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.
Very easy to watch
Ahhhhhmazing frosting. Good god. This is gonna be a go to from here on out. Used these for ya’lls gob/whoopi pie recipe. Amazing.
Excellent recipes, thank you. What is the syrup i see people putting on their cakes? And how do you make it?
Hi Sharon! So glad to hear that you enjoyed this buttercream! Some bakers use a simple syrup; a sugar/water syrup, sometimes left plain and sometimes flavored. If your cake is moist and full of great flavor, we don’t typically see the need to add a syrup – but there’s lots of info out there on this if you want to experiment! 🙂
I’m new to the baking world! I was wondering when I make your sugar cookies and use this icing on them will I need to refrigerate the iced cookies? Or will they be okay to be out?
Hi Kelsey! Welcome to the wonderful world of baking!! 🙂 Tessa talks about this in the tips section, above the recipe. I recommend reading through all her tips there to learn everything about this fantastic frosting. Happy baking!
My only goal today was to make buttercream frosting from scratch. And the crowd roared!!!!
Thanks for the wonderful recipe. Quick and easy, even for a novice like myself.
I have baked and decorated cakes (by request) for family and friends for over 45 years. That’s a lot of buttercream of all sorts. On my most recent cake, I used Tessa’s best buttercream recipe and the crowd went wild. Family and friends said it’s the best frosting I’ve ever made. Its the only recipe I’ll use from now on. Thanks Tessa
I absolutely love this recipe! But always have to double it in order to frost an entire cake (2 9 inch cakes stacked)
So I wanted to make the Nutella version, but I spaced and just made the regular recipe with3 cups of confectioner’s sugar (It’s been a long day!). Can I still add the Nutella at this point? Should I add anything else?
I used this buttercream with a texas sheet cake. the family declared it the best oreo cake! Better than oreos!
Can this recipe be used for piping decorations on your cut-out sugar cookie recipe?
Hi Karen! Yes, this buttercream will be delicious on Tessa’s sugar cookies, but it might not fully set as it’s not designed to completely dry like regular cookie icing. The icing recipe Tessa includes with her cut out cookie recipe will dry and harden, so you can stack the cookies and easily transport them. If you’re not worried about any of that, and just want a deliciously decadent, yummy frosting instead, then you can absolutely use this buttercream recipe instead. I hope that helps! Happy baking 🙂
I had a question, wanted to try this vanilla buttercream frosting with your incredible chocolate cake, have only made the cake with your amazing chocolate frosting. Do I need to increase the amount of frosting to do a 2 layer 9” cake. Best tip I ever received on Buttercream was organic confectioner sugar, a real difference maker.Thankyou…
Hi Jerry! So glad to hear that the organic powdered sugar has been such a great tip for you! Just to be safe and make sure you have plenty of frosting to both fill and ice your cake with, I would recommend doubling this buttercream recipe. If you have a little leftover, you can always use this to pipe a border or some pretty rosettes or decorate however you’d like 🙂 Happy baking!
read your directions; when do you add the cocoa?
Hi Marc! You can just add the cocoa powder to the powdered sugar 🙂