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Buttercream Frosting piped onto vanilla cupcakes and left to cool on a cooling rack.

Quick and Easy Homemade Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream is a beautiful frosting that is perfect for cakes, cupcakes and sugar cookies. This specific recipe is so simple to make and I’m going to walk you through all of the steps to make sure that, even if this is your first time making buttercream, it turns out perfectly.
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Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 0 minutes
Total Time: 10 minutes
Servings: 4 cups
Calories: 804kcal
Author: Alexandria Ulmer

Equipment

  • Large Mixing Bowl
  • Electric Hand Mixer or Stand Mixer with the whisk attachment

Ingredients

  • 1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
  • ⅛ tsp salt

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth.
  • Beat in the powdered sugar on low speed 1 cup at a time until combined.
  • Add the vanilla extract, heavy cream, and salt then beat until light and fluffy.
  • Spread or pipe the frosting onto the completely cooled cupcakes and decorate with sprinkles if desired.

Notes

Recipe copyright The Domestic Spoon. For educational or personal use only. 
  1. Unsalted butter: Softened to room temperature. Using unsalted butter gives you more control over the saltiness of the buttercream
  2. Powdered Sugar: Also called confectioner’s sugar or icing sugar. 
  3. Vanilla Extract: Normal vanilla extract works just fine but if you want a truly white frosting look for clear vanilla
  4. Heavy Whipping Cream: In a pinch you can use milk or half and half, but I really recommend heavy whipping cream so that your Quick and Easy Buttercream Recipe is as stable and fluffy as possible.
  5. Salt: You only need a pinch, but this cuts down on the sweetness in the recipe and makes the buttercream more enjoyable! If your buttercream is too sweet for you at the end, add a bit more salt!
  6. To ensure you don’t get any lumps in your frosting, I recommend sifting your powdered sugar. Some brands of powdered sugar will clump more than others and any lumps can cause big problems if you are trying to pipe the frosting through a piping tip.
  7. Whip the butter for a good 1-2 minutes at medium-high speed until it has a very even consistency and no lumps.
  8. Scrape the sides of the bowl often with a rubber spatula so you reach every edge. Start your mixer on a low speed and slowly build up more speed over time, stopping to scrape often to ensure everything gets mixed together well. 
  9. This recipe is for a very basic buttercream but it can easily be dressed up with different syrups, citrus zest or chocolate. If you do decide to add something, you may need to adjust the amount of powdered sugar you use and be aware of how any lumps might affect the use.
  10. Buttercream can be stored easily, but it’s a good idea to bring it back to room temperature and whip it up one more time before spreading and serving.
  11. Adjust as you go. If you feel like your frosting is too dry, add a teaspoon more heavy cream. If it is too thin, try refrigerating it for a half hour and then slowly add a tablespoon more of powdered sugar until you reach the right consistency.

Nutrition

Serving: 1cup | Calories: 804kcal | Carbohydrates: 90g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 51g | Saturated Fat: 32g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 13g | Trans Fat: 2g | Cholesterol: 136mg | Sodium: 83mg | Potassium: 25mg | Sugar: 88g | Vitamin A: 1588IU | Vitamin C: 0.04mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.1mg
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