Perfect for beginner bakers, this simple American buttercream frosting is an easy, basic frosting recipe that works on any cake and tastes amazing. Just a few ingredients (no eggs!) and only 10 minutes to make, every baker should keep this one in their back pocket! This frosting pipes beautifully and you can even use it under fondant. Recipe includes a how-to video!
Classic American Buttercream
While there are a lot of different varieties of buttercream frosting out there, American buttercream is probably the one you’re most familiar with. It’s a sweet and simple icing that every baker should know how to make, and usually the first one most cake decorators learn.
I’ll admit it’s never been my favorite (my favorite will always be my less-sweet but equally pipe-able cream cheese frosting), but it’s a great frosting for beginner bakers and is essentially impossible to mess up! It’s also the frosting melt and I use to drape over my petit fours.
5 Things to Know About Buttercream
- Great for decorating: Buttercream crusts, meaning the exterior becomes firm and almost crisp. You can add even more sugar to the frosting to make a very stiff icing that’s great for piping into decorative shapes like flowers or roses.
- Very sweet: Much sweeter than a whipped cream frosting or ermine frosting. If you prefer less-sweet frostings, try one of those or go for my Swiss meringue buttercream instead.
- Colors well: I recommend gel food coloring for the most vibrant results with the least amount of food coloring.
- Customizable flavor: You can give this frosting pretty much any flavor by using your favorite extract; I include a few of my favorites below!
- Does NOT hold up to heat, like most frosting recipes. I have yet to find one that can withstand the heat during a mid-summer cookout!
Jump to:
Ingredients
You only need a few ingredients to make classic buttercream frosting.
- Salted butter. I have recently switched from using unsalted butter to salted butter in my frostings. During my many, intensive 😅 recipe testing sessions, I’ve found that for many recipes that aren’t being baked (dishes where you can taste as you go), salted butter sometimes works better. This is the case for most frostings. Make sure it’s softened almost to room temperature before you begin. Only have unsalted? No worries, I have notes on what to do in the recipe card (add a pinch of salt!).
- Powdered sugar. Also known as 10x sugar, icing sugar, or confectioner’s sugar. Weigh or measure this the same way you would measure flour (don’t pack it into the measuring cup).
- Vanilla extract. Clear vanilla has a more artificial flavor but will give you an almost pure white color compared to real vanilla extract. You can also play around with adding other flavors/extracts! Almond, peppermint, and coconut are a few of my favorites (or you can add a bit of concentrated coffee for a coffee frosting). Keep in mind some extracts are more potent than others, so start with less and add more as needed (taste-test!).
- Heavy cream. You may substitute milk instead. Cream helps this frosting become silky smooth and pipe-able (it will be quite dry before you add the liquid). Whip it into your frosting with your mixer on medium-high speed.
Remember, this is just an overview of the ingredients I used and why. For the full recipe please scroll down to the bottom of the post!
SAM’S TIP: If you only have unsalted butter, just use that and add ⅛ teaspoon of salt. Taste test, then add more salt as needed (I wouldn’t imagine you’d need more than ¼ teaspoon total!). I don’t recommend leaving out the salt entirely if you are using unsalted butter — the frosting will be too sweet.
How to Make Buttercream Frosting
While I used my stand mixer for the in-process pictures in this post, it’s completely fine to use an electric hand mixer, instead. This is actually what I use when I make the frosting in my video (in the recipe card).
Beat the softened butter until it’s smooth and creamy, then add the vanilla (and salt if you are using unsalted butter). Gradually add the powdered sugar, about a cup at a time; keep your mixer on a low speed while you do this so you don’t send powdered sugar flying all over your kitchen (or yourself!).
When you’re done, the powdered sugar should be completely incorporated, but the mixture will look pretty dry (shown in the above photo)–this is normal. We’ll fix that in the next step!
Add a splash (about a tablespoon) of cream and slowly increase the mixer speed to medium high. Keep adding more cream, about a tablespoon at a time, until you reach your desired consistency. Keep in mind the more cream you add, the softer your frosting will be.
Add any food coloring you’d like to use, scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl, and give your frosting another good mix. Use as desired, or cover and store (instructions below) until ready to use.
SAM’S TIP: This recipe doubles or even triples easily, as long as you have a bowl that’s large enough!
Frequently Asked Questions
This recipe makes roughly 3 cups of frosting. This is enough to frost a 9×13″ sheet cake, an 8″ or 9″ two-layer cake, or 24 cupcakes (unless you frost them like I did in my photos, then you’d only have enough for 12 cupcakes).
I actually have a separate recipe for an amazing chocolate buttercream frosting! See also my favorite chocolate frosting, which is a chocolate buttercream made with melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder.
No, this frosting can sit at room temperature for up to two days; however, as with most frostings, buttercream does not hold up to high temperatures. It will absolutely melt if you keep it in a warm kitchen or outdoors on a hot summer day.
If you want to color your frosting, simply stir in some food coloring at the end. I prefer to use gel food coloring (this is the gel coloring set that I have), but regular liquid food coloring or even powder food coloring will work.
Pair Your Buttercream Frosting With:
Buttercream frosting is probably the easiest frosting to make, so I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with it, but please leave me a comment if you have any questions!
Enjoy!
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Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) salted butter softened (see note)
- 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk plus more as needed (see "Tips" section in post for substitutes)
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- Place butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or use a large bowl and an electric mixer) and beat on low-speed until creamy and smooth.1 cup (226 g) salted butter
- Add 1 cups (125g) of powdered sugar and vanilla extract and, with mixer on low speed, stir until combined. Gradually add remaining powdered sugar until completely combined. Mixture will likely look very dry, but all sugar should be absorbed.4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add heavy cream or milk, one tablespoon at a time. Start with mixer on low-speed and gradually increase speed to medium-high, beating on this speed for several seconds to whip the liquid into the batter and scraping down the sides and bottom of the bowl after each addition. Add additional cream until desired consistency is reached. If you accidentally add too much liquid and make your buttercream too soft, you can usually salvage the icing by adding more powdered sugar2-4 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk
- If using food coloring, stir it in here at the end. Gel food coloring is my preference for vibrantly colored icing.
- I recommend piping icing over your cupcakes or frosting your cake immediately. See notes below or in the post on how to store buttercream and use at a later date.
Notes
Chocolate Version:
See my chocolate buttercream.Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered an estimate only. Actual nutritional content will vary based upon brands used, measuring methods, cooking method, portion sizes, and more.
This recipe was originally published in 2020, I’ve updated the post to use salted instead of unsalted butter (see my post for more info on why this change was made) and added a new video.
MeIsAspiringBaker
Hello Sam. I had an awesome idea while I was looking at your brown butter recipe and I was wondering if I make brown butter (which I have successfully done before, and it was amazing) and let the it solidify and put it in stick form, would I be able to use it for buttercream. I was trying to think of any possible problems and I wanted to have your opinion.
Sam
I actually have a brown butter frosting. It uses cream cheese as well so not exactly a buttercream, but it is sooooo incredible! It’ll be tough to not eat it by the spoonful. 🙂
Cheryl Robbie
This is my new “go to” frosting recipe. It is absolutely delicious, spreads easily and is so easy to make. It’s a big hit with the family.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it so much, Cheryl! 🙂
Mary
Hi,
I checked out your chocolate icing recipe but I have a soy allergy so I can’t use chocolate chips, just 100 percent cocoa powder. Suggestions
Sam
Hi Mary! I would recommend my chocolate buttercream. It only uses cocoa powder. 🙂
Blair
Hi Sam! Can I use cornstarch to thicken this frosting? Or maybe replace half the butter with vegetable shortening?
Unfortunately, my kitchen is very warm because we only have AC in our bedrooms, not our kitchen! I am having a problem with melty frosting! They still taste AMAZING, but my designs on my cakes and cupcakes are droopy.
Sam
Hi Blair! Adding cornstarch can help make the frosting a little bit thicker, but if it’s too warm unfortunately there’s not much that can be done to keep it from becoming melty. 🙁
C
Hi Sam,
Your buttercream and vanilla frosting are virtually the same with the exception that your buttercream recipe has 4 cups of powdered sugar and your Vanilla frosting has 3 cups of powdered sugar. I’m trying to figure out which one is better to use or whether there is a mistake on one of those recipes.
Thank you
Sam
Hi Cindy! Either one will work just fine. They are very similar recipes. 🙂
Kaya Yiu
Thanks for this recipe! It’s so sweet, creamy, delicious and it pipes beautifully! It’s one of my third favourite frosting.( My favorite is your swiss meringue buttercream😋)
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Thank you so much, Kaya! We’re so happy you are loving our recipes 🥰
Gina
Is this frosting stiff enough to make roses on a cake?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Yes! You can always add more powdered sugar if needed too 😊
Anon
This recipe worked really well! I put it on cupcakes and it was amazing, but now I don’t have any powdered sugar. And that’s where my question is. Why doesn’t it work with normal sugar?
Sam
Hi! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed the frosting!
Unfortunately, granulated sugar is gritty and will not fully dissolve in the butter as powdered sugar does. Additionally, powdered sugar contains cornstarch, which is critical to helping the frosting thicken properly.
Some people have had success making their own powdered sugar by combining 1 Tablespoon of cornstarch to every 1 cup of granulated sugar and processing in a food processor or blender until you have a fine powder, but it can take some time and you must have a high-powered machine or you run the risk of burning out the motor.
SM
Made buttercream frosting first time in my life after taking a look at the ingredients that go into a ready-to-use box of butter cream. This recipe is foolproof! I was afraid to try the more complicated frostings so decided to stick with the simplest one and it came out really well! I dipped the icing spatula in hot water, quickly wiped it and spread the frosting, worked like a charm. It is really really sweet for me, but the cake is for my 6 & 8 year olds for a birthday party and they loved it! I will try the swiss meringue next time! Thank you for posting this!
Sam
I am so glad you enjoyed it so much! 🙂
Irene
How long can i leave the cupcake with this icing in room temperature for birthday party ?
Sam
Hi Irene! I can’t speak for how long the cupcake will last, but the frosting will keep at room temperature for up to a week. Enjoy!
Mary Endris
Can you add cocoa powder to this?
Sam
Hi Mary! I actually have a chocolate buttercream frosting I would recommend. 🙂
Cynthia Smith
For those who want the sweetness cut, add 2-3 Tbsp of flour. My husband cannot tolerate too sweet icing. I tone it down by adding 2 – 4 TBSP of flour, it does not alter the taste of the icing, just makes it less sweet. He loves it that way. Suggestion: start with 2 TBSP and beat it in and add the cream. Check it for sweetness, if you want it less sweet yet, try adding additional flour, then check it, if it passes, go with it. It works for us!!
Kelseylynn
I have been using this recipe as my go to for over a year now. It goes on every cake we make! I always send everyone over to Sugar Spun Run for this recipe.
Sam
I am so glad you enjoy it so much! Thanks for passing along the word. 🙂
Faith
I love this recipe! My loves it too! My daughter is the one who likes her cupcakes naked because my “frosting” is too sweet lol! Is there a way to make is less sweet without taking away the amount?
Sam
Hi Faith! You could try reducing some of the powdered sugar but the frosting may be a little bit runny. 🙂
Lori
Hi, what are your thoughts about using shortening sticks with the butter? I’ve researched other recipes and am wondering if the icing for cupcakes will hold up better for an outdoor party. thank you!
Sam
Hi Lori! To be honest I have never tried using them so I really can’t say for sure. I have heard some people that shortening holds up better than butter to heat but you will compromise flavor. I’d love to know how it works for you if you try it!
Heather
Love this recipe! Tastes good and great for piping.
Sam
I’m so glad you enjoyed it Heather! 🙂
Nyaziah
Will this recipe be good for Halloween cupcakes(if I add food gel)
Sam
Absolutely! Enjoy! 🙂
Genesis
Best frosting recipe ever. Ive never been able to find the PERFECT consistency frosting recipe .. always had such trouble. and this one is just absolutely perfect.
Sugar Spun Run
I am so glad that it turned out perfectly for you, Genesis! Enjoy! 🙂
Agafia
E molto interesante, cercherò di farla. Grazie
Agafia
Mu ispira tanto, appena lo farò, scriverò.