This is my classic go-to buttercream recipe. I have used this for thousands of cupcakes and many many many (did I say many?) cakes!

Rather than making this and then photographing one set of cupcakes to go with this post, I just hunted through my years of cake decorating photos to showcase a few different ones with this recipe. And… wow. So much to look back on! I’m thankful for all of the experience I’ve had. This morning was definitely a stroll down memory lane.

I didn’t want to overwhelm you with cake/cupcakes pictures, so I just picked a few simple cupcake designs to show you how well this icing keeps its structure.

 
Needless to say, this recipe has been tried and true, time and again. It’s a sturdy, classic, great-for-decorating staple recipe to keep on hand.

Scroll down for the recipe!

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Simple Vanilla Buttercream

A simple, thick, delicious buttercream recipe for decorating cakes and cupcakes

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword buttercream, cake decorating, frosting, vanilla buttercream

Prep Time 5 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Servings 18

Author Naomi

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter, softened (If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp. salt to this recipe)
• 4 cups icing sugar
• 1/4 cup milk
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.

2. Add the icing sugar and milk alternately until well combined. Mix in the vanilla and continue beating until thick and creamy. 

Recipe Notes

1. If the icing is too thick, add a little milk until it's a good spreading consistency.
2. I recommend gel food colouring for tinting this recipe; liquid food colour will thin the consistency of the frosting, especially if you are going for bold colours.
3. For a pure white frosting, you can substitute vegetable shortening for the butter and clear vanilla extract for the vanilla.

I hope this gem serves you well! If you make it, as always – please tag me on Facebook or Instagram @naomicakesofficial so that I can see your beautiful work! 

Cheers,
Naomi