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.
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.
How can I flavor this buttercream?
- For a chocolate version head on over to my Easy Chocolate Buttercream Frosting recipe.
- For citrus, add 1-2 Tbsp of zest or curd. If adding the latter, skip the cream and only add that if needed.
- For other fruit flavors use freeze-dried berry powders. Add 1 Tbsp at a time at the end until you reach the desired flavor.
- For peanut butter frosting I recommend using peanut butter powder. Add 1 Tbsp at a time at the end until you reach the desired flavor.
Tips for making this vanilla buttercream
- Add cream 1 Tbsp at a time until you reach the desired consistency, make sure it’s at room temperature.
- For the rosettes, it’s best to practice a few on some parchment first. When ready, pipe the bottom row of rosettes, then offset them for the next row.
- I used a 1M piping tip to do the rosettes.
- If you’d like to try a meringue buttercream check out my Swiss Meringue Buttercream tutorial.
- To help ensure your cake layers bake up nice and flat, see my Flat Top Cakes post.
Simple Vanilla Buttercream (American Buttercream Recipe)
Ingredients
- 6 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 2 cups unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla extract or flavoring of your choice
- 4 tbsp heavy whipping cream room temperature
Instructions
- Prepare a stand mixer with a whisk attachment.
- Whisk butter until creamy.
- Reduce speed to low and add in icing sugar 1 cup at a time until well blended. Increase speed to med and beat for 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and 2 Tbsp cream and continue to whip on medium for 1 minute.
- Add more cream as needed until desired consistency is reached (I added all 4 Tbsp).
- Whip until the frosting is smooth and silky.
- Use a 1M tip to do rosettes around the cake if desired.
This recipe was originally published on Jan 4th, 2015. It was updated with new content on Jan 12th, 2023.
Bonnie says
Back again and thought I’d comment this time. I’ve used this recipe several times in the last year. It quickly became my go-to buttercream recipe. I’ve had to adjust the serving size at times due to not having enough confectioners sugar and the tool above makes it so easy. Thanks so much for continuing to post and make my homemade cakes a step above.
After I bake today (a last minute decision to make an ‘almost scratch cake’ using your recipe), I’m going to read through and make a shopping list to try something different this summer…maybe your lemon blueberry cake. We’ll see! Thanks again!
Olivia says
Hi Bonnie! Thanks so much for your sweet comment, you totally made my day! I can’t wait to hear what you try next! The lemon blueberry cake is very popular and I have a new lemon cake recipe coming this Friday 🙂 Let me know what you try!
Amanda says
Hi Olivia,
This recipe sounds fantastic, I love buttercream icing.
I was just wondering if I’d be able to make it Keto by using Swerve (erythritol sweetener), in confectioners form, instead of the icing sugar? Or do you think that would change the consistency and flavour?
I find Swerve and monkfruit don’t have an aftertaste like other sweeteners.
Thank you 😊
Olivia says
Hi Amanda! Swerve is definitely the best sugar substitute out there, but I’ve never tried it myself with this buttercream. My gut says it would change the texture slightly but that it would be ok. You could try to make a smaller amount of this buttercream to test it out 🙂
Raquel Mae Cardenas says
Hi, can i use all purpose cream instead of heavy whipping cream? Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Raquel! I had to look that up but I think it would be fine. It’s mostly used to thin the buttercream to a better consistency.
April Harden says
What kind of butter did you use?
Olivia says
Hi April! It’s been so long since I made this recipe that I can’t quite remember. These days I use Natrel from Costco.
Lisa Hixson says
Hello. I am making a birthday cake for an outdoor party in hot and humid weather. Will this frosting hold up in those conditions? Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Lisa! No butter-based frosting really holds up in hot humid weather. You could try to swap some of the butter for hi-ratio shortening to help.
Lucy Phyllis says
Awesome. Thank you for that recipe!
Olivia says
Thanks Lucy!
Sarah Zevi says
Hi Olivia!
If I wanna make colored buttercream, at what step should I add color? And should I mix it in by hand or can I use mixer, thanks
Olivia says
Hi Sarah! Add it in at the end and use the mixer. I would add it before the cream in case it thins out the frosting.
Jennie says
Hello! I am making your Caramel Cake, as much as I would love to try your Caramel Swiss Meringue Buttercream, my husband is allergic to eggs. I was thinking of using this frosting instead (it looks amazing!). Can this be adapted with the caramel sauce?
Olivia says
Hi Jennie! Yes, you can totally add it at the end. It will be quite a sweet frosting though! I do have a new one I just posted that is egg-free: https://livforcake.com/ermine-frosting/ It will be softer though, especially with the caramel added, but SO delicious.
Jennie says
I will give that a try! Thank you!
Nosheen says
Hi what is the difference between this buttercream and the one on the vanilla cake recipe? I mean does one end up stiffer than the other? Also if you make the cake a day before should you wrap in it cling film before putting it in the fridge?
Olivia says
Hi Nosheen! The one with the Vanilla cake is a Swiss meringue whereas this is a standard American buttercream. I would say this one ends up stiffer and you can control that by adding less cream too. Both work well for piping. If the cake is frosted then no need to wrap. But if it’s just cake layers, then wrap them. I hope that helps!
Lu says
Why do u add whipping cream into your American buttercream and what effect does it have on the buttercream?
Olivia says
Hi Lu! Whipping cream helps with the texture — makes it less stiff but also light and fluffy.
Lauren says
Hi! I’m interested in using this recipe to make icing for a 2-tiered cake. Do you recommend using this as a “dam” with a custard filling in between layers? Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Lauren! Yes, this should work fine as a dam, and definitely use one! 🙂
Priscilla says
Hi I would like to know how much butter cream do I need to make for a 3 tier square cake 12” 10” 8” I am making 2 cakes each to stack them on top of each other.
Olivia says
Hi Priscilla! I’m not sure the exact amount but this recipe makes about 5 cups.
Cheryl says
I decorate cakes for a part-time business. And this is the best American buttercream recipe I’ve ever found and I’ve been doing this for years. Smooth and it taste wonderful. Decorates well. Thank you
Olivia says
Hi Cheryl! Wow, thank you for such high praise! I’m so happy you love it 🙂
Bec says
Thank you 😊 Saved my earlier frosting disaster as I had enough to make this recipe. And my birthday cake looks amazing.
Olivia says
Hi Bec! So happy to head that. Happy Birthday! 🙂
Rebecca okon says
Beautiful
Olivia says
Thank you!
Peggy Lyon says
I just made this today for a tube cake. I cut the ingredients in half and it was the perfect amount. This is a beautiful icing and is definitely going to be my go to buttercream icing!. It was light and fluffy and spread very nicely. And the flavor is delicious! Perfect! I used vanilla extract. It will fun to experiment with other extract flavors when I make this again. Thank you!.
Olivia says
Hi Peggy! So happy you loved it. Thanks for the feedback!
Melissa says
Hello! I am keen to make your white choc raspberry cake for my son’s birthday tomorrow but I’m a beginner and nervous about making the Swiss buttercream! Any chance I can add white choc to this and if so how much? Thanks so much love your site 😊
Olivia says
Hi Melissa! You can totally add white chocolate to this. I would try 8 oz of melted and cooled white chocolate. Add it at the end but before adding any cream. Only add enough cream to get to the consistency you like. I do think you should give SMBC a try though! It’s easier than it seems, I promise, and easy to save if things go south 🙂 In case you haven’t seen it, here’s my detailed post on how to make it.
Preema says
Hello, I want to make make a cake for Mother’s Day this weekend. When you say that this batch of buttercream is enough for an 8 inch 2 layer cake, does that include the filling inside as well?
Olivia says
Hi Preema! Yes, it includes filling.
Preema says
Perfect thank you!
Ashley says
Is this enough frosting to make the roses too?
Olivia says
Hi Ashley! Yes, it’s enough to fill the cake and frost with the roses.
Mona says
Hello! I’m going to give this recipe a go tomorrow! I was just wondering can I add liquid food coloring to it? Any tips in this regard?
Olivia says
Hi Mona! I recommend gel colors vs liquid as liquid can mess with the consistency of the buttercream. If you only have liquid I would skip the cream from this recipe and only add it at the end if needed.
Aneesa says
Hi. I’m making a small wedding cake for my sister in a few weeks so have been doing lots of research as I too have issues with ABC being too sweet/gritty. Anyway I read that using fondant icing sugar rather than standard icing (confectioners) sugar can help make it smoother as it contains glucose syrup. Is this something that you have tried? I’m not sure if it’s even a thing in the US or just here in the UK. I’m trying to get a hold of some to experiment but it’s hard to get hold of atm!
Olivia says
Hi Aneesa! I actually haven’t heard that but I would definitely try it if it’s smoother. If you’re looking for a super smooth and not-too-sweet buttercream though you should give my German Buttercream a try!
Kate says
Hi, Olivia! This looks absolutely amazing. One question, will this frost two 9-inch cakes?
Kate
Olivia says
Hi Kate! It depends on if you’re doing the rosettes or not. To be safe I’d 1.5x the recipe. It’s always better to have too much frosting than too little 🙂