Buttercream frosting is a perfect choice for icing for your favorite baked goodies. Depending on the occasion like a birthday party, Valentine's Day, Christmas, or the holidays, I like to add food coloring to make it memorable for the event.
This is an easy vanilla buttercream frosting recipe for decorating cakes, cookies, and cupcakes using piping bags.
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Ingredients
Only a handful of pantry ingredients are needed to make buttercream frosting at home. Unsalted butter, powdered sugar, salt, heavy cream, and vanilla extract are all you will need.
Butter should be between room temperature and fridge temperature. It should not be too soft or too stiff but you should be able to cut it without much effort. You can keep it out of the fridge for 2-3 hours and then it should be ready to use.
I recommend using store-bought powdered sugar which contains cornstarch. If you use homemade powdered sugar it will be much sweeter as there is no cornstarch in it. Icing sugar makes the icing stiff and you have to add more or less depending on the desired consistency.
Instructions
Put the butter into the stand mixer bowl. Using the flat beater attachment, beat it until it is smooth and slightly fluffy. This can take about 2-3 minutes.
Add the vanilla extract, salt, and half of the icing sugar and beat it on medium-high speed until all the sugar is well mixed. Add the remaining sugar and beat for about 5 minutes.
Step 1: Beat the butter until smooth, then add vanilla extract, salt, and powdered sugar.
Step 2: Continue beating all the ingredients using the flat beater attachment.
Add some heavy cream to adjust the consistency and make it more smooth. Continue beating it at medium-high speed for another 5 minutes until the frosting is light, fluffy, has a gloss, and is of the desired consistency. Scrape the sides of the bowl as needed to ensure a good mix.
At this point add any food color and mix well. Fill the piping bags and apply it on cupcakes or decorate cakes and cookies.
Step 3: Continue beating until the frosting is light, smooth, and fluffy.
Step 4: Add food color, mix well, and then decorate using a piping bag.
Substitutions
Instead of unsalted butter, salted butter can be used and there is no need to add any more salt to the recipe.
Variations
I like to use the vanilla buttercream frosting as is most of the time but sometimes I like to use food color.
Equipment
I have used the KitchenAid bowl lift stand mixer to make the frosting. A hand mixer or hand blender with a wire attachment works well too.
Storage
Buttercream frosting can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for about a week.
Top tip
- The butter must be a little firm and not too soft.
- Keep scraping the sides of the bowl every few minutes while beating the butter and sugar mixture.
- Add heavy cream to adjust the consistency of the frosting.
- If using food color, divide the frosting into portions and then add desired food colors to each of the portions.
FAQ
How do you fix too runny buttercream frosting?
If you have a runny or a soupy buttercream frosting add a little powdered sugar, about a tablespoon, at a time, and then beat the frosting until you get the desired consistency.
Related
Looking for other recipes like this? Try these:
Pairing
These are my favorite recipes for using buttercream frosting:
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📖 Recipe
Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Equipment
- Stand Mixer (or hand mixer)
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter (unsalted, room temperature)
- 4 cup Powdered sugar (1 lb)
- 3 tablespoon Heavy Cream (chilled)
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- Food color (optional, as per choice)
Instructions
- Put the butter into the stand mixer bowl.
- Whip the butter in the stand mixer using the wire attachment starting from low (2) to medium speed(5-6) for about 2-3 minutes until it becomes fluffy.
- Add 2 cups powdered sugar, salt, and vanilla extract.
- Continue whisking for about a minute until the sugar is well mixed.
- Add the remaining sugar and continue beating the mixture for about 3 minutes until it is light and fluffy.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula.
- Add the heavy cream to get the desired consistency and continue beating for about 5-7 minutes until it is light, fluffy, and smooth.
- Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula intermittently as needed.
Adding food color
- Divide the buttercream frosting into portions.
- Add different food colors as desired and mix well.
- Buttercream frosting is ready to be filled in piping bags and decorating cakes and cupcakes.
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