all over any cake!
It’s important to whip the cool butter until it’s light and fluffy as the first step.
What is Perfect Vanilla Buttercream Frosting to you? For me, it means that the frosting is,
- Creamy
- Fluffy
- Soft but still holds its shape beautifully
- Melts in your mouth
- Packed with vanilla flavor and
- IS NOT sickly sweet!
This vanilla buttercream frosting ticks all of these boxes!
Why buttercream recipes go wrong!
The main reason why buttercream frosting recipes go wrong for people is actually because they follow the recipe to the letter! 🙂 With buttercream frosting, a recipe is only a guide because the ambient temperature plays a HUGE part in the final result! So you need to learn how to adapt your recipe to get consistently fantastic results!
Most recipes call for room temperature butter for any kind of buttercream frosting. Here’s the problem with that – not everyone’s room temperature is going to be the same, and it’ll be different depending on the season, and so on. So if you make your vanilla buttercream frosting with butter that was softened at a warmer temperature, you’ll end up with buttercream that’s too soft. Then you have to add extra confectioner’s sugar to make it firmer, and that ends up making your frosting too sweet.
So here are my tips for making Perfect Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Cool butter. I don’t mean that your butter needs to have swag. Just that you need to start with butter that’s cool to the touch and very slightly softened. This way you’ll have to whisk it longer to make it creamier, BUT it will hold its shape a lot better than when making frosting with butter that’s warmer and too soft.
- Use a 1:1 ratio (weight-wise) of butter and confectioner’s sugar. This gives me the best level of sweetness. Some recipes call for 1:2 ratio of butter to sugar, but I find that to be way too sweet! But if you do like a sweeter vanilla frosting, you can add UP TO twice the amount of confectioner’s sugar as butter, if you like.
- Cold cream. cold, whipping cream not only adds a creaminess to the frosting, but it also helps regulate the temperature of the frosting. The cream whips along with the butter, making the buttercream lighter, fluffier and creamier.
- Good quality vanilla. I use Madagascar bourbon vanilla in my frosting, but I LOVE using vanilla bean paste too. There’s just something more delectable about seeing those flecks of vanilla bean caviar in the vanilla frosting. Another trick that I like to use with my vanilla frostings is the use of TWO TYPES of vanilla! I like using Madagascar bourbon vanilla for flavor, and then I add a little bit of Tahitian vanilla for that sweet vanilla fragrance. This is completely optional though. Most recipes add vanilla extract at the end of the recipe. There’s no reason for this. You can add vanilla at the beginning AFTER the butter has been whipped if you want. The only reason I would add it at the end , is so that I can taste the buttercream and add more if I want to.
How to soften butter for this buttercream recipe
The way I make sure that the butter is at the right temperature is pretty simple.
In the summer, I take out the butter from the fridge and let it rest for a little while until it’s slightly soft, but cool to the touch. This could take up to about 30 minutes.
IF it’s an exceptionally hot day, and the butter softens too much – you can put the butter back into the fridge for a few minutes to make it harden a little.
In the winter, I keep the butter out overnight because it’s cooler inside the house (even if your thermostat is set to the same temp. all year, it’s still colder inside the house in the winter due to things like heat radiation and the dry air), so the butter stays nice, cool and perfectly soft until the next day. If you have a sugar thermometer, you can actually measure the butter temp., and you need it to be at about 70°F (21°C). This is optional though, so as long as the butter feels cool and slightly soft to the touch, it should be good.
To speed up the butter softening process, cut the butter into pieces and leave it covered on a plate. Smaller pieces of butter will soften faster.
There is also a trick to cover a stick of butter with a warmed glass to soften the butter. I personally don’t like this because you risk making the butter too soft if the glass is too warm.
Whipping the cold butter in a stand mixer until it’s creamy and turns white in color, does take a bit longer than it would with softer and warmer butter, but it’s certainly worth it because you end up with delightfully soft, creamy vanilla buttercream frosting that pipes beautifully. So it is well worth it!
Why add cream to the buttercream?
I like to add 1/4 cup of the cream at the beginning with the butter, so that the cream makes the butter lighter and fluffier. However, I always keep some extra cream to add at the end, just in case I feel like that frosting could use a little extra creaminess. During hot, summer days however, I avoid adding extra cream to prevent the vanilla frosting from becoming too soft.
Can I make this Vanilla Buttercream Frosting ahead of time?
You can. You can store this vanilla buttercream frosting for a day or two as well. I usually don’t like to make buttercream frosting too ahead of time, because I prefer the texture of freshly made buttercream instead.
Just cover the bowl tightly with plastic wrap and store in the fridge until needed. BUT, make sure to let the frosting soften slightly and then whisk it until it’s creamy again, before using it.
PRO TIP – When re-whisking the frosting, use a flat beater to whisk the frosting, rather than the whisk attachment. This will prevent extra air bubbles from forming, and create a smooth frosting.
Can I add color to this vanilla frosting?
This vanilla frosting can be colored too! Just add some gel food coloring to get the colors you want.
If you like Vanilla Buttercream Frosting, then you can use it in these recipes
You can make this beautiful pastel colored vanilla buttercream with just a few drops of color! And then make this pastel colored Chai and Vanilla Easter Cake or this Pastel swirled Easter Sheet Cake
If you love Vanilla cake to go with your frosting (Like these vanilla cupcakes or a basic vanilla cake), you can get the recipe by clicking here. I’ve shared all the tips I use to get perfect vanilla cake (or cupcakes) with every step!
Or if you prefer chocolate cake, you can make this amazing Classic Chocolate Cake instead!
You may also love these recipes,
Buttery Pound Cake & trouble shooting guide
Creamy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
EQUIPMENT & TOOLS I USED FOR THIS RECIPE
Stand Mixer – I like using my KitchenAid Mixer for this recipe
Silicone spatula to scrape the bowl while mixing
Offset Spatula – the easiest method to spread frosting on cakes
Looking for more recipes?Sign up for my free recipe newsletter to get new recipes in your inbox each week! Find me sharing more inspiration on Pinterest and Instagram.
Perfect Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients:
- 8 oz unsalted butter (2 sticks) cool, but not cold – about 70°F
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ cup cold whipping cream
- 2 tsp good quality vanilla extract Madagascar bourbon vanilla
- 1/2 tsp Mexican vanilla extract optional
- 8 – 10 oz confectioner’s sugar (in weight) 2 – 2 ½ cups (spoon and level)
Instructions:
- Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer. With a whisk attachment, whip the butter until it’s creamy and white in color – about 3 – 5 minutes on high speed (not maximum speed).
- Add the salt, cream and vanilla, and whisk further until the butter-cream mix is light and fluffy (for a few minutes).
- Lower the speed and add 8 oz of the confectioner’s sugar – a little at a time, and incorporate all the sugar into the butter. Make sure to scrape the sides as you go.
- Once the sugar is incorporated into the butter, increase the speed and whisk on high for 1 minute. Taste and add the rest of the confectioner’s sugar if needed. Whisk for a further 2 – 3 minutes until you have a light, fluffy, soft, spreadable frosting.
- If the frosting is too stiff, you can add extra cream (1 tbsp at a time) to get an even softer buttercream.
Tips & Tricks
Nutrition Information:
“This website provides approximate nutrition information for convenience and as a courtesy only. Nutrition data is gathered primarily from the USDA Food Composition Database, whenever available, or otherwise other online calculators.”
Jamie says
Hi – I’m looking to make this for my sons bday cake. If I make it on Thursday will it be okay for Saturday? Or should I just do it day-of? Thanks!
Dini says
Hi Jamie
You can make this ahead of time depending on how fresh the butter is. However, you may need to re-whisk the buttercream before using it as the consistency will change as it sits. To retain freshness I prefer to refrigerate my buttercream though.
Maddy V says
This is the easiest and perfect not too sweet frosting. Almost tastes like cream cheese frosting and easy to work with. This is definitely getting save for future uses.
Karen says
I am wanting to try this. With this frosting, once it sits on the cake/cupcakes, does it dry some and have a crusty texture? My current recipe tastes good but within an hour it dries and is not creamy.
dee says
whole mix started splitting even though I didn’t mix it for as long as it said. Awful, wont be making this again!
Dini says
Hi Dee
I actually made this buttercream just a few days ago and it came out perfectly well. I also haven’t had anyone else encountering a problem with splitting with this recipe either.
Buttercream will only split if you use something softer than butter (like margarine) that has a high water content. It can also happen if the butter and cream are not mixed together for the correct amount of time, since it may not be enough time for it to aerate together to make a creamy base. I hope that helps!
Maddy V says
I find that splitting often happens because of a significant difference in temperature of ingredients. For future reference, you can chill mixture and then whisk again. Hope this helps
Ani says
Hi , would this recipe work with handheld mixer ?
Dini says
Hi Ani
Yes it will. However the whisking times will be longer depending on the hand mixer that you use.
I hope that helps!
Tonya says
The cake was moist and tasty. The icing was light and not as sweet as some other recipes I have tried. Everyone said the cake was excellent
Calisson says
The texture was great but I found it a bit too sweet. However I added some unsweetened cocoa and that made a lovely light chocolate frosting, definitely a keeper.
FYI You should know that there is a problem with your code though. When you change the quantities only part of the recipe changes, so for example it says 16 ounces of unsalted butter equals two sticks, which is completely wrong. You should do away with the parts of the recpes that do not change when they user changes quantities.
Dini says
Hi Calisson
American buttercream is known to be very sweet. Usually with a 2 :1 ratio of sugar to butter. However this recipe uses much less sugar, making it less sweet than other american buttercream recipes. If you do not like sweet buttercreams, then I recommend using swiss meringue buttercream which is less sweet.
And yes, the ingredient amounts only change in the main column, but I have changed that now.
Hope that helps
Calisson says
Yes, it does help–thanks!
Karen says
Good evening. Plan on making this tomorrow. If I were to double the recipe, should I literally double all ingredients?
Dini says
Hi Karen
Yes you can double the recipe, and I very frequently make double batches. However, just as with the single batch, I would only add the minimum amount of confectioners sugar first and only add more if I want more sweetness. If you want a stiffer buttercream, then I would only add half the amount of cream at first, and add more at the end to get the right consistency.
Hope that helps!
Melanie says
I am going to try this out on Friday for my daughter’s birthday cake. I am also making a vegan cake and was wondering if you thought this could work with vegan butter and full fat coconut milk as it whips up like whipping cream. Or do you think it would be more temperature sensitive and separate?
Madeline Garcia says
Hello! Is this frosting able to be frozen?
Dini says
Hi Madeline
I haven’t tried to, but you should be able to.
However, the buttercream MUST be thawed out at room temperature and re-whipped before using.
Hope that helps!
Madeline Garcia says
What if it’s already frosted on the cake?
Dini says
Hi Madeline
Just like any other buttercream frosting, it should be ok once thawed. BUT the butter texture just changes a little once frozen. So there might be a difference in mouthfeel.
but again, I haven’t frozen a frosted cake before, so I can’t be sure.
Nicole Raj says
Hi there! I’ve tried this recipe twice now, the Lankan cake as well as the butter frost icing! It’s great, however, I seem to have a very eggy smell to the cake. What am I doing wrong? I also seem to have a strong smell of butter on the icing. Is this because I should add more icing sugar? And more vanilla essence maybe?
Dini says
Hi Nicole
The buttercream is meant to smell like butter as that is one of the two main components. If butter is left too long in the fridge, it does absorb other smells in the fridge which can make the butter taste / smell weird. If that is the case, I recommend storing the butter separately or only use freshly bought butter.
As for the egg smell in the cake. This doesn’t happen to me often with cakes, unless I use old eggs, or bad vanilla extract. You can use a really good quality vanilla extract (I use nielsen massey) or use lemon / orange zest. If you are really sensitive to egg smells (some people can be), using an eggless cake recipe will help too!
Nicole Raj says
Thank you so much. I too put it down to the quality of my eggs and vanilla essence. So I’ll try it again with quality ingredients. The family LOVED the cake. It was gone in one night! Appreciate all the extra tips too.
Carole says
I love this recipe but I can not get it smooth on my cakes. It doesn’t look like bubbles but more like holes. Any ideas on what I’m doing wrong?
Dini says
Hi Carole
This buttercream is really fluffy because of the air incorporated into it. The holes are bubbles.
I use a paddle mix to remove some of the air from the buttercream if I want to get a smoother result with no bubbles/holes.
Urooj Hassan says
Hi, your buttercream looks so beautiful. I wanted to ask if it crusts.
Dini says
Hi Urooj
Thank you! This buttercream doesn’t crust much. It is recommended using either more icing sugar along with substituting half the butter with shortening for a buttercream that crusts.
I hope that helps!
Litza says
This was the second time I made buttercream frosting because I made another recipe the first time and it was sickenly sweet for me but I decided to give this a go since it called for leas sugar. I did use the 0.75:1 ratio and used freeze dried raspberry powder and it was absolutely divine! I couldn’t stop eating the frosting. I did have to add more heavy cream. It sort of turned to a paste like consistency (sort of) so I’ll need to play around with the amounts of powdered sugar, powdered raspberry and cream. Any advice on this would be greatly appreciated. Thank you for this amazing recipe! I’m so glad I have an American buttercream I can use that is not so sweet!
Tish says
This recipe is what I’ve been looking for! Your techniques coupled with the butter/sugar ratio made for perfect frosting that wasn’t too sweet! I did use salted butter so I omitted the salt. I find the flavor to be perfect and not salty at all. Thank you!
Jen says
Hi, I can’t wait to try this recipe. Forgive me for asking, but is there a gritty texture from the powdered sugar?
Dini says
Hi Jen
I haven’t noticed any gritty texture. However, this will depend on the powdered sugar that you use. If you use a high quality powdered sugar the gritty texture won’t be there. Another option is to make swiss meringue buttercream that doesn’t use powdered sugar at all.
I hope that helps!
Eva says
Hi! I’ve got a one layer, 8 inch cake to make and I will try this vanilla buttercream recipe. Could you please tell me if it’ll be enough to fill in, crumb coat and frost the cake?
Dini says
Hi Eva
I make two batches of this buttercream to fill and frost a three layer 8 inch cake. 1/2 cup to fill each layer (a thin layer), and the rest to crumb coat and frost the cake.
I’m not sure how you might fill a one layer cake, but one batch of this butter cream is definitely enough to frost one cake layer.
Hope that helps
Sierra says
Hi there! If I wanted to make a biscoff buttercream using this recipe, would you suggest adjusting the measurements? I’m concerned the addition of the biscoff spread may make it too sweet. Would love to hear your thoughts!
Dini says
Hi Sierra
I would remove some of the butter (less than 25%) and replace it with some of the biscoff spread (equal amounts). I would also not add the heavy cream at the beginning either. It will be sweet because of the added sugar from the biscoff spread unfortunately. But the best way to balance the flavors is to find out the balance of the ingredients.
Since biscoff spread is soft, it will make the buttercream soft (which is why I don’t recommend adding the cream at the start). Confectioner’s sugar is what will make the buttercream stiff, so add the minimal amount first, and add more if you need to make the buttercream stiffer.
If you like, you can add a little heavy cream to make the buttercream softer / creamier, but only if the buttercream isn’t too soft.
I hope that helps!
Sierra says
Alright will try it out! Thanks for all the tips 🙂
Sidra Khan says
Hi can this recipe work when using Russian tips???
Dini says
Hi Sidra
I haven’t used them myself, but I can’t see why it wouldn’t work since I use this buttercream for piping with regular piping tips.
Pam Garcia says
This is the best frosting I have ever made. All the people at my job loved it!!!! It pipes beautifully,and its very stable.
Sarah says
I’m such a skeptic when I see someone write “perfect” in their recipe title but I thought hey I’ll give this one a go. I made a double batch right off the bat and ohhhhhh my gooooossssshhhhhh it actually IS perfect!!!! It’s so silky and just the easiest to whip up. Simply amazing.
Sun says
Hi. I need to frost an 8 inch cake with three layers (unicorn cake) could you please suggest how much I need to Increase measurements by? Thank you!
Dini says
Hi Sun
It really depends on how much frosting you want on your cake (how thick or thin the layer of frosting will be).
As a rule of thumb I prefer to make extra frosting though. So for a 3 layer cake, for filling, crumb coating and frosting, to be on the safe side I may make 1.5 times this recipe, or twice as much.
Hope that helps.
Kay Chung says
Hi! I will make this for my son’s bday- specifically the buttercream. I am doing a 2 layer 8 inch cake will one batch suffice?
Dini says
Hi Kay
I’m sorry for the late reply.
I usually make about 2 batches, because I like to have extra buttercream for simple decorations. If I want to be more intricate, and have very smooth sides, I would even make more (but there is usually leftover frosting then too).
Monica Cavazos says
Hi — I’m looking forward to trying this! Would you recommend icing the cake 2 days prior to Christmas Day? I’m not sure I’ll have time to ice it on the day of so my best time would be 2 days ahead. Thank you ~
Dini says
Hi Monica
It would depend on the cake and how you plan to frost the cake.
If I know I would be storing the cake for longer, and it’s prone to drying out, I would brush the cake with syrup to prevent it from drying out. I would also completely the cover the cake with frosting, so that it won’t be exposed to air – as this will also help keep the cake moist inside.
I hope that helps.
Monica Cavazos says
THANK YOU ❤️
Ayesha Belal says
I loved the recipe
Varshini Raja Gopal says
The most easiest buttercream and it was a successful attempt for me. I modified the sugar as i dont prefer too much of sweet but the cream was still at peak.
Avni says
Looking forward to trying this recipe! Sorry if this has already been answered, but what happens if the cream volume is increased?
Also, what would be good frosting options for layered cakes? Especially for somewhat warm climates? Thanks! Really love your recipes.
Dini says
Hi Avni!
The more cream you add, the softer the buttercream will be.
American buttercream made with 50% – 100% shortening it the most stable for warm weather because shortening doesn’t melt as readily is butter. But this will depend on the warm weather too. You can read this article for more information.
Sophie says
Does this need to be kept refrigerated
Dini says
Hi Sophie
As stated in the post, if you want to make this ahead of time, it needs to be refrigerated. It’s fine for a day or two at room temperature (depending on how hot it is).
If you refrigerate it, it will need to be returned to room temp (soften) and rewhipped to get the creamy consistency.
Hope that helps
Lluvia says
I had no heavy cream but I made my own,although I think it was still warm when I poured it in frosting, it came too soft,you think if I refrigerate it can get more stiff,,thank you
Dini says
Hi Lluvia
Refrigerating could possible help firm up the buttercream because of the butter hardening as it cools down. You will need to rewhip it though.
It is absolutely imperative to add the heavy cream while chilled, because the reason I add it is because it actually whips with the butter.
There are heavy cream substitutes that are excellent to add to sauces, but if the heavy cream substitute does not aerate into whipping cream, it won’t work the same way in this recipe either.
If you are using a non-whippable heavy cream substitute, or milk then you need to add less of it as it can make the frosting too soft when at room temperature.
Hope that helps