Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
This is the lightest and fluffiest vanilla buttercream frosting. It’s perfect for frosting just about anything— cakes, cupcakes, cookies and more!
Are you a frosting person? I’m totally a frosting person. What’s under the frosting is important too, of course, but I definitely can appreciate a big pile of billowy frosting.
And for me that’s exactly what frosting should be like— light, creamy and cloud-like.
I’ve developed this vanilla buttercream frosting recipe over several years and too many cakes, cupcakes and cookies to count, and I feel pretty confident calling it the very best. Because it is!
Table of Contents
- Ingredients you'll need
- What's the secret?
- How to use this whipped vanilla frosting
- Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe
Ingredients you’ll need
- Butter— you can use salted or unsalted, but if you use salted butter omit the salt in the recipe
- Powdered or confectioner’s sugar
- Heavy whipping cream
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
- Salt
What’s the secret?
There are two ingredients that really help make this frosting what it is— heavy whipping cream and just a touch of almond extract.
Using heavy whipping cream instead of milk, and then whipping it on high speed for several minutes really gives this frosting its light and fluffy texture. Turn your mixer on low for just a few moments until the ingredients come together, then turn it up to high and walk away for about 3 minutes. Come back, scrape down the bowl and whip it for another 1-2 minutes. It turns out perfectly whipped every time.
Almond extract is my other secret. I add a small amount, only 1/4 teaspoon. It’s not enough that the almond flavor comes through, but it gives the frosting a little something extra, and helps it taste kinda fancy.
How to use this whipped vanilla frosting
One recipe yields enough frosting for:
- Filling and frosting a double-layer 8 or 9-inch layer cake. If you have 3 or more cake layers, or want to do a lot of piping decoration, you may want to double this recipe or use another filling option for the cake.
- Frosting 24 regular cupcakes with a moderate amount of frosting per cupcake, or 12-15 cupcakes with a generous amount of frosting (as shown in this post).
- Frosting 24-36 sugar cookies.
Feel free to add food coloring as desired. You can also use other flavorings and other extracts.
This frosting is great for piping and decorating cakes and cupcakes. If the frosting starts getting too soft as you work with it, chill it in the fridge for about 15 minutes to firm it up.
If you’d like to make this frosting in advance, it can be stored in the fridge for at least 1 week and in the freezer for at least 1 month. Let it come back to room temperature, then beat for 1-2 minutes until fluffy again.
baking tip:How to frost like a pro
I am not an expert when it comes to decorating with icing, I know my limitations. But I also know how to fake it and make it look like I know what I’m doing! Here are some tips to easily elevate your frosting:
- Sift powdered sugar before making the frosting, ensuring it’s smooth and lump-free.
- Use gel food coloring instead of liquid, which results in more vivid colors without adding moisture. Look for gel food coloring in a craft or baking supply store, or buy online.
- Use a piping bag with plain and star tips, which go a long way to make my decorations looks professional.
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting recipe
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 cups powdered sugar (1 lb, 455 grams), sifted after measuring
- 1 cup unsalted butter (2 sticks, 226 grams), at room temperature
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract , optional, but highly recommended!
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, or in a large bowl with a hand-held mixer, mix all of the ingredients on low speed until it starts to come together.
- Increase speed to high and beat for 4-5 minutes until frosting is fluffy, pausing once or twice to scrape the bowl down.
- (Optional Step) The frosting will be very airy with lots of bubbles. To achieve a smooth frosting, beat it with a wooden spoon by hand for 2-3 minutes. This will push all of those air bubbles out.
- Use frosting as desired to cover cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc. This is enough frosting for a double layer 8 or 9-inch cake, 2 dozen cupcakes, or 2 dozen 4-inch cookies.
- Store frosting at room temperature for 1-2 days, in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to several months.
This post was originally published April 2016.
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Are the 4 cups of powdered sugar before sifting or after?
Before!
I used this recipe for my son’s first birthday cupcakes. The family loved it and I’ve had many requests for the recipe which I gladly shared. I also used it on my son’s smash cake and the frosting is the only part he was interested in eating!
Hi. Please the whipping cream I know if is powdered. How can I use it for d frosting? Thanks
If you don’t have access to traditional heavy whipping cream, you can use milk instead.
Can I use a hand mixer instead?
Sure!
Hii thanks was looking for such recipe that combines butter n whipped cream rather than shortening. Thanks i think i would definitely try it out. But would like to know if this butter cream would hold shapes for the purpose of decoration on cake?? Please help thanks.
Yes, this is a classic buttercream recipe so it will hold it’s shape fine for decorating. 🙂
Would cutting down the sugar by 2 cups affect the recipe? 4 cups sounds too sweet.
Classic American buttercream is very sweet, I will agree with you on that! But I think the ratios here are standard for this type of recipe. If you’d like to reduce the sugar amount, just note that you’ll yield a lot less frosting and you’ll need less heavy cream. Add 1 tablespoon at a time until you get the results you want. The frosting may also have a slightly more buttery flavor and texture.
I tried to cut down the sugar because I’m sensitive to it and I hate overly sweet stuff and it doesn’t work. It leaves the frosting greasy and lumpy. You need the full sugar to make the frosting smooth and pretty. The consistence is really nice, but it’s too sweet for my preference. I prefer the flour and milk frosting recipes.
Can I mix in cocoa powder?
If you’d like to make this a chocolate buttercream, I would suggest adding cooled melted chocolate instead. It’s been a while since I’ve made it so I’m not exactly sure of the amount. Maybe 1/2 cup of chocolate chips or chopped chocolate?
Is this stiff enough to.pipe??
Yes, absolutely!
Hello Annalise, do you mind if we share your gorgeous photo of the buttercream with full credits and link back to you?
Of course not, share away! 🙂
Thank you so much! I don’t know how you keep the mess contained enough to take such beautiful photos, but job well done!
Hi- can you add food coloring to this frosting?
Absolutely! I prefer gel food colorings over liquid, but whatever you have will work!
Love this frosting! I paired it with a homemade yellow cake and added flaked coconut after the frosting. Yum!
Thank you, Annalise!
Do I need to use a clear vanilla if I want the frosting to be more on the white side or will regular brown vanilla work?
I used regular vanilla for the frosting pictured here, and it’s what I always use unless I’m frosting a wedding cake. It’s such a small difference in color. Of course, feel free to use either per your preferences. 🙂
Used this frosting for my sons birthday cake (Chocolate cake with edible cookie dough filling) and it was THE BEST FROSTING IVE EVER MADE. I mean, I got compliments all day long! Thank you for sharing such a great recipe and I can’t wait to try some others!
Hey, I’m planning on making this for my brother’s birthday cake, which I’m making a day in advance. Would this hold for a layered cake filling?
Absolutely! I use this frosting on layer cakes all the time.
Heyy can i use this to decorate my cupcakes