American Buttercream Frosting {Recipe}
Often the most beloved element of a cupcake is the frosting. A good frosting can elevate a simple cupcake to a delicious, rich dessert. Classic American buttercream is surprisingly easy to make, and can be adjusted to your personal preferences using added flavorings, and adjusting the ratio of the ingredients. American buttercream is simply a combination of butter, powdered sugar, vanilla (or other flavoring), and usually a bit of milk or cream- that’s pretty much it! The frosting I love to use the most often is my Cream Cheese Frosting, which is simply a variation on American Buttercream, with some cream cheese added. Free free to play with this recipe and adjust it to your palate. This is a very sweet, classic frosting that pairs well with most any flavor of cupcake.
American Buttercream Frosting
1 cup (2 sticks) butter (salted, or unsalted)
1/4 teaspoon salt (if using unsalted butter)
4 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract (best quality available)
2-3 tablespoons heavy cream, half and half or milk.
*Optional- As mentioned above, I like a cream cheese version of this frosting best. The cream cheese adds to the creamy texture, and cuts down on the sweetness just a bit. If desired, for a very light cream cheese flavor add 1/2 block (4 oz). cream cheese, leaving the other ingredients (as listed above) the same. For a more traditional cream cheese flavor, reduce the butter to 1/2 cup, and add 1 block (8 oz.) of cream cheese. If using a full block of cream cheese, you can reduce the cream or milk to 1 tablespoon total.
Flavoring options- An almost unlimited number of flavoring options can be added in addition to, or instead of the vanilla. Orange and/or lemon zest, citrus extracts, mint extract, coconut extract or the seeds of a vanilla bean are all wonderful options. In most cases I’ll still add 1/2 teaspoon of vanilla, then 1/2 teaspoon of the other flavoring. For zest, add about 1 teaspoon fresh zest. For chocolate buttercream, add 1/2 cup (good quality) unsweetened cocoa powder.
Directions-
* In the bowl of an electric mixer, fitted with the whisk attachment, beat butter (on medium speed) until completely smooth (30 seconds to a minute). (If you are adding cream cheese, add it now, then beat until smooth)
* Add salt (if needed).
* One cup at time, add 2 cups of powdered sugar, beating after each addition.
* Add vanilla, or other flavorings and beat to combine.
* Add about 1 tablespoon of cream, and continue beating.
* Add the remaining 2 cups powdered sugar, one at a time.
* Add an additional 1-2 tablespoons cream until desired consistency is reached. If you want to pipe the frosting on cupcakes, the frosting should be nice and thick. Continue to beat another minute or so. The frosting should now be smooth and fluffy.
Troubleshooting-
* If your frosting is not smooth, it is likely because the butter was not fully smooth before adding the other ingredients.
* If your frosting will not hold up when piped on cupcakes, your frosting has too much liquid or is too warm. Put entire bowl of frosting in the fridge for 15-20 minutes and it will stiffen up. If it is still too thin, then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup powdered sugar, beat well.
Recipe Source- American buttercream first appeared in cookbooks in the early 1900′s (here’s a little buttercream history) Countless sources since then have included very similar versions, always using some combination of butter (or shortening), powdered sugar, milk and flavoring. The recipe above is simply the proportions I like to use.
Try this classic frosting on top of my favorite Vanilla Cupcakes or Chocolate Cupcakes.
Happy frosting!
I'm going to put this in my file for future reference. When I make frosting, I use the dump method and don't measure. The cupcakes look so yummy! We served some at my daughter's wedding in July and filled them with divine raspberry cream filling. YUM!♥♫
Beautiful cupcakes! The frosting sounds great:)
I love the blue color. I have to try this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
LOve this frosting recipe!! It's pretty much the same as my go to frosting (I could make it in my sleep) and ALWAYS a winner.
Your cupcakes looks just beautiful…love the colors!!
Again, so beautiful. You are incredibly talented. The colour combination is so pretty – the cupcakes, liners, and frosting all look perfect. Thank you so much for sharing.
Just beautiful blue! Thank you soooo much for this! I was just looking for a buttercream frosting this afternoon for a cake for my daughter in a couple of weeks! I'm going to make a pink ruffle cake (attempt it!!) and an Eiffel tower on top with royal icing! At least try! Thanks so much for sharing your creativity and ideas with us! *Ü*
Thanks so much for sharing this! I've always been terrible at making frosting!!
I love your cupcake series! It is so helpful!
I love this recipe! It's tried and true. Your pictures are stunning…as always.
Is powdered sugar what we call icing sugar in Australia?
The world is a better place after this post.
It is of my firm belief that everyone should make their own buttercream and never, ever buy canned frosting again.
last week I made your vanilla cupcakes and used the cream cheese frosting. excellent!!!!!!
I am so thankful and happy that you are sharing such wonderful frosting and cupcake recipes….they sound fantastic! As soon as I get my painting project done, (my son's room), I'm going to give them a try! I agree with everyone else…you are such a talented person!!!! Everything you make is so beautiful and stunning!!!! Thank you for having this blog! Jodie
Like your cupcakes! Thanks for this post.
Cathy- Yes, powdered sugar and icing sugar are the same. =)
I want to eat one of these right now! Yum!
Love you,
Cecilia
Glory, I like your cupcake frosting. This is always I would like to try. May I know what is "half and half milk"? Thanks
I have a problem with my buttercream frosting separating when I use it for decorating. I have not tried your recipe…usually use the one in the Betty Crocker cookbook. Any suggestions?
Thank you for the recipe. I always use Italian meringue buttercream as with the American buttercream I make, you can feel the gritiness when you eat it. I live in Greece so not sure if the buttercream should be gritty or if I'm doing something wrong. Any advice would be appreciated
Mollyt- Most any recipes with similar proportions to this one will work fine, if the icing is separating, I would guess that your butter is too warm. The butter should be cool or cold.
Tina- You are correct, American buttercream can be bit gritty. The addition of cream cheese, as I prefer helps with this a lot. Also, making sure to beat the frosting for a good few minutes helps too. Although it will never be as smooth as Italian buttercream.
Thanks, I will try beating it a bit longer and see if there is a difference. I tried your recipe last night with the cream cheese addition and I ate most of it before decorating the cupcakes
Very yummy! Thanks for the recipe!
So nice of you to share a video with us, thank you. For the blue frosting, which is an open round tip, do you make 3 circles, one on top of each other, are you starting on the inside our outside? Would you consider doing a video on this one? It's the one I have the most difficulty with.
Again thanks so much!
@RA- These blue cupcakes were frosted exactly as shown in the video… from the outside, spiraling in toward the center.
Your cupcakes look picture-perfect. And that frosting sounds oh-so-yummy! Thanks for sharing
Oh yes, I love that recipe! Its virtually identical to mine. I cant help but love a rich thick buttercream!
These look so good! Where do you get your cupcake liners? I'm having a cupcake party for my daughter next month and these purple ones are beautiful
These look so good! Love buttercream frosting!!
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this looks gorgeous – just wondering approximately cupcakes you guess this would ice? i am making 140 cupcakes for an upcoming wedding of friends, and am trying to estimate how much icing/how many batches to make. (the wedding is out of town, and i have to get the icing ready at home before i leave….). any advice/estimates would be greatly appreciated!
Glory, where do you get your cupcake liners from? Your cupcake liners show no grease at all, they are so well dressed
Have been looking everywhere for grease free liners.
I am planning to use this recipe to frost cupcakes. I'm only concerned about the weather, it's for a party during summer. Can I use the same recipe for hot weather or do you recommend something else?
I have tried your vanilla cupcakes, they are the best I ever made. Thank you for sharing your perfect recipe.
When you use a frosting with butter do you leave it sit out at room temperature or refrigerate it? I've heard refrigerating a cake dries it out
How many cups of frosting does this yield?
Those are so super duper cute!
This looks great! I'm wondering if this could be made into a strawberry frosting. I have seen recipes with strawberry preserves added to flavor them. Do you think this would work?
What type of tip did you use to get the frosting to look smooth instead of a star point?
Lovely cupcakes! What piping tip did you use?
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I tried it and it was loved by all! Best, Emashka
Lovely cupcakes! What piping tip did you use?
Thanks for sharing this recipe, I tried it and it was loved by all! Best, Emashka
Hi I love your site I plan on making your vanilla and chocolate cupcakes today and a batch of this icing. 2 questions how many cupcakes will this cover? and can I make the icing today and store it until tomorrow because I plan on icing after I get to the site? Thanks
What tip do you use in the picture for the frosting?
Hi,
How many cupcakes can you frost with this recipe?
Thanks,
Laci
I love your posts. I haven´t tried this recipe yet but I will soon and let you know how it goes.
i think this buttercream frosting is too sweet for me. what can i do to make it less sweet?? (reduce powder sugar n add more butter???) any suggestion
FAV icing recipe ever, I use the heavy cream. What tip did you use for the picture?
I made this yummy buttercream today with the cream cheese. I used regular butter so did not add salt. I made this recipe just as it is but without any liquid or milk. I live in Florida so I like my frosting to be thicker to hold up better. I made two batches and this recipe is my new go to buttercream. It's part buttercream and part cream cheese. It's the best of both. I would not change anything about this recipe. It's fantastic. I made both batches sat the bowl in the refrigerator until ready to frost my cupcakes. Perfect!!!! Oh and they pipe just like buttercream without the added liquid. I did use the vanilla and that was the only liquid I used.
Can you use margarine instead of butter? Thanks for any help
Do I need to add food coloring to get that beautiful blue color?
I found this recipe on pinterest. I am going to try this the next time I make cup cakes. Thanks for sharing. I am now following your blog. When you get a chance check out my blog http://www.questfordelish.blogspot.com
This is almost the same as my buttercream frosting that my mom used to make. It is wonderful! Thanks!
What tip did u use and what brand of liners are the purple ones? They look amazing
how many cups of frosting does it make? thanks
sounds yummy by the way!!
Hi Gloria
I am from Australia – can I ask why you add salt to the frosting? I use unsalted butter but have never heard of adding salt – mcan you taste the salt? many thanks
I just wanted to take a second and say thanks for posting such a beautiful blog!! My daughter's 7th birthday is today and I have been back to YOUR blog several times this past week!
I LOVED your pink cake…the graduated color one…so beautiful! I made your favorite frosting this week-the cream cheese one. OH MY-Yummy! I've subscribed to your blog and I can't wait to learn more! I am a beginner as I have been into mostly papercrafts for the past 7 years! Oh, I found your blog through Pinterest! Have a wonderful day!
If I Were to use your cream cheese frosting to ice a birthday cake, would I still be able to use the paper towel method? (smoothing with a viva towel once chilled). Will the cream cheese frosting melt? Or does it stay in place like the buttercream?
Your buttercream frosting is the first I've made from my recipe "pins" from pinterest and I am so impressed with the flavor and smoothness! Thank you for the little details in the blog that made a big difference. Can't wait to try another of your recipes! Thank you!
I just made this, and it was dynamite! It is the best frosting I've made ever, and I've made a lot of different frostings trying to find the perfect one. Well, this is the perfect one. I added the 4 oz cream cheese, and it was wonderful. Thank you for sharing!
Do you know if the cupcakes need to be refrigerated once they are frosted if I use cream cheese in it? If so, how long can they realistically sit out before eaten?
I am always on the search for the Holy Grail of frostings. I think I have found it. This was absolutely dreamy!
Loved your American buttercream! Yummy and easy amounts. I frosted 16 cupcakes with my batch, with a very generous amount on each one. Yum! I will try a little cream cheese next time!
This recipe is delicious! I only put in about 3 cups of powdered sugar because I didn't think it needed that extra cup and they were still super sweet and yummy!
If you used table salt, and your buttercream looks grainy, try dissolving the salt in whatever liquid you plan to use in your frosting.
I used this amazing recipe for one of my baking adventures. Thanks for the inspiration!
http://lovehatebake.com/2012/03/08/first-bake-date/
WHat tip did you use on these?
This looks frosting looks perfect! Do you use this same frosting for cakes? I am looking for a good buttercream for birthday cake decorating.
This frosting recipe was a HUGE success in my home the other day!!! It was a little too soft and runny…and adding more powdered sugar didn't help…but I am definitely going to keep tweaking it cause it was soooo good! Thank you! Oh…and your vanilla cupcake recipe is by far the BEST I have made yet! The oil is definitely the secret key!
I have a question: How long can I store butter cream frosting if I make it ahead? Do you store it in the refrigerator?
Thanks for the great recipes! I have made you vanilla cupcakes many times now and the butter cream frosting also. I sure enjoy your site!
I made this frosting for the first time today and it came out so good!! I was delicious and everyone enjoyed it! Thank you for posting your recipe.
This frosting and vanilla cake recipe cake out perfect for a birthday cake I made over the weekend. I always feel like from scratch recipes are going to be so much work, but the recipes were easy to follow and the results were worth it! Thanks.
What is a good vanilla extract
to buy? And where can I find it?
How many cupcakes does this recipe frost?
May I please ask what you use to color your frosting? I am very new at this and am going to be making cupcakes for my daughters 1st birthday and want to make my frosting colors match my polka dot theme…. Help please
Thank you so much for this recipe. My daughter's birthday cupcakes turned out perfect. I made the cream cheese icing and everyone is raving about it.
I also would like to know how many cupcakes this will frost? I’m having a graduation party this Saturday for my son and will be using the perfectly chocolate and vanilla cupcake recipes. I’m planning on 48 cupcakes total.
I will be coloring 24 yellow-gold and 24 blue.
Glory replied: — June 13th, 2012 @ 6:26 pm
Lisa- It depend on how you frost the cupakes, but with an averal sized swirl (similar to what is pictured) you should be able to frost 18-24 cupcakes. You can always adjust the ingredients just a bit to make sure you have enough for 24 cupcakes in each color… maybe increase each ingredient amound by about 25% (you will likely end up with extra frosting this way… so you’ll have to use you best judgement). Happy Frosting!
I just wanted to let you know that I made 75 cupcakes for my niece’s graduation and used the cream cheese variation of this icing and it got rave reviews! There were tons of treats there but everyone went out of their way to comment on how tasty the icing was. Thanks for such a great recipe!
How many cupcakes will this cover??
Glory replied: — June 21st, 2012 @ 1:32 am
If you pipe a swirl similar to what is pictured, you should be able to frost 22-24 cupcakes.
My butter cream NEVER turns out like this and it always tastes like butter! I’ve made butter cream twice and ended up throwing out the entire batch both times because it tasted too buttery and not sweet at all. I can’t get my butter cream to look like the picture above at all. HELP?
Glory replied: — June 30th, 2012 @ 3:07 am
Jennifer- Have you tried this recipe, and followed my directions? This frosting is very sweet, in fact I usually add at least a 1/2 block of cream cheese to balance the sweetness. The most common mistake made when making frosting is using butter that is too warm, or adding too much liquid, so that the end result is too soft to pipe.
How long will this keep in fridge? Can you freeze it?
This is the BEST buttercream EVER!
Ansa
Glory replied: — July 12th, 2012 @ 1:45 am
Ansa- So glad you are enjoying the recipe! This should keep well in the fridge for at least a week. Just make sure there are no strong odors in your fridge that might effect the flavor of your frosting. This can be frozen as well, but should be brought back to room temperature and re-whipped for best texture.
Thanks so much for posting this recipe and the how-to’s. I used a double batch of this recipe with one block of cream cheese and it came out awesome. It’s still quite sweet but the cream cheese cut it down a bit. This is my first time decorating cupcakes and this was very easy to pipe. Mine came out a lot shinier for some reason but it looks nice both ways. I used the Wilton 1M tip and this held its shape very well on all the colors I used gel coloring in. It did get less crisp looking with liquid food coloring so I’ll stick to gel. I got 42 cupcakes frosted with the double batch with leftover frosting so for me the double batch would do 4 dozen (if I hadn’t run out of cake batter !)
Loved this frosting!
Wow the cupcakes turned out perfect…even after whisking the eggs (no beater!) and a too-hot oven
thank you for posting your amazing recipes!
I’ve been making your vanilla cupcakes with the plain American buttercream for 2 weeks. I’m still tweaking it trying to get it as perfect in pictures as yours ;-D They taste amazing!
If you need a pure white frosting, do you substitute the butter with Cisco? If so, is that an equal substitution or do you increase or decrease the Crisco?
For all those asking about the tip, I didn’t have any tips large enough and just used an empty standard Wilton coupler with great results.
Thanks for doing all the legwork towards perfect cupcakes then sharing with all of us, Glory!
Does anyone have this in UK measurements? It looks perfect but I would need it in oz or grams! Many thanks!
:)
Two really big thumbs up!, I tried many buttercream frostings for our twin boys 5th birthday party and this was hands down the best. Thank you!!!
How many days in advance you can decorate cupcales with this frosting? How long can they be left outside the fridge in warm weather? I’m decorating cupcakes for my wedding and obviously can’t do it on the wedding day
Just wanted to drop by and say thank you for the American Buttercream recipe and the chocolate cupcake recipe. I like to use baking as a casual math exercise for my 12 year old daughter (an excellent way to reinforce fractions!) and it helps when we find recipes our whole family enjoys. I’ve envied the creations on your website for over a year now and am inspired by your talent!
Blessings, — Jill Welch
Best buttercream ever!! Thank you!!!
Just made this frosting, but I added food coloring to make a nice light orange and cinnamon to taste and it turned out absolutely delicious. I’m pairing it with a white cake recipe out of a Better Homes cook book and I’m going to add a bit of nutmeg into those for a combination of the two. Hoping for a nice cupcake to remind me of fall, and testing it out for Thanksgiving. Thanks for the awesome recipe!
I just tried making this frosting a few nights ago and the consistency did not turn out like the picture at all .. I even added the cream cheese. Can anyone tell me what I am doing wrong? My frosting doesn’t look like the picture at all. It looks too sugary and not thick enough. I whipped it up very good … HELP?!
Glory replied: — August 27th, 2012 @ 9:42 pm
Hi Jennifer, Sorry it didn’t work out for you the first time. Make sure your butter and cream cheese are nice and cool, and beat the butter alone first, until smooth, then add the cream cheese and beat until smooth before adding the sugar. I’m not sure how it could look “sugary”, since the recipe calls for powdered sugar, which does not have granules big enough to see. If the frosting is too thin after it’s made (possibly if you home is warm or if a bit too much liquid was added), put the full bowl of finished frosting in the fridge for 15 minutes to an hour. It should be plenty firm enough to pipe by then. Best of luck!
can we cut down on the amount of sugar so that the frosting won’t be too sweet? btw, i LOVE your site. great pictures, great tips & techniques! thank you
Glory replied: — September 2nd, 2012 @ 9:47 pm
Feel free to adjust the recipe and experiment to your tastes. If you want the recipe to be less sweet, I would first increase the butter, and/or add cream cheese.
I am making cupcakes for my grandson’s 1st birthday and I finally found a website that was so helpful. I learned so much. I did a practice run earlier this week. I thought that your butter had to be warm, so I had mine sitting on the counter for at least 2 hours. I now know that after visiting your site the butter should still be cool. Also I learned that by adding the cream cheese this will cut back a little on the sweetness. I also watched your video on how to decorate cupcakes and it was very helpful. This will definitely be my go to site for cupcake recipe’s and great advice. I feel a little more confident now and I will be using your recipe’s and technique’s. Thank you so much!!
Can I get the ratio you used to get this beautiful teal blue?
please and thank you!
Glory replied: — September 28th, 2012 @ 7:24 pm
This frosting is made from using 1 or 2 drops of Americolor sky blue coloring.
Any advice on how to dye the frosting red? I use the Wilton food coloring and consistently end up with a deep pink color.
Glory replied: — September 28th, 2012 @ 7:26 pm
It is very difficult to get a rich red color with Wilton coloring. I prefer to use Americolor brand, and I use the “super red” to get a true red. If all you have to work with is the Wilton brand, try adding a tiny bit of purple or burgandy to get a deeper color.
I have made this frosting 2 times and it is simply the BEST! Which tip did you use to pipe them so beautifully?
Glory replied: — October 8th, 2012 @ 4:05 pm
The cupcakes pictured are frosted with a large round tip, with an opening about 5/8″ wide. I have a full post on frosting cupcakes, which shows this tip and others here, http://www.glorioustreats.com/2011/08/cupcake-basics-how-to-frost-cupcakes.html
Happy baking!
Thank you for this recipe. I used it for my little girl’s birthday cake, and it was perfect even for a beginner like me!
http://reidgirlshandmade.blogspot.com/2012/06/princess-dinner.html
Glory replied: — October 8th, 2012 @ 4:07 pm
Sarah, You did such a beatiful job with the cake and the whole party! Thanks for sharing!
Does this frosting need to be refrigerated? Im looking for a good filling for red velvet cupcakes without refrigeration?
thank you
Do you know if the new flavor packages that have come out can be added as a flavoring? Would you use a whole pack? I’ld like to try this with the cotton candy flavoring.
Glory replied: — November 12th, 2012 @ 8:05 pm
I have not tried the flavor packets, but I’m sure they would work fine with this recipe. As with any flavoring, you could start with a small amount, taste it, then adjust to your tastes.
I made this recipe for my cousins wedding cake, and also an additional 148 cupcakes. It was fabulous! I got a ton of compliments. It wasn’t too sweet and it was so smooth. I used the cream cheese version and it wasn’t too cream cheesy at all. It was perfect. I have another wedding this weekend and I am using the frosting for the cake again. It was a hit! Thank you thank you Thank you!
Glory replied: — November 28th, 2012 @ 5:22 pm
Thanks for your sweet comments! So glad everyone enjoyed it!
how many cupcakes will this recipe cover?
Glory replied: — December 12th, 2012 @ 4:44 am
If you frost them with a swirl similar to the photo you will be able to frost 20-22 cupcakes. It will cover quite a few more if you are just spreading the frosting on.
will the weather affect the stiffness of the frosting? I live in the Philippines and the weather here is kinda warm to hot
Can you use this on cut-out cookies? Is there a way to make it sos it will be stiff enough to hold up/dry to stack them between waxed paper, or not so much?
I can’t wait to try it with your Vanilla Cupcake recipe. I’m making mini cupcakes for my sister’s baby shower. Quick question: When do you add coloring, at the end? Will food coloring work in a pinch? I just want a light yellow and don’t want to spring for a whole tube. of gel. Thanks!
Just finished making chocolate cupcakes with this frosting: the frosting was very easy to make, but I found it to be too sweet for my liking. I will use this recipe again, but will alter it slightly. thanks for the great recipe
I love this frosting and your website. You are great to share all this information with us. I am making 100 cupcakes for a bridal shower and I WILL only use your butter cream frosting because it is so good. Does it have to be refrigerated? The shower is at 10:00 a.m. on a Saturday and I wanted to make them on Friday evening. Any suggestions to keep them fresh?
This frosting is so delicious and all of my friends love it. But it always turns out a little bit grainy, and I am looking for a smoother look. Does anyone know what may help? I do add the cream cheese to this recipe,
Just tried this recipe I have never frosted anything before and this recipe was perfect I also used your frosting tutorial and I can’t believe how easy it was. Thank you!
Glory replied: — April 26th, 2013 @ 2:02 am
Yay, so glad you enjoyed it!
Hello, I LOVE all your recipes listed, you are truly talented! I have a quick question though, will this recipe frost two round 9×9′s?
Glory replied: — May 18th, 2013 @ 3:03 am
Yes =)