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.
Natalie Metzger says
Hi! Thanks for this awesome recipe! I was curious if I could make this frosting ahead – and if so, should I refrigerate it or leave it out (around 72-75 degree house typically)
Thanks!
Olivia says
Hi Natalie! How far in advance? If just a day or two it should be fine at room temperature. Otherwise, it will keep for a couple weeks in the fridge or you can freeze it (in something airtight) for up to three months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
wendy says
how long can buttercream be stored?
Olivia says
Hi Wendy! This buttercream will keep for a couple weeks in the fridge or you can freeze it (in something airtight) for up to three months. Bring to room temperature and rewhip before using.
Mahvish says
Hi,
Do you recommend switching to a paddle attachment when adding the icing sugar? Would that create less air bubbles too?
Olivia says
Hi Mahvish! You can but I just used the whisk the whole time. You can run it on low for a couple mins at the end to knock out some of the bubbles.
Angie says
When you say it is enough for a 3-layer 6″ cake, does that include using some as filling?!
Olivia says
Hi Angie! It should be depending on how generous you are with the frosting 🙂
Peggy says
I have a request to make lemon buttercream for a cake.
Would adding lemon extract and lemon zest work well. If yes, would you decrease (or eliminate) the vanilla?
Thanks
Olivia says
Hi Peggy! I would add zest as I don’t love artificial flavourings. Try it with zest first (1 Tbps) and then add the extract if you feel it needs it? I would leave the vanilla in there but you might need to reduce the cream if you do end up using lemon extract.
Puramon Uriah says
Thank you for this recipe. I will add heavy cream to my usual butter cream preparation. I hope it will turn out great.
Olivia says
Hi Puramon! I’m so glad you loved it 🙂
Afi says
I love this buttercream recipe, thank you for sharing this..
Olivia says
Thanks Afi! Happy to hear that 🙂
Alex says
I have 9in round cake pans will this recipe work?
Olivia says
Hi Alex! Converting pan sizes is always tricky. Here’s a site I use as a guideline: http://www.joyofbaking.com/PanSizes.html You’ll either need to increase the recipe or reduce the baking time (the layers will be a bit thin though).
Sara says
Hi, is this recipe thick enough to pipe buttercream flowers?
Olivia says
Hi Sara! For sure, it will work great. Only add enough cream to get to the consistency you like.
Debbie says
Love this buttercream frosting. Want to make a single layer cake with this frosting and add fresh berries on top. Any issues adding berries?
Olivia says
Hi Debbie! Not at all. They may bleed into the frosting a bit if they are cut, but otherwise should be totally fine.
Jacquie says
Hi Olivia, If by some chance I have some buttercream leftover, can you freeze it?
Olivia says
Hi Jacquie! For sure. It freezes really well! You should just rewhip it when it comes to room temp again.
Jacquie says
Well as it turns out i had very little left. I made a 9×13 almost fromscratch chocolate cake and piped rosettes on all sides and on the top along the edge. Hubby’s aunt and uncle 45th anniversary cake. I had dake left over so froze individual pieces and then wrapped them double plastic wrap and then in freezer bags. Hopefully it will be ok because i wont be able to rewhip icing.
Olivia says
That’s how I store my cakes slices too. They will be totally fine! You only need to rewhip the frosting if you haven’t used it on the cake yet.
may says
Hi! I was wondering if I were to make an American buttercream, and it’s too sweet, can I reduce the amount of Powdered Sugar?
Olivia says
Hi May! This recipe already has less powdered sugar than most. You can reduce it by a bit, but it will be more buttery then. You could also add a bit of salt to help cut the sweetness.
M says
I had high hopes but this was seriously gritty and time consuming to make.
Olivia says
Hi M! Sorry to hear you didn’t love this one. American buttercream will always have a bit of grit to it due to the powdered sugar. It is one of the easiest (and quickest) frostings you can make though.
Debbie Puckett says
Such great flavor, light, fluffy and sweet.
Olivia says
Hi Debbie! So happy you loved it 🙂
Shivangi stuti says
Hello. Can i use normal cream and not the heavy cream?
Olivia says
Hi Shivangi! I’m not sure what normal cream is to you, but most creams (or even milk) should work. It’s just to thin out the buttercream to a good consistency. Only use however much you need.
Amy M says
Thanks for the recipe! I cant wait to make my daughters first birthday cake for her. Jist a question from a novice. If I make the cake the day before, will it need to be refrigerated or wil it keep at room temperature?
Thank you!
Olivia says
Hi Amy! If it’s just cake and this frosting it should be fine at room temperature for a couple days provided your place is not too hot. If you’re using fresh fruit, custards, or whipped cream, it must be refrigerated. I tend to refrigerate all my cakes though, regardless, and take them out 2-3 hours before serving.
Rachel says
This buttercream is so easy and comes out perfect every time!
Olivia says
So happy you love it Rachel! 🙂
Ashlesha @ inhouse Baking says
Hello Olivia,
It is been long I am looking for a perfect buttercream recipe. At my place only salted butter is available. Can I use that one for this recipe??
Olivia says
Hi Ashlesha! Some people prefer to use salted butter but I find it too salty. You can always add more powdered sugar if you’d like to add more sweetness.
alex says
Hi, what is a good substitute for the heavy whipping cream?
Olivia says
Hi Alex! The whipping cream is mostly to thin out the buttercream (though it does add some fluffiness too). You can use milk, but only use as much as you need to get the consistency you want.
Mary Ellen says
Hi! Can I use buttermilk instead of heavy cream?
Olivia says
Hi Mary Ellen! You could, but it would affect the flavour of the buttercream.