This is my classic, go-to, easy vanilla 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!
Easy Vanilla Buttercream
A simple, thick, delicious buttercream recipe for decorating cakes and cupcakes
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
-
Beat the butter in a large mixing bowl until smooth and creamy.
-
Add the icing sugar and milk alternately until well combined. Mix in the vanilla and continue beating until thick and creamy.
Recipe Notes
- If the icing is too thick, add a little milk until it's a good spreading consistency.
- 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.
- 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
[…] I had figured out how I wanted to configure their shape, I dabbed a little bit of buttercream frosting onto the bottom of each cupcake and “stuck” it to the board (I used a full-slab sized […]