Best vanilla buttercream frosting recipe

Classic vanilla buttercream frosting recipe, a smooth and so sweet cream, America's favorite frosting to decorate cupcakes and birthday cakes.

A super easy and quick recipe with only 2 ingredients to make this super stable icing and therefore perfect for coverred sugarpast cakes.

Surely you've heard of this classic vanilla buttercream frosting recipe? Used by America's top cakes bloggers to garnish and decorate their cupcakes and layer cakes ?

And yes it is the basic American Buttercream, a super easy, super smooth, super creamy frosting recipe with a smooth and soft texture.

What is the Buttercream

Vanilla Buttercream, the favorite recipe in the U.S., is found in topping cupcakes, in filling a layer cake, on cakes, in short it is used everywhere in pastry. 

Among all the butter creams that exist, such as meringue, SMBC or IMBCS, French meringue buttercream is really the easiest to make! 

Indeed, composed of only 2 ingredients, soft butter and confectioners sugar, which makes it a "cool" recipe for a super creamy, smooth and sweet icing.

Why choose Vanilla Buttercream

• The easiest, fastest and most foolproof frosting!
• It is stable at room temperature! So perfect as a design cake, no fragile ingredients and can remain at room temperature without health risks.
• It keeps its shape for a long time! For decorated cookies, cupcake toppings and other decorations.
• Smooth texture! Great icing to smooth a layer cake.
• Perfect for piping the cupcakes and cookies.

Useful tools for buttercream frosting

• A stand mixer, for the power of the whisk and to cream and blanch the butter well.
• An electric mixer, preferably use always a stand mixer but for smaller quantities the electric mixer will do.
• A soft spatula, to smooth the cream and remove air bubbles incorporated during mixing. 

Ingredients notes

• Unsalted butter, softened at room temperature, the more butter is beaten the less yellow your buttercream will be.
• Sifted confectioners sugar, especially no powdered sugar to have a super smooth and soft cream in the mouth.
• Liquid cream, whole and cold to loosen the icing a little and give it more smoothness.
• Pure vanilla extract is the base to flavor this classic vanilla buttercream frosting recipe.
• Pinch of salt, a small pinch always to raise the taste of the buttercream.

How to make Classic vanilla Buttercream

1. Beat the butter into an ointment, whip the butter in the bowl of the electric mixer or your stand mixer until the butter whitens and is creamy and smooth.
2. Add the confectioners sugar, sifted by lowering the speed of the stand mixer and then continue mixing at high speed until it is completely incorporated into the butter.
3. Add the liquid cream, vanilla and salt, continue to mix at high speed until super creamy and smooth.
4. Finish by mixing with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer or a with a soft spatula to evacuate the air bubbles incorporated during the mixing of the buttercream.

How to store Buttercream

The advantage of this buttercream is that it can be kept for a very long time in the refrigerator, up to 1 month and more than 3 months in the freezer.

Tips for a successful buttercream 

• Use unsalted butter, softened at room temperature.
• Beat the butter at high speed for at least 5 minutes until the butter doubles in volume and whitens.
• Sift the powdered sugar before adding it to the beaten butter.
• Use cold, 30% full-fat liquid cream.
• Don't forget to add the vanilla flavor and the pinch of salt in the recipe.
• Finish mixing with paddle patchmen of the stand mixer or a soft spatula to evacuate a maximum of air bubbles.

FAQS about Buttercream frosting

Can I color the butter cream?

Yes, simply by adding gel food coloring during preparation of this vanilla buttercream frosting.

Can I flavor buttercream?

Yes, and just by adding to your buttercream recipe :

• Food flavorings
• Fruit purée
• Unsweetened cocoa powder or melted pastry chocolate
• Mixed cookies, oreo, speculoos, cookies
• Chocolate Chips
• Lemon or orange juice

On the other hand, in order not to change the texture of the cream, go gradually and count about 30-50 g for the quantities indicated below in the recipe.

My buttercream is full of air bubbles.

When whipping the buttercream, air is incorporated into it, which gives it a less smooth texture with small air bubbles painted over it. And to give it back its smoother texture, finish the preparation by mixing the buttercream with the flat spatula for a few minutes.

And before using it, you can also smooth it with a soft spatula by spreading it over the edges of the vat.

Alternative icing recipe to buttercream

If you are reluctant to use this cream, which is a rather greasy and sweet cream, then here are other glazes:

• Mascarpone whipped cream frosting
• Swiss Meringue Butter Cream icing
  
• Italian meringue buttercream recipe
  
• The cake cover ganache recipe
  
• Dark chocolate ganache recipe