Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
This whipped vanilla buttercream frosting is light, fluffy, and creamy. Made with heavy cream, it’s perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. It’s my go-to buttercream recipe, and once you try it, you’ll see why!
Recipe overview: Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Light, fluffy, and creamy. Heavy whipping cream and several minutes of mixing give this classic vanilla buttercream its signature whipped texture.
- Delicious vanilla flavor with a little something extra. A touch of almond extract enhances the flavor without overpowering the vanilla.
- Perfect for cakes, cupcakes, and cookies. The recipe yields enough frosting for a double-layer cake or 24 cupcakes. It’s easy to spread, pipe, and make ahead.
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Are you a frosting person? I’m totally a frosting person. And this is the whipped vanilla frosting recipe I’ve been making for decades! It has incredible flavor, the fluffiest whipped texture, and it’s so easy to make. Plus, you can use it in so many ways!
The secret to that light, fluffy texture is using heavy cream instead of milk and beating the frosting for several minutes. I also add a little almond extract along with the vanilla for extra delicious flavor.
“This is my go-to icing recipe. It’s delicious and turns out perfectly every time.⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —from reader Nancy
“Made recipe exactly as written and it is awesome! The almond extract as you suggested adds to the taste. A must! Thanks for the recipe!⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐” —from reader Elena
Ingredients you’ll need
- Butter: I’ve recently switched from unsalted to salted butter in this recipe, and I love the flavor! Either works, use what you have.
- Heavy whipping cream: I use a full ¼ cup of heavy cream, more than most buttercream recipes. Combined with a longer whipping time, it’s the secret to that super light, fluffy texture.
- Vanilla extract: The main flavor in this frosting. For something a little fancier, use vanilla bean paste or the seeds scraped from a vanilla bean pod.
- Almond extract: Just a hint adds that “certain something” without overpowering the vanilla flavor.
- Salt: I use a little more salt than most buttercream recipes to balance the sweetness and keep the frosting from tasting too cloying.
Add food coloring or other flavorings: Customize this buttercream with a few drops of food coloring (I recommend gel food coloring over liquid food coloring), or swap or supplement vanilla with more almond extract, peppermint extract, or butter extract.
For more frosting flavor options, see my easy fudge buttercream frosting, cream cheese buttercream frosting, peanut butter frosting, chocolate cupcakes with nutella frosting.
How to make whipped vanilla buttercream, step by step
How to use this frosting
- Fill and frost a double-layer 8 or 9-inch layer cake. This recipe makes enough to fill and frost a standard two-layer cake. For 3 or more layers or lots of piped decorations, consider doubling the recipe or using a different filling between the layers.
- Frost cupcakes: Frost 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).
- Frost sugar cookies: Frost 24–36 cookies, depending on their size and how thickly you spread the frosting.
Recipes that use this whipped vanilla buttercream include homemade cherry chip cake, the ultimate vanilla layer cake, sugar cookie bars, and easy no-chill sugar cookies.
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.
Annalise’s expert tips for perfect buttercream
- Butter temperature: Your butter should be softened to room temperature (68-72°F) but should not look melted or shiny. Test it with your finger—it should give slightly and leave an indent without your finger pressing easily through it. Butter that’s too soft will make frosting that doesn’t pipe well or hold its shape.
- Whip the frosting long enough! It’ll look smooth and combined after just 1–2 minutes, but keep beating for the full 4–5 minutes. You’ll notice the frosting become lighter in color, fluffier, and more airy as you whip.
- Remove air bubbles for a smoother finish: Whipping incorporates lots of air into the frosting, which can make it difficult to get perfectly smooth sides on a layer cake. Stir the finished frosting firmly by hand with a wooden spoon or spatula to push out larger air bubbles. This step is optional, the frosting looks (and tastes) great either way!
- Make ahead instructions: Store frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. Bring it back to room temperature, then beat for 1–2 minutes until light and fluffy before using.
Whipped vanilla buttercream frosting FAQs
This recipe is an American buttercream made with butter, powdered sugar, and heavy cream that’s whipped until light and fluffy. Whipped cream frosting, on the other hand, is made primarily with whipped heavy cream and has a lighter, less buttery texture.
A lot depends on the temperature of your butter and how long you’ve mixed the frosting. If it’s too thick, make sure you’ve whipped it for the full 4–5 minutes. If it’s still too thick, add more heavy cream, 1-2 teaspoons at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. If your frosting is too soft, refrigerate the bowl for 15 minutes, then beat again until fluffy.
American buttercream is naturally very sweet and reducing powdered sugar will alter consistency and texture. For a less-sweet alternative, try my chantilly cream frosting, which is made with whipped cream and less sugar.
More frosting recipes
Whipped Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Ingredients
- 4 cups (455 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 cup (226 grams) butter , softened to room temperature
- ¼ cup (56 grams) heavy whipping cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (optional, but recommended)
- ¼-½ teaspoon salt
Equipment
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 the frosting is combined (this helps prevent the powdered sugar from flying everywhere).
- Increase the speed to high and beat for 4-5 minutes until frosting is fluffy, pausing once or twice to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. You'll notice the frosting become lighter in color, fluffier, and more airy as you whip.
- (Optional) The frosting will be very airy with lots of bubbles at this point. To achieve a smooth frosting, beat it with a wooden spoon or spatula by hand for 1-2 minutes. This will push all of those air bubbles out.
- Use frosting as desired to cover cakes, cupcakes, cookies, etc. It will form a "crust" as it sits, so cover the bowl with plastic wrap or put it in an airtight container to keep it fresh if not using immediately.
- Store frosting in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or freeze for up to 1 month. Bring it back to room temperature, then beat for 1–2 minutes until light and fluffy before using.
Notes
- Powdered sugar: If your sugar is excessively clumpy, sift after measuring to ensure frosting is smooth.
- Salted vs. unsalted butter: I used to use unsalted butter in this recipe, but now prefer to use salted butter for additional flavor. Use what you like, and adjust the amount of salt according to your preferences.
- Frosting amount: A lot depends on how well you beat the frosting, and what you plan to do with it. This recipe yields 4-5 cups of frosting, enough for a standard two-layer cake, 24 cupcakes and 36 sugar cookies. If you like to apply a generous amount of frosting, want to pipe a lot of decorations, or have a bigger project, double the recipe.
I followed the recipe precisely, but this turned out to be shockingly sweet. Very cloyingly sweet for our taste. It was overly sweet to the point of being inedible and vanilla was overpowering. Thanks for sharing but this did not work out for us. Ended up discarding it. I could find no other way to salvage it to make it work.
I’m sorry this wasn’t what you expected! This is a classic American buttercream recipe, which is made from a whole lot of powdered sugar and butter. If you’re looking for something lighter, I recommend my chantilly cream frosting recipe.
Consider 2 cups of butter, 2 1/2 cups of icing sugar and 2 or 3 tbsp of whipping cream to make this less sickly sweet. Even at these proportions it’s sweet but a little less than what’s proposed
This is a good, standard frosting that doesn’t call for such a high ratio of sugar to butter. I made half batch recently to go with Graham crackers for my son and froze the rest. I’m thawing now and making more for cutout cookies. It’s very sweet but will balance out perfectly. Idk what others are complaining about, adjust the recipe for your needs but then don’t leave a negative review if you have drastically altered the recipe from what was written. 5 stars!
Followed recipe to the T apart from the powdered sugar. I used just 1/4 the amount of sugar directed. And it was way too sweet with way too much vanilla.
Hi Jane! This is an American buttercream and it’s meant to be sweet! If you’re looking for something less sweet I recommend my chantilly cream frosting. This recipe will not work with only 1 cup of powdered sugar.
Not as whipped and fluffy as I would have thought. I added 2 more tbls of heavy cream and add’l tsp vanilla. It was really sweet, tell all will be when we cut it tonight at a church function.
Overall, recipe is GREAT! This is better than Wilton’s version. It is my husband’s favorite by far. However, this last time I tried adding melted chocolate like you suggested. I added about 4 oz. of good quality milk chocolate. Blending it in was very difficult, and it yielded a frosting that was very pale and had only a faint chocolate flavor. I added about 6 TBS of cocoa with marked improvement, although it still looked a bit pale. Flavor was adequate but mild. Thanks for the recipe!
Tried it , it was a hit at the party!
This is thee best cream cheese frosting I have ever had. And I am cook/ baker. So a big KUDOS to you!!! Thank you for sharing
Made this as per the dir3ctions including the almond. The taste is excellent. One thing is I had to add some extra cream as it was a little stiff and too dry. Other than that this is so easy to make and very delicious.
Was sceptical in this recipe at first as being a new Baker. I needed not to have worried as its absolutely gorgeous. If you do make this the almond essence is a must.