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Easy 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 c. (227g) butter, softened (If using unsalted butter, add 1/2 tsp (2.5ml) salt to this recipe)
  • 4 c. (600g) icing sugar
  • 1/4 c. (60ml) milk
  • 1 tsp (5ml) 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.
  4. This recipe is perfect for piping swirls on cupcakes or borders on cakes. For frosting a cake or making find details (dots, lines), add 2-3 tsp milk or water to this recipe to make it a little thinner.