A simple, 5 ingredient recipe for Vanilla Frosting. Use it to top off your favorite cake or cupcake recipe. This recipe generously tops 12 cupcakes, modestly covers 24, or will cover an 8″ or 9″ layer cake or 9×13 sheet cake.
Happy Spring! Does it look like Spring where you are, yet? Because yesterday/the first day of “Spring” was also the beginning of the first big snowstorm we’ve had all year.
My car is buried beneath half a foot of snow, Zach is taking a snow day because none of the roads are plowed, and eventually one of us is going to have to break down and actually go outside to shovel out our driveway, so despite what the calendar might say it doesn’t exactly feel Spring-y around here!
Fortunately, snow days make for perfect baking days, and today I plan on baking myself a batch of from-scratch chocolate cupcakes and topping them off with today’s recipe for vanilla frosting.
And sprinkles too, of course.
Today’s recipe is simple to make and is a staple icing recipe that every home baker or cake decorator should have on hand. It’s easily pipeable and does a great job of holding its shape, is easy to customize with different extracts (though I always reach for the vanilla), and does well under fondant.
It’s also incredibly hard to mess up, if your frosting becomes too thin you simply add more sugar, and if it’s too stiff an extra splash of heavy cream or even milk will work. Let’s go over a few frequently asked questions that I get about making vanilla buttercream.
How long can I store vanilla frosting?
You can make vanilla frosting in advance and store it for up to two weeks in the refrigerator. It will firm u when cold, so let it soften at room temperature a bit before piping or spreading on to your cake.
Can I leave vanilla buttercream frosting at room temperature?
Yes! There is heavy cream in this recipe, but it is stabilized by the generous amount of sugar that we are using. You can frost your cake or cupcakes with this frosting and it will be good for 2-3 days at room temperature (it will keep longer in the refrigerator, for about 1-2 weeks).
What goes well with vanilla frosting?
I’ve tried it and loved it on my funfetti cake (check out those colorful decorations — all of them made with this same recipe!), chocolate cake, chocolate cupcakes, and vanilla cake, just to name a few!
I have a new-ish cupcake (pictured above) that I’m excited to share with you on Friday, and I’ll also be showing you how to add the neat colorful swirls to your frosting (it’s easy, you just need a small paintbrush).
Enjoy!
If vanilla buttercream isn’t quite your thing, be sure to check out my less sweet chocolate frosting or cream cheese frosting, instead!
How to Make Vanilla Frosting
Vanilla Frosting
Ingredients
- 1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- 3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Beat butter with an electric mixer until creamy. Sprinkle salt over butter and stir again to combine.1 cup (226 g) unsalted butter softened to room temperature, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Gradually, about ½ cup at a time, add powdered sugar, waiting until each cup is completely mixed before adding more.3 cups (375 g) powdered sugar
- With mixer on medium-low speed, add the heavy cream, one tablespoon at a time. Once ingredients are well incorporated, gradually increase speed to high and beat for about 30 seconds.3 Tablespoons heavy cream
- Add vanilla extract and stir well.1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Pipe or spread frosting over cooled cupcakes. Top with sprinkles, if desired. This frosting will be fine at room temperature for 2 days or refrigerated in an airtight container for about a week.
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.
Susan Musser
This is how my grandmother made frosting when I was a child in the 1950s, although I think she used evaporated milk instead of cream. On my birthday she made a yellow cake and mixed coconut into the frosting. If there was any leftover frosting, she made it into tablespoon sized candies for me. So good.
JG
This recipe did not work for me. The milk solids in the butter separated so the frosting was too loose in texture, and it had a very grainy appearance. It could not be fixed.
Sam
I’m sorry to hear this happened! Were your ingredients are room temperature? It’s important that the butter is close to room temperature so that it incorporates properly. Did you make any substitutions? If it was grainy it may have just needed to mix a little bit longer or you could even warm it slightly over a double boiler and re-whip it to get rid of the grainy texture.
Julie
made this into chocolate frosting and it was delicious.
Sara
This frosting was perfect!!!
Stef
approximately how many regular sized cupcakes will this recipe frost?
Sam
Hi Stef! This recipe generously tops 12 cupcakes or modestly covers 24. You can typically find this information right above the recipe or throughout the post. 🙂
Molly
I am making a three tier layer cake 9″. How many batches should I make to cover it thickly?
Thank you!!
Sam
Hi Molly! Is it just 3 9″ cake layers? If so I would probably just increase the recipe by 50%, but if you like it really thick you can always double it to be safe. 🙂
Kayla
Can you sub the heavy cream with anything particularly evaporated milk?
Sam
Hi Kayla! Regular whole milk will work, but you’ll likely need less. 🙂
Carla M
Easy and delicious. Super fluffy and easy to spread without ripping the cupcake up. Highly recommend!
Maria
Perfect!
Mary Anderson
Awesome simple yummy
Jaz
Idk what I did it wrong but mine came out as liquid 🙁
Sam
I’m so sorry to hear this happened, Jaz! Did you make any substitutions or alterations to the recipe? Was your butter really soft?
Chris Errickson
This is great!
Emily
Hi, first I want to say that I love all your recipes, any time I need to make something sweet I always look your website up. I’m making a red velvet cake for my daughter’s birthday and she doesn’t like cream cheese frosting, so I was planning on using your buttercream frosting, can you tell me what the difference is between the buttercream frosting recipe and this vanilla frosting recipe?
Sam
Thank you so much, Emily! I’m so glad you’ve enjoyed everything so much! The differences are subtle, but the vanilla frosting is a little softer and creamier, while the buttercream is a little more firm. The vanilla frosting is technically a buttercream frosting. 🙂
Binuri
Hey, what can I do if I don’t have heavy cream. Can’t seem to find any in my country. Is there any substitute I could use? Or a different recipe? I want to add colouring to my frosting do I guess the chocolate frosting won’t work.
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
Hi Binuri! Milk will work here as well. You will just need a bit less 🙂
S
Best vanilla frosting recipe! I was wondering how much liquid or gel food color can I add to this recipe?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
We’re so happy you like it! We always start with less and just stir in the coloring and add as needed. Gel food coloring can go a along way, so that’s our preference 🙂
S
Hi! I made this frosting again for a birthday party and used the gel food colour and it worked! I didn’t have enough powdered sugar I was only able to add 2.5 cups of powdered sugar will it still be okay even if I was .5 cup short?
Emily @ Sugar Spun Run
It might be a little softer, but otherwise it should be just as tasty 😊