Simple, creamy, and ridiculously delicious, buttercream is what our sweet dreams are made of. This buttercream whips up super fluffy super quickly, and is literally the icing on the cake of any homemade treat. It’s made with simple, real ingredients, like butter and vanilla, and it’s ready in a handful of minutes. It’s time to stop buying frosting in a can and learn how to whip up your own!

Why You’ll Love It

It’s made with real butter. As the name indicates, the bulk of what makes up a batch of buttercream is—you guessed it—butter! While you’ll probably come across some buttercream recipes that call for some shortening in the mix, the flavor and texture of pure butter is incomparable.
You can use it on everything. While some of us find no problem in eating it by the spoonful, buttercream is usually part of a bigger recipe. Swirl it sky-high atop a cupcake, or fill and frost a layer cake with it. You can also spread it on sugar cookies, use it to frost brownies, or sandwich between shortbread!

Key Ingredients in Buttercream

Unsalted butter: Be sure to use a good-quality butter—one that tastes good on its own and has high fat content. Also, use unsalted butter for making buttercream; otherwise your frosting might end up tasting salty!
Powdered sugar: Unlike most other buttercream recipes (including those that start with a meringue base), this basic buttercream uses powdered sugar instead of granulated sugar. Since there is no heat added nor cooking required, powdered sugar melts and incorporates better than granulated sugar. Be sure to sift the sugar after measuring.
Vanilla extract: To keep things from tasting too buttery or sugary, add vanilla! We are talking about real vanilla here. You only need to use a little, so be sure to go for the good stuff. Want to take it up a notch? Try vanilla bean paste!
Heavy cream or milk: You only need 1 to 2 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk for a perfectly creamy texture.

Helpful Tips

Avoid shortening. Although adding shortening makes buttercream a bit more stable (smoother for piping and helps it stand up to heat better), it doesn’t have the same buttery taste (no matter how much butter extract flavor you add) and can leave an unsatisfactory film in your mouth.
Soften the butter. Basic buttercream starts with softened butter, but what does that mean exactly? Softened butter should be malleable without being melted or appearing greasy. If you press your fingertip into the butter, the impression should hold its shape. In most kitchens, it takes butter about 30 to 60 minutes to soften at room temperature. If you need to speed things up, unwrap the butter and cut it into smaller pieces!
Sift the powdered sugar. Be sure to sift the powdered sugar to prevent clumps from forming in the buttercream.
Only add in cream and extra powdered sugar until the desired thickness is achieved. If the buttercream seems too runny, try adding in all of the sugar or chilling the mixing bowl (and its contents) in the fridge for a bit, as the butter just might be too soft.

Buttercream

Makes about 2 1/2 cups

1 cup unsalted butter, softened
3 1/2 to 4 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 to 2 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

1. In the bowl of an electric mixer with a paddle attachment, beat 1 cup softened unsalted butter on medium speed for a couple minutes, or until smooth.

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