Tessa's Recipe Rundown
TASTE: Perfect level of sweetness without being cloyingly sweet.
TEXTURE: I love how creamy this frosting is! It has a velvety, silky texture that can’t be beat.
EASE: Super easy. This frosting comes together in just a few minutes.
WHY YOU’LL LOVE THIS RECIPE: With so many customization options, your cakes and cupcakes are about to be more delicious than ever.
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This is my go-to best buttercream recipe for layer cakes and cupcakes: smooth, creamy, and easy to pipe without being overly sweet or gritty.
It’s a classic American buttercream frosting recipe made with simple ingredients, a carefully balanced ratio, and kitchen tested troubleshooting tips so it works every single time.
American buttercream gets a bad reputation for being too cloying or hard to pipe. But that’s usually a ratio or technique problem.
After testing multiple batches with different butters, brands of sugar, and mixing methods, my version consistently produces a smooth, pipeable frosting that tastes balanced instead of sugary.
Reader Love
Made this buttercream for my niece’s fifth birthday–it was perfect. Tripled it and was able to frost 50 cupcakes! Didn’t realize how important sifting the powdered sugar was–texture was so smooth! Definitely my go-to recipe!
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Sprinkle of Science
Buttercream Types: Which One Should You Use?
Before diving in, it helps to know not all buttercream is the same.
- American Buttercream (this recipe): Made with butter and powdered sugar. Sweet, quick, and sturdy. Best for beginners and decorative piping.
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream: Egg whites + sugar cooked and whipped, then butter added. Silky and less sweet, but more technical.
- Italian Buttercream: Hot sugar syrup whipped into egg whites, then butter. Very stable, great for warm conditions.
- French Buttercream: Uses egg yolks for richness. Softer and custard-like.
- Cream Cheese Frosting: Not exactly a buttercream, but made of rich dairy product and sugar all the same.
If you want the easiest, fastest option, American buttercream is the best place to start.
Ingredient Notes
There’s only a handful of ingredients, so each one matters!
Powdered sugar: Also called confectioners’ sugar. For the smoothest texture, choose an organic powdered sugar with tapioca starch instead of cornstarch, which can add a gritty texture. Sifting is essential for a smooth texture!
Unsalted butter: Use butter that’s cool but pliable (about 67°F). Too warm = greasy frosting; too cold = dense instead of fluffy. If using salted butter, cut the salt in the recipe in half.
Salt: Don’t skip! It balances flavor.
Vanilla extract: Use real vanilla for the best flavor. For an upgrade, try using vanilla bean paste!
Heavy cream or milk: Cream creates a richer mouthfeel, while milk makes a slightly lighter frosting. Either will help smooth out the buttercream for easier spreadability.
How to Make the Best Buttercream (Step-by-Step)
- Cream the butter. Beat the butter on medium speed with the paddle attachment (not the whisk — that’ll create more air bubbles!) until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. It should look pale and spreadable, not shiny or greasy.
- Add the powdered sugar gradually. Add the sugar on low speed in batches to prevent is from making a mess.
- Adjust the consistency. Add cream or milk a tablespoon at a time until the frosting is smooth and pipeable. The frosting should form soft peaks that hold their shape.
- Flavor and finish. Add vanilla and salt, then beat on low to medium speed until fluffy.
Storage & Make Ahead
Room temperature:
Buttercream can sit out safely for up to a day, if your kitchen is cold.
Refrigerator:
Store in an airtight container for up to 1 week. Bring to room temperature and re-whip before using.
Freezer:
Freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then beat until smooth.
Flavor Variations
You may need to adjust the powdered sugar ratio depending on your flavor preferences and adjust the cream ratio depending on your texture preferences.
- Chocolate: Add 1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder.
- Strawberry: Add 1/3 cup seedless strawberry preserves and a few drops of red food coloring.
- Raspberry: Add 1/3 cup seedless raspberry preserves and a few drops of red food coloring.
- Mocha: Add 1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder and 2 teaspoons instant espresso powder.
- Chocolate Malt: Add 1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder, 1/2 cup malted milk powder, and use 1/4 cup milk, plus more if needed.
- Peanut Butter: Add 1 cup creamy peanut butter and reduce the powdered sugar to 2 1/2 cups.
- Irish Cream Buttercream: Use Bailey’s Irish Cream instead of cream.
- Kahlua: Add 1/2 cup sifted unsweetened cocoa powder and 1/2 cup Kahlua in place of the cream.
- Mint: Add 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract and a few drops of green food coloring.
- Nutella: Add 2/3 cup Nutella and reduce powdered sugar to 2 cups.
- Lemon (or any other citrus): Add 2 tablespoons lemon zest and 3 tablespoons lemon juice and increase powdered sugar to 3 1/2 cups.
- Pumpkin: Add 1/2 cup pure pumpkin puree and 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice, remove cream.
- Salted Caramel: Add 1/3 cup caramel sauce, remove cream, and increase salt to 1 teaspoon (if your caramel sauce isn’t salted).
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Ingredients
- 3 cups (375 grams) powdered sugar, sifted
- 2 sticks (227 grams) unsalted butter, at a cool room temperature
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy or whipping cream
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add the sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase the speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
- Add the salt, vanilla, and cream and beat on medium speed for 1 minute, adding more cream if needed.
STORAGE:
- Transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature and re-whip in the stand mixer until light and fluffy again. Add a tablespoon or 2 of powdered sugar if it needs to thicken.
Notes
More Recipes You’ll Love:
This post was published in 2021 and updated in 2023 with new photos and recipe improvements. Photos by Joanie Simon.
Just a couple of comments…
One, powdered sugar is ground very fine and is mixed with cornstarch, so is not as sweet as regular sugar, and if you sift it, getting rid of the lumps, it will be more aerated. I’ve never really seen a recipe that wasn’t 3 cups or more!
Two: If you frost cupcakes in the morning and cover them, they will not crust over, so you can sprinkle or decorate any way you want. I make small piping bags in different colors so the kids can squeeze out designs on top, then different sprinkles in party theme colors, mini chips, and mini m&m’s go on top. Kids love to squeeze frosting!
Three: For cream cheese icing, substitute 8 oz. cream cheese and one stick of butter (room temperature on both) and add 3-1/2 cups confectioners sugar and 1-2 tsps. vanilla. Leave out the cream.
THE BEST!!!! Usually I use 2:1 ratio (powdered sugar and butter) and u would taste the grittiness which wasn’t nice. This however is so creamy, fluffy, delicious and can’t fault it. Best ever!
Quick question!… Can the regular buttercream be made ahead and then stored in the fridge and then the variations be added when ready to use? I know you said it can be stored for up to a week in the fridge but was curious if I could add the variations after storage and remix!
I don’t see why not! Just bring back to room temp and use an electric mixer to add your flavorings 🙂
Can’t wait to try these different variations out. I have recently began baking and decorating cakes and cupcakes and have found that after 38 years on this earth, I have a great deal of passion and talent for it that I never knew existed! This will help me out tremendously when searching for new things to try! Thank you so much for sharing! God bless!!
Hi Tessa, 2 questions, if making a cake ahead to take somewhere, how long would the Swiss meringue buttercream be ok on the cake in fridge? (Not covered) I know I can’t freeze once on cake.Also I tried flavouring some with passion fruit pulp, it just seemed runny. Any ideas on this?
I would say 1 day. Then the quality may start to lessen. As for flavorings, if it seems runny you can always add more sugar. However, then you may not enjoy the level of sweetness. You may have better luck using jam, preserves, or jelly.
It tastes and looks so good! I made it today, just because I really wanted icing… whoops! I had to make more for a couple of my cupcakes, and not just my stomach! Thanks for this so much!
Hi Tessa —
I used this buttercream tonight for my son’s christening cake, and it is wonderful. I actually made two batches. The first one frosted the 13″ x 9″ cake, and the second was tinted two shades of blue for decoration. I had extra blue buttercream (both shades), and so far, I have it stored in the refrigerator. It is so easy to make and delicious. It is quite sweet, so I added an extra 1/8 teaspoon of salt to offset the sweetness. This is definitely going to be my go-to frosting recipe when it comes to decorating. I love the versatility, too, with the different flavor variations. I’m looking forward to experimenting with it in the future.
So happy to hear that, Sherri! Thanks for letting me know 🙂
Hi Tessa!!
This looks amazing!! I’m planning to use this recipe on a lemon rosette cake and flavor the buttercream with key lime, what I want to know is, how much buttercream will I need to frost and pipe rosettes for a 3.5- 4 inch high cake?
Thanks so much, keep up the great work!
Looking forward for your response 😀
Hi Christina, I’m not entirely sure! When I’m working on a decorative cake like that I usually just double the recipe. This gives me room to experiment and have fun without worrying about being stingy. You can always freeze the rest 🙂
This looks and sounds amazing! I look forward to trying it! Thanks for sharing. ☺️
Hi, Tessa, I love your video on making buttercream. According to your instructions, to frost an 8″ cake the recipe needs to be doubled. However, this is my question. When it comes to making “other” flavors, do I also double the amounts listed on your recipe? For example, your recipe to make peanut butter buttercream said to add (1) C of peanut butter and reduce the powdered sugar to 2 1/2 C – if I make a batch for an 8″ cake, do I increase the peanut butter to (2) cups? That sounds like a lot of peanut butter so I just want to make sure. Many thanks! Looking forward to your response.
Yep, that would be right! You might be able to get away with using less frosting, but in my experience the more frosting you have the more beautiful the cake will turn out 🙂 And feel free to play around with the amount of peanut butter. I prefer my frostings to be more intensely flavored, but you might prefer less.
Hi!!! Just came to your page since your recipe for buttercream seems to be the easiest one in the Internet – I am a total newbie, it’s gonna be my first time making it!
I saw in some pages that it can be added some food colorant in order to obtain colourful buttercream, but I don’t know how it would affect the consistency, neither I know how much colorant I should add to it or if it would require any modification of the recipe.
I would be extremely thankful if you could help me with this.
Best wishes from Spain!!!
Hi Lucia! The food coloring will completely depend on the type you use: liquid, gel, or paste. The more liquid the food coloring is, the less cream you should add to your buttercream. I like high quality gel food colorings because a little goes a long way, and they won’t interfere too much with the texture of the frosting. Start with a few drops then add more until you get your desired color. If you end up adding so much coloring that it thins the frosting, simply add a few more tablespoons of powdered sugar until it’s the right consistency 🙂
What the best brand of confectioners sugar and butter? Because no matter what kind I use, I still think it tastes bad! It could be the recipes I’ve been using but I was just wondering if maybe the brands I’m using were the issue!
What about the taste don’t you like?