While there are a lot of different varieties of buttercream frosting out there, American buttercream frosting is probably the one that you are most familiar with. It’s a sweet and simple icing that was the first of its kind that I ever learned to make. American buttercream is a bit different than my Swiss meringue buttercream recipe that I recently shared in that it:
Crusts, meaning the exterior becomes firm and almost crisp. This can make it great for decorating. You can add even more sugar to the frosting to make a very stiff icing that’s great for piping into decorative shapes like flowers or roses. Is much sweeter but less buttery than Swiss meringue buttercream. Does not use eggs Is much simpler to make
There are other varieties as well, but American buttercream is the simplest I’ve ever encountered. It’s also quite sweet, and I’ll admit it’s never been my favorite (my favorite will always be my less-sweet but equally pipe-able cream cheese frosting) but it’s a great frosting for beginner bakers and is essentially impossible to mess up! It’s also the frosting melt and I use to drape over my petit fours.
What You Need:
You only need a few ingredients to make classic buttercream frosting.
Butter. We use unsalted and then add a pinch of salt to best control the flavor. Make sure it’s softened almost to room temperature before you begin. Powdered Sugar. Granulated sugar will not work in this recipe. Weigh or measure the sugar the same way you would measure flour (don’t pack it into the measuring cup). Vanilla extract. You can also play around with adding other flavors/extracts! Salt. Salt deepens the flavor and cuts the otherwise overwhelming sweetness of the icing. Start with ⅛ teaspoon, but taste-test and add more if needed. Heavy cream. You may substitute milk instead. The cream helps this buttercream frosting become silky smooth and pipe-able (it will be quite dry before you add the liquid). Whip it into your frosting with your mixer on medium-high speed. Optional: Food coloring. If you want to color your frosting, stir in your food coloring at the end. I prefer to use gel food coloring (this is the gel coloring set that I have).
This recipe can be doubled, or even tripled if you have a bowl that’s large enough! Buttercream frosting is probably the easiest frosting to make so I don’t think you’ll have any trouble with it, but please leave me a comment if you have any questions!
Storing:
If you don’t intend to use your buttercream frosting immediately, cover it tightly with plastic wrap or store it in an airtight container. It will keep for 2 days at room temperature or up to 7 days in the refrigerator. It may also be frozen for up to 3 months. Before using, thaw in the refrigerator (if frozen) and bring to room temperature. You may need to re-whip the frosting with your mixer before using. As with most frostings, this one does not hold up particularly well to high temperatures.
More Frosting Recipes You Might Like:
Swiss Meringue Buttercream Royal Icing Peanut Butter Frosting
Enjoy! Are there any other frosting recipes you’d like me to share?
This buttercream frosting is great on:
Vanilla Cake White Cake Funfetti Cake Chocolate Cake Chocolate Cupcakes
Are you more of a visual learner? Check out my YouTube channel where I show you exactly how I make this frosting step-by-step in my own kitchen.
