The best Vanilla Buttercream you will ever make! Four simple ingredients are all you need to make this classic American buttercream recipe.
I made my own birthday cake. I think this is pretty standard for bakers, and I’m totally ok with it. I was actually not going to make a cake at all, since I was knee-deep in Pastry School at the time, but my husband insisted that we needed one, even if that meant buying one from the grocery store.
This is harder and harder for me to do these days. Buying a grocery store birthday cake used to be a thing (I know they are gross to some, but I love the sickly sweetness – I’m sorry!). These days I know I can (and have) made better, so I can’t bring myself to buy them.
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It helped that I still had a couple cake layers in the freezer from when I baked them for my Flat Top Cakes post. The recipe I used there was my Almost Scratch Cake. It is such a simple and delicious recipe and goes perfectly with this easy vanilla buttercream recipe.
So with the cake layers already done, all I had to do was defrost them, make the frosting, and decorate. I decided to go for an American Buttercream for ease.
What is American Buttercream Frosting?
I’ve actually had a hard time nailing down a good, simple vanilla buttercream recipe – what some would call American Buttercream – that uses mainly butter and powdered sugar.
I usually make Swiss meringue buttercream, which I love but takes a bit more effort, and I was most certainly looking for something with very little effort.
The BEST vanilla frosting I’d ever had was on my wedding cake, a cake we commissioned from Gannon’s, the restaurant we had our reception at. We didn’t do any tastings or see any samples, we just sent them a picture of what we wanted it to look like and chose our flavors.
This cake was unbelievable, the buttercream so smooth and delicious. We had a ton of leftovers, which we happily took back to our condo and devoured over the next few days.
I’d mentioned multiple times to Ryan that I wondered how they made it. I assumed it was a meringue-based one because it was so silky smooth, but it was less buttery than ones I’d made before. Powdered sugar-based buttercreams always feel so gritty… so it couldn’t be that.
Unbeknownst to me, Ryan had emailed Gannon’s and asked them for the recipe. He should probably get some kind of award, right?! I would never do this. I honestly did not think they would divulge their secrets, but they sent over a recipe!
How to make American Buttercream
This American buttercream consists of four simple ingredients — butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and cream. But there are a few key things you can do to make sure your buttercream is nice and smooth with as little grit as possible.
The first step is to really whip the butter on its own, before adding any powdered sugar.
Sift your powdered sugar! This is a bit of a pain, but really helps to break out those clumps
Add your powdered sugar slowly — 1/2 cup to 1 cup at a time to the buttercream and whip well in between additions.
Once all the sugar is added, give it a good whip for at least 3 mins, more if needed.
Add only as much cream as needed to reach the consistency that you want and whip some more until completely smooth.
Frosting Tip!
Help ensure a super smooth American buttercream by sifting that powdered sugar first to get rid of any clumps!
Now, I’m not convinced this is the exact same vanilla buttercream that was on our cake (it still felt a little gritty when I made it, not as gritty as others before), but it was delicious. I am super happy with the end result and will definitely be making this buttercream again!
How to make a rosette cake
For the decorating, I wanted to try something new (to me) and a rosette cake. I’ve seen this done before and it looked amazing, so I wanted to give it a try.
I had done rosettes before, but usually just as decoration on top of the cakes or on cupcakes, not something that would cover the whole cake. I could have winged it, but I’m glad I checked out a couple of video tutorials first. I wouldn’t have thought to offset each row of roses to fill in the gaps.
I stacked and iced the cakes and did a crumb coat layer on the outside – thicker than just a crumb coat, but not too thick, as the rosettes would add a lot of icing already.
For this rosette cake, I started at the bottom and worked my way around, then the next layer, then the top.
All in all, the rosette part was really easy and probably took less than 10mins. I’m surprised at how easy it was, really. It’s a simple way to decorate your cakes and make them look stunning!
This particular vanilla buttercream is a bit less sweet than most you’ll find. I don’t like mine super-sweet, so I just added less powdered sugar. You can adjust this to your liking though — just use more/less if you prefer, but be sure to adjust the cream as needed!
If you’re looking for an easy and delicious vanilla buttercream recipe, this one is for you!
Frequently Asked Questions
How much buttercream does this recipe make?
This recipe makes enough to frost an 8″ two-layer cake or one three-layer 6″ cake.
It should be enough to frost 18-24 cupcakes depending on how much frosting is used.
The nutritional information and metric conversions are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee the accuracy of this data. If this is important to you, please verify with your favorite nutrition calculator and/or metric conversion tool.
This recipe was originally published on Jan 4th, 2015. It was updated with new content on Jan 12th, 2023.
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I am planning to use this buttercream recipe for my daughter’s upcoming birthday. Would it be ok if I prepare the buttercream frosting in advance, say about 3-4 hours before and have it in a airtight container so just one hour before the party I can start icing the cake..I’ll be also doing a rosette cake 😊
Thank you 😊
Will let you know on how it turned out.
Susanasays
Hi Olivia,
I have another question. Are these measurements only for the rosette piping or is it including the crumb coat as well ? And do I have to double the ingredients if I’m going to be working on a two 9″ layered cake?
The measurements include the amounts needed to fully frost a two-layer 8″ cake as shown. Doubling it for a 9″ cake might be a bit much. I can’t remember if I had a lot of frosting left over.
Mabelsays
Hi Olivia,
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I have been making SMBC all the time and have not ventured into others. May I know in your opinion which taste better? Which one is smoother? Does this buttercream have the greasy taste? Thank you.
Hi Mabel! SMBC is definitely smoother and it still my favourite. This American butterceam is a bit grainy from the powdered sugar, but it does not feel greasy at all. SMBC has more of a buttery taste than this one. I hope that helps!
Thank you so much Olivia. It helped by knowing SMBC is still the best. Will surely try out your other recipes. Thanks again for your generosity in sharing. All the best!
funvicksays
Sorry,i dony get this whipping cream tin, not sure if it is in Nigeria or we know it as sonething else here. Can u explain what it really is pls? Sorry,still a novice, thanks.
Hi Olivia,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m about to make a birthday cake for my husband for the first time. I want to know, how much chocolate powder should I add to make this chocolate buttercream.
Hi Chathurika! I would add about 1 cup of cocoa powder (sifted), but really it’s just to taste so however much you like. You will likely need to add more cream to thin the consistency out. Or you could try my chocolate buttercream recipe here: https://livforcake.com/birthday-cake-recipe/
Jacquiesays
Hey Liv! I have made this cake before and it was delicious. I made the cake again today for my birthday which is today and my parents anniversary. I was born on their 1st anniversary, so it’s always a special day! Love making those rosettes too. Thanks for all your tips and suggestions.
Hello .. my question is , i live in italy and i dont find
A heavy whippi cream like you have in america..
So what can i use ? Is our cream ok for that?
Thene will be the roses hard enough , or will they stay cremy??
I am in need of one that I can use the paper towel technique on for a smooth wedding cake…would this work? I usually use half butter half solid veg oil
Hey, Me again. do you measure the powdered sugar before you sift or after you sift? And can I add food coloring to this icing for piping or do you recommend some other type of icing . Any and all easy (but delicious) tips/ suggestions are so appreciated. You have been so great to respond. i know its hard work. Thanks again, Mae
Hi Mae! I measure before I sift. Really though, you can modify the amount of powdered sugar to your taste. I find this quite a sweet frosting so I often end up using less sugar. You’d want to use less cream though, if you use less sugar. You can add food coloring for sure, but I would use color gel, not liquid food coloring as it will change the consistency too much.
Can I you show me how to make these beautiful buttercream rosettes? What kind of frosting tip did you used? Do you have pictures that showing step by step?
Hi Jessy! I don’t have step-by-step pics, but I used the 1M tip from Wilton. If you google for “Rosette Cake Tutorial” there are a bunch of videos that show you how to do it. That’s how I learned! 🙂
I’m looking for a good buttercream recipe that’s perfect for flowers as well as frosting. Usually mine comes out allotment too whipped and my flowers tend to break at the ends instead of be a smooth petal . Does this recipe work well when making roses and such?
Hi Patrick! I know what you mean about the buttercream breaking when piped. This recipe worked quite well for me with the rosettes as you can see in the pics, but if you want a truly smooth frosting, I would try a meringue based one like the one I have here: https://livforcake.com/vanilla-cake/
Love this cake, it is so pretty! Any idea how many cups of frosting it makes? I am making a 10, 8, and 6 inch wedding cake. Each tier is only 2 layers. And it’s a naked cake…I don’t want tons of extra frosting but not sure how much I will need. Do you think one batch would be enough?
Hi Jamie! I used one full batch to cover this two layer 8″ cake, but a lot of that frosting went into the rosettes. My gut says that one batch will not be enough to cover all 3 tiers, even if they’re naked. You could always start with one batch though and see how far it gets you? 🙂
Hi Olivia,
Does this frosting hold well under fondant. I’m looking to frost two layers and have been looking for a buttercream frosting that will be firm under fondant. Also, can it be left out over night after it’s decorated?
Hi Natasha! Yes, this should work just fine under fondant. I would recommend chilling the frosted cake first to firm it up first though. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out overnight unless it was somewhere quite cool.
I have a wedding to do and 3 separate cakes all with the rosettes. Can I leave the cakes out since I do not have enough refrigerator room and if so how long can they stay out before they taste bad?
Hi Linda! As long as your place is cool, you can leave them out for a bit. I wouldn’t leave the finished cakes out longer than 12 hours or so — not so much for taste, but for appearance. Be sure to cover them in some way if leaving them out. I hope that helps!
I made my graandaugher’s Wedding cake I decorated it the night before the wedding and transported from Smyrna, GA to Alabama. It was in 3 sections We put the finishing touches of live flowers at the church in Pratfille AL. I used Wiltons butter cream iceing which is butter and solid crisco shortening. She sent me a picture and I followed it.
Everyone is still raving over it and the wedding was in November. I baked 2 12″. 2 10″ and 2 6 inch cakes and cut each one in half and make the cake like a torte.
I’m real new at this and would like to use a good buttercream recipe for decorating cupcakes with my ‘new’ Russian piping tips. Will this frosting work ok for the smaller flowers? Also, can I make ahead a few days and keep in the fridge? I have a tea party Saturday and am anxious to get something started food wise. I’ve gone through the comments but couldn’t find this. Thank you!
Hi Leslie! Yes, this frosting is very versatile and should work fine. You can control the consistency by varying the amount of cream, so just put in as much as you need. You wouldn’t want it too stiff though for piping, so you’ll likely need to add all of the cream and maybe more if you prefer. You can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge, but place some plastic wrap directly on the top of the frosting to prevent a “crust” from forming. Bring it to room temperature and rewhip it before use!
Hi Olivia,
Could I use clear vanilla extract to have the buttercream come out more white? Or would I have to substitute shortening for the butter in order for it to look pure white? Also, how does shortening change the taste of it?
Thanks!
Hi Sammy! For a true white frosting you’ll need to use shortening 🙁 You can try whipping the crap out of the butter — it will lighten it, but not a pure white. Shortening will change both the flavour and texture — it tends to feel greasier and won’t taste, well, buttery. You can try going 50/50 shortening/butter (a common substitution), but if you want a true white frosting, the only way to go is with shortening. I hope that helps!
Nice to read all positive comments. I have never ever tried buttercream recipe in my life. And want to prepare baby shower cake with buttercream . Basically I want to make doll cake and thinking of making her dress with pink roses all over. Do you think it will be easy to use this buttercream recipe to make roses? Is it firm enough? What tips would you suggest?
Hi Bhagy! This buttercream will totally work for that! Just control the amount of cream you put in. If you put too much, the frosting will be too soft and harder to pipe. I added all 4 so it *should* be ok, but just keep an eye on the consistency 🙂 Let me know how it turns out! I would use the 1M tip as I used here to make the rosettes.
Hi Olivia! I’ve always been the cake baker/decorator in my family, but my daughter made gluten free cupcakes for me with your buttercream frosting recipe for her daughter’s first birthday party. I was in cake heaven!! This is the recipe I’m using from now on. It is really wonderful! Thank you so much!
Susan says
Hi Olivia,
I am planning to use this buttercream recipe for my daughter’s upcoming birthday. Would it be ok if I prepare the buttercream frosting in advance, say about 3-4 hours before and have it in a airtight container so just one hour before the party I can start icing the cake..I’ll be also doing a rosette cake 😊
Olivia says
Hi Susan! That should be totally fine. Let me know how you like it 🙂
Susana says
Thank you 😊
Will let you know on how it turned out.
Susana says
Hi Olivia,
I have another question. Are these measurements only for the rosette piping or is it including the crumb coat as well ? And do I have to double the ingredients if I’m going to be working on a two 9″ layered cake?
Olivia says
The measurements include the amounts needed to fully frost a two-layer 8″ cake as shown. Doubling it for a 9″ cake might be a bit much. I can’t remember if I had a lot of frosting left over.
Mabel says
Hi Olivia,
Thank you for sharing your recipe. I have been making SMBC all the time and have not ventured into others. May I know in your opinion which taste better? Which one is smoother? Does this buttercream have the greasy taste? Thank you.
Olivia says
Hi Mabel! SMBC is definitely smoother and it still my favourite. This American butterceam is a bit grainy from the powdered sugar, but it does not feel greasy at all. SMBC has more of a buttery taste than this one. I hope that helps!
Mabel says
Thank you so much Olivia. It helped by knowing SMBC is still the best. Will surely try out your other recipes. Thanks again for your generosity in sharing. All the best!
funvick says
Sorry,i dony get this whipping cream tin, not sure if it is in Nigeria or we know it as sonething else here. Can u explain what it really is pls? Sorry,still a novice, thanks.
Olivia says
Hi there! Any kind of heavy cream should work — about 30% fat content.
Betty Davis says
To Funvick…It is the Heavy cream which comes from the top of cows milk.
Chathurika says
Hi Olivia,
Thank you for sharing this recipe. I’m about to make a birthday cake for my husband for the first time. I want to know, how much chocolate powder should I add to make this chocolate buttercream.
Olivia says
Hi Chathurika! I would add about 1 cup of cocoa powder (sifted), but really it’s just to taste so however much you like. You will likely need to add more cream to thin the consistency out. Or you could try my chocolate buttercream recipe here: https://livforcake.com/birthday-cake-recipe/
Jacquie says
Hey Liv! I have made this cake before and it was delicious. I made the cake again today for my birthday which is today and my parents anniversary. I was born on their 1st anniversary, so it’s always a special day! Love making those rosettes too. Thanks for all your tips and suggestions.
Olivia says
Yay! So happy to hear that Jacquie! Happy Belated birthday to you! What a nice day to be born on 🙂
Daniela says
Hello .. my question is , i live in italy and i dont find
A heavy whippi cream like you have in america..
So what can i use ? Is our cream ok for that?
Thene will be the roses hard enough , or will they stay cremy??
Olivia says
Hi Daniela! I think any heavy cream will work. The buttercream roses will dry out a bit on the outside but still be creamy.
Patsy says
I am in need of one that I can use the paper towel technique on for a smooth wedding cake…would this work? I usually use half butter half solid veg oil
Olivia says
Hi Patsy! Sorry for the delayed reply — yes, this recipe works well with the paper towel technique!
Mae W. Gould says
Oops, one more ? What’s the difference between powdered and Confectioners sugar?? Thanks
Olivia says
It’s the same thing 🙂
Mae W. Gould says
Hey, Me again. do you measure the powdered sugar before you sift or after you sift? And can I add food coloring to this icing for piping or do you recommend some other type of icing . Any and all easy (but delicious) tips/ suggestions are so appreciated. You have been so great to respond. i know its hard work. Thanks again, Mae
Olivia says
Hi Mae! I measure before I sift. Really though, you can modify the amount of powdered sugar to your taste. I find this quite a sweet frosting so I often end up using less sugar. You’d want to use less cream though, if you use less sugar. You can add food coloring for sure, but I would use color gel, not liquid food coloring as it will change the consistency too much.
Candice Ray says
Were you able to frost the cake and do all of the rosettes with one batch of buttercream? Thanks.
Olivia says
Hi Candice! Yes, I used one full batch for the cake pictured.
adeline says
how many cupcakes will this frost, need high top icing for troll cupcakes.
Olivia says
Hi Adeline! I’ve never used it on cupcakes, but my guess would be 20-24 depending on how much you used on each.
Erin says
Wow! This is the best buttercream I have ever tasted and it piped incredibly well. Thank you so much for sharing. 🙂
Olivia says
Yay! So glad to hear it worked out for you 🙂
jessy says
Hi Olivia,
Can I you show me how to make these beautiful buttercream rosettes? What kind of frosting tip did you used? Do you have pictures that showing step by step?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Jessy! I don’t have step-by-step pics, but I used the 1M tip from Wilton. If you google for “Rosette Cake Tutorial” there are a bunch of videos that show you how to do it. That’s how I learned! 🙂
Patrick Duggan says
I’m looking for a good buttercream recipe that’s perfect for flowers as well as frosting. Usually mine comes out allotment too whipped and my flowers tend to break at the ends instead of be a smooth petal . Does this recipe work well when making roses and such?
Olivia says
Hi Patrick! I know what you mean about the buttercream breaking when piped. This recipe worked quite well for me with the rosettes as you can see in the pics, but if you want a truly smooth frosting, I would try a meringue based one like the one I have here: https://livforcake.com/vanilla-cake/
Jamie says
Love this cake, it is so pretty! Any idea how many cups of frosting it makes? I am making a 10, 8, and 6 inch wedding cake. Each tier is only 2 layers. And it’s a naked cake…I don’t want tons of extra frosting but not sure how much I will need. Do you think one batch would be enough?
Olivia says
Hi Jamie! I used one full batch to cover this two layer 8″ cake, but a lot of that frosting went into the rosettes. My gut says that one batch will not be enough to cover all 3 tiers, even if they’re naked. You could always start with one batch though and see how far it gets you? 🙂
Natasha says
Hi Olivia,
Does this frosting hold well under fondant. I’m looking to frost two layers and have been looking for a buttercream frosting that will be firm under fondant. Also, can it be left out over night after it’s decorated?
Olivia says
Hi Natasha! Yes, this should work just fine under fondant. I would recommend chilling the frosted cake first to firm it up first though. I wouldn’t recommend leaving it out overnight unless it was somewhere quite cool.
LINDA says
I have a wedding to do and 3 separate cakes all with the rosettes. Can I leave the cakes out since I do not have enough refrigerator room and if so how long can they stay out before they taste bad?
Olivia says
Hi Linda! As long as your place is cool, you can leave them out for a bit. I wouldn’t leave the finished cakes out longer than 12 hours or so — not so much for taste, but for appearance. Be sure to cover them in some way if leaving them out. I hope that helps!
Evelynn Herring says
I made my graandaugher’s Wedding cake I decorated it the night before the wedding and transported from Smyrna, GA to Alabama. It was in 3 sections We put the finishing touches of live flowers at the church in Pratfille AL. I used Wiltons butter cream iceing which is butter and solid crisco shortening. She sent me a picture and I followed it.
Everyone is still raving over it and the wedding was in November. I baked 2 12″. 2 10″ and 2 6 inch cakes and cut each one in half and make the cake like a torte.
Leslie says
I’m real new at this and would like to use a good buttercream recipe for decorating cupcakes with my ‘new’ Russian piping tips. Will this frosting work ok for the smaller flowers? Also, can I make ahead a few days and keep in the fridge? I have a tea party Saturday and am anxious to get something started food wise. I’ve gone through the comments but couldn’t find this. Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Leslie! Yes, this frosting is very versatile and should work fine. You can control the consistency by varying the amount of cream, so just put in as much as you need. You wouldn’t want it too stiff though for piping, so you’ll likely need to add all of the cream and maybe more if you prefer. You can make this in advance and keep it in the fridge, but place some plastic wrap directly on the top of the frosting to prevent a “crust” from forming. Bring it to room temperature and rewhip it before use!
sammy.walter18@yahoo.com says
Hi Olivia,
Could I use clear vanilla extract to have the buttercream come out more white? Or would I have to substitute shortening for the butter in order for it to look pure white? Also, how does shortening change the taste of it?
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Sammy! For a true white frosting you’ll need to use shortening 🙁 You can try whipping the crap out of the butter — it will lighten it, but not a pure white. Shortening will change both the flavour and texture — it tends to feel greasier and won’t taste, well, buttery. You can try going 50/50 shortening/butter (a common substitution), but if you want a true white frosting, the only way to go is with shortening. I hope that helps!
Bhagy says
Hi Olivia,
Nice to read all positive comments. I have never ever tried buttercream recipe in my life. And want to prepare baby shower cake with buttercream . Basically I want to make doll cake and thinking of making her dress with pink roses all over. Do you think it will be easy to use this buttercream recipe to make roses? Is it firm enough? What tips would you suggest?
Olivia says
Hi Bhagy! This buttercream will totally work for that! Just control the amount of cream you put in. If you put too much, the frosting will be too soft and harder to pipe. I added all 4 so it *should* be ok, but just keep an eye on the consistency 🙂 Let me know how it turns out! I would use the 1M tip as I used here to make the rosettes.
Lynn Zivko says
Hi Olivia! I’ve always been the cake baker/decorator in my family, but my daughter made gluten free cupcakes for me with your buttercream frosting recipe for her daughter’s first birthday party. I was in cake heaven!! This is the recipe I’m using from now on. It is really wonderful! Thank you so much!
Olivia says
Hi Lynn! So glad to hear that 🙂 This is such a simple and delicious recipe. I’m happy it was a hit!