Creamy, dreamy American buttercream is one of the easiest ways to finish off a cake, build a cookie sandwich, or ice a tray of chocolate chip cookie bars. Bonus: You only need five ingredients and five minutes to make this tried-and-true homemade buttercream frosting recipe.
The butteriest buttercream starts with softened butter, so be sure to set those sticks out a few hours before you plan to bake (if you forgot, we’ve got a few tips to soften butter quickly). Sifting the powdered sugar before combining it with butter guards against lumps, but it’s not entirely necessary; just be sure to start your electric mixer on low speed so the sugar doesn’t explode into a cloud. Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt, which is essential for balancing the sweetness. Of course, it wouldn’t be vanilla frosting without vanilla: We call for extract here, but you can swap in vanilla bean paste or powder for a bolder vanilla flavor and those telltale specks.
There are endless uses for classic American buttercream icing. Yes, you can use it for frosting cakes (layer cakes, sheet cakes, or vanilla cupcakes). But you can also use this simple frosting to decorate sugar cookies, construct gingerbread houses, or sandwich whoopie pies. Baking a chocolate cake? Add in melted chocolate and cocoa powder to make chocolate buttercream. Baking a birthday cake? Use food coloring to dye it pink, purple, or any color of the rainbow.
This recipe was adapted for style from ‘Hey There, Cupcake!’ by Clare Crespo. Buy the full book on Amazon.
Recipe information
Total Time
5 minutes
Yield
Makes enough buttercream to frost 1 two-layer cake or 12 cupcakes
Ingredients
Preparation
Cream ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature, on medium speed in a large mixing bowl with a hand mixer or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment until smooth. Add 4 cups (420 g) powdered sugar, ½ tsp. Diamond Crystal or ¼ tsp. Morton kosher salt, and 1 tsp. vanilla extract. Pulse to incorporate sugar, then mix on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, adding up to ⅓ cup whole milk to reach your desired consistency, and scraping the sides of the bowl once or twice to ensure even mixing.
Do Ahead: Store buttercream in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 3 months. Let come to room temperature and rewhip if desired.
Editor’s note: This American buttercream frosting recipe first appeared on Epicurious in May 2006. Explore the wide world of buttercream with our recipes for French buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, Italian meringue buttercream, and German buttercream →
