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The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe

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What could be sweeter than the BEST Buttercream Frosting piped on a delicious cupcake? This classic buttercream frosting is the one I used while attending culinary school in the ’70s.  Yes, they had those back then. 

I see no reason to change this classic recipe since it is perfect for frosting, cakes, and cupcakes with a spatula or a pastry bag and tip.

Buttercream frosting on a chocolate cupcake

Buttercream Frosted Cupcake

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

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Supplies 

 

Ingredients for buttercream frosting

Ingredients for Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

  • 1 Stick unsalted butter softened (room temperature)
  • 4 cups confectioners sugar
  • 5 to 7 Tablespoons heavy cream or milk 
Add confectioner's sugar to butter

Add confectioner’s sugar to butter

Mixer covered with tea towel

Mixer covered with a tea towel

Adding a pinch of salt

Adding a pinch of salt

Vanilla extract added to the bowl

Vanilla extract added to the bowl

Add enough cream

Add enough cream

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

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Classic Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream Frosting

4.84 from 12 votes
Icing for cookie cake
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 0 minutes
0 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Course Cake, Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 10
Calories 213 kcal

Ingredients
  

  • 1 Stick Unsalted Butter softened not melted
  • 4 Cups of 10X sugar
  • 5 to 7 Tablespoons Cream or milk

Instructions
 

  • Using an electric mixer to cream butter and sugar together at a slow speed. Then slowly add cream one tablespoon at a time until the icing mixture is firm and smooth.
  • Frost your cake or cupcakes and enjoy!

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 213kcalCarbohydrates: 48gProtein: 1gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 10mgSodium: 5mgPotassium: 7mgSugar: 47gVitamin A: 113IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 1mg
Keyword Buttercream frosting
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Frosting cupcakes with pastry bag

Frosting cupcakes with a pastry bag

 

Cupcake Picks

To decorate the cupcakes for special events, add some DIY picks. Print out the footballs HERE.

Football picks

Football picks

 

 

 

Buttercream Frosting Options 

You can add a pinch of salt to the frosting to balance its sweetness.

Extracts

Note: Adding an extract to flavor the frosting can change its consistency.  I recommend adding it before adding all the cream. 

Vanilla buttercream: To make vanilla buttercream frosting, add 1 to 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. 

I have used coconut, peppermint, and almond extracts in buttercream frosting.

Spices

Another way to add flavor to buttercream frosting is to use spices, such as cinnamon, ginger, and/or cloves. Add 1/4 teaspoon of spices at a time and taste before adding more. 

Tinting 

Buttercream frosting is perfect for tinting any color of the rainbow. I recommend using this type of food color to prevent the frosting from changing consistency. Using a toothpick, add a little at a time. 

Want More?

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See you soon,

Kippi

 

4.84 from 12 votes (10 ratings without comment)
Recipe Rating




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jumiko

Tuesday 21st of November 2023

All of the information I’ve gleaned from it basically has been quite useful, and I’d for the most part want to generally commend you on really your abilities, actually contrary to popular belief. fnaf

fwe

Monday 7th of November 2022

The cupcake are the cutest!! it look delicious 🙂 Pinned! moto x3m

Kathy

Monday 25th of April 2022

Hi Kippi I am from Saskatchewan Canada and follow your posts . Have a couple questions about this frosting : I have to do96 cupcakes and was wondering if I could decorate and it would keep for 2 days in cool place before anything starts melting or falling , also how many cups are your stick of butter lol😅 . Thanks Kathy

debbie

Monday 7th of February 2022

I looked at the recipe and wrote down the 3 ingredients but under the pictures it mentions vanilla and pinch of salt. What is the full list of ingredients?

Amber

Sunday 9th of January 2022

What type/brand of coloring do you use? The link does not work.

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