Best American Buttercream Frosting (Easy)
The best, classic, quick and easy American buttercream frosting recipe, homemade with 4 simple ingredients- butter, powdered sugar, vanilla and milk. Smooth, creamy, fluffy, stable and holds its shape perfectly. Great for cake decorating and piping cupcakes.
Servings: 2 Cups
Calories: 1779kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter Unsalted, Room temperature
- 1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract
- 4 cups Powdered sugar Sifted
- 3-4 tablespoon Milk or Heavy cream More or less depending on the consistency you want
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, mix butter and vanilla extract together.
- Add powdered sugar (½ cup at a time), while continuing to mix.
- Add milk (1 tablespoon at a time), while continuing to mix until you reach the desired consistency.
- Frost your cakes/cupcakes and enjoy!
Video
Notes
- Instead of vanilla extract, you can also use vanilla bean paste but that will add tiny little black specks.
- Use unsalted butter to prevent this icing from becoming too salty.
- Some people like to use half butter and half shortening for stability.
- Play around with different extracts and zests for a different flavor.
- Use gel coloring instead of liquid food coloring for tinting this icing.
- If icing is too thick, mix in more milk or heavy cream.
- If icing is too thin, mix in more powdered sugar.
- Sift powdered sugar to remove any lumps.
- This icing is enough to frost 24 cupcakes (depending on the design) and one 8x2 round cake.
- Read additional tips and variations above.
- Store leftover icing in the fridge in a sealed container and use within 1 week.
Nutrition
Calories: 1779kcal | Carbohydrates: 241g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 92g | Saturated Fat: 58g | Cholesterol: 246mg | Sodium: 825mg | Potassium: 56mg | Sugar: 236g | Vitamin A: 2875IU | Calcium: 53mg | Iron: 0.1mg