This Simple Vanilla Buttercream is our family’s classic buttercream recipe. This melt-in-your-mouth buttercream is the perfect cupcakes topper!
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Simple Vanilla Buttercream
Today I have for you a very simple recipe.
As I’ve told you before, I’m a little picky about the sweetness of my desserts. I’m especially picky about my frostings. In fact, I used to split a cupcake with my sister. She’d get the frosting, I’d get the cupcake. My perfect frosting can’t be chunky or bumpy. It has to be smooth. It can’t be too sweet, and I usually like it flavored with peanut butter or chocolate.
In fact, in the past, I would just put whip cream on my cakes, but that was before I started baking and discovered the peanut butter frosting, chocolate buttercream, and now, the Simply Vanilla Buttercream.
One of the tricks to making this frosting is to whip the butter all by itself. You’ll whip the butter in a stand mixer bowl on medium speed until it gets almost white in color. From there, this recipe is just your standard icing recipe: butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk.
Perfectly simple and simply sweet.
Frosting cupcakes can be so much fun. Before I started baking and blogging, we’d just put frosting on with a knife. That’s good enough, but now we like to pull out the decorating bags and tips and make pretty swirls. Let me share with you how to do this, so you can have cupcakes fit for a picture!
First, you’re going to get Wilton tip 1M and a decorating bag. Put the tip inside the decorating bag. I love the fact that there’s no need to use a coupler! After you’ve filled the bag about half full of frosting, hold the bag straight up from the center top of the cupcake at a 90 degree angle, about 1/2 an inch away from the cupcake. Squeeze out icing to make a star. Without releasing your pressure on the bag, swirl the frosting to the outside edge of the cupcake, then pile up as much icing as you want by swirling around and around, making each swirl just inside the edge of the previous swirl. Release the pressure and pull up and away to end your swirl at the center of the cupcake.
Not so hard, huh? Once you get the hang of it, it’s really easy.
Simple Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup salted butter softened
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
- 4 cups powdered sugar
- 3-4 tablespoons milk*
Instructions
- In a stand mixer bowl, with the mixer on medium speed, whip the butter for 2 minutes until it is almost white in color. Add in the powdered sugar, vanilla and 3 tablespoons milk. Beat on low speed for 3-5 minutes, adding in the last tablespoon of milk if the buttercream needs to be thinner.
L says
This looks great! About how many cupcakes does it frost?
Lizzy T says
It really depends on how much you like to pile on the frosting. If you are putting a thin layer of frosting on, this will cover about 18 cupcakes. If you’re are piping it on in pretty swirl, it will do 8-10.
Anonymous says
About 12
Kelly says
how far ahead of time can you make this icing? I was thinking of making it the day before, would it hold up in the fridge? thanks!
Lizzy T says
I think it would be OK. It may needed “fluffed” right before you use it. You could put it back into the mixer to fluff it a bit if needed.
Yuliana says
Can I substitute unsalted butter for the salted? Would I need to add salt then? Thanks 🙂
Julie Clark says
Yes, you can…and I would add a dash of salt. This just helps to counter the sweetness of the frosting. It’s really a matter of taste!
Kayla says
When I made this, it came out lumpy and was acting like it wanted to separate. Any tips on how you got it to come out smooth.
Julie Clark says
Hmmmm…did you use real butter? How long did you mix it? It is possible that it mixed too long and started to curdle? Which could have to do with the exact ingredients. I’ll head to take a look at the recipe and see any clarifications that I need to make.
Dawn says
Yummmmmmmmmmmyyyyyyyy! Can you share the recipe for the cupcakes? They look divine! 🙂
Julie Clark says
This is our favorite white cupcake recipe: http://www.recipegirl.com/2007/03/16/white-wedding-cake-cupcakes/ It gets rave reviews every time!
Erin Bienstock says
How much frosting does it make?
Julie Clark says
It makes 2-3 cups.
Anonymous says
Made this…I think that I’d use unsalted butter next time.
Genavee says
i’m making this right now, and it’s very thin. what can i do to fix it. i added extra milk too.
Julie Clark says
If it is very thin, you need to add less milk and more powdered sugar. Add in powdered sugar until it is the thickness you’d like. It will change the flavor of the buttercream though.
Carol says
Can I cut the Buttercream Frosting recipe in half for few cookies?
Julie Clark says
yes!
Carol says
The cookies were delicious….I think I will add the almond extract next time
Frosted with Buttercream ….yummy!
Is there a Chocolate Buttercream frosting that is as good as the vanilla version?