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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

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Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
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  • Prep 10 min
  • Total 10 min
  • Servings 12
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For many people, cake is just the delivery vehicle for the real star of the show—the frosting. If you agree, you’ll love this five-star buttercream frosting recipe. It’s rich, sweet and foolproof. With 4 ingredients and 10 minutes of effort, this vanilla buttercream frosting will be ready to turn any cake, cookie or cupcake into a special-occasion dessert—never underestimate the power of a good frosting! Memorize this recipe and you’ll always have a frosting to complement whatever’s for dessert. (P.S. If you fall for this recipe, you’ll be glad to know there’s a 2.0 version: Marshmallow Buttercream Frosting is a must try!)
By Betty Crocker Kitchens
Updated Feb 26, 2020

Ingredients

  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 1/3 cup butter, softened
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons milk

Steps

  • 1
    In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.
  • 2
    Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13x9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.

Tips from the Betty Crocker Kitchens

  • tip 1
    Allow your butter to soften at room temperature so it easily beats up smoothly with the powdered (sometimes called confectioner’s) sugar.
  • tip 2
    A real buttercream frosting takes little time to make, can be tinted with food coloring (use paste or gel, not liquid food color), and will hold up to one week if tightly covered and refrigerated.
  • tip 3
    Use a real vanilla; imitations are not recommended. If you can find a vanilla bean paste it’s well worth the investment. The role of vanilla is not only for its flavor value, it also enhances the sweetness of the sugar, so bumping up the vanilla allows you to decrease the amount of sugar in recipes.
  • tip 4
    It’s easy to vary the flavor of this core recipe: stir in a dash of almond extract or grated citrus zest.

Nutrition

170 Calories, 5g Total Fat, 0g Protein, 30g Total Carbohydrate, 29g Sugars

Nutrition Facts

Serving Size: 1 Serving
Calories
170
Calories from Fat
45
Total Fat
5g
8%
Saturated Fat
2 1/2g
13%
Trans Fat
0g
Cholesterol
15mg
5%
Sodium
35mg
1%
Potassium
0mg
0%
Total Carbohydrate
30g
10%
Dietary Fiber
0g
0%
Sugars
29g
Protein
0g
% Daily Value*:
Vitamin A
4%
4%
Vitamin C
0%
0%
Calcium
0%
0%
Iron
0%
0%
Exchanges:
0 Starch; 0 Fruit; 2 Other Carbohydrate; 0 Skim Milk; 0 Low-Fat Milk; 0 Milk; 0 Vegetable; 0 Very Lean Meat; 0 Lean Meat; 0 High-Fat Meat; 1 Fat;
Carbohydrate Choice
2
*Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.

More About This Recipe

  • Four simple ingredients—sugar, butter, vanilla and milk—come together in a homemade frosting recipe that proves the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. Hundreds of home cooks and bakers have used this recipe for decorating cakes, filling layer cakes or topping off a pan of brownies. Before you begin, check out this step-by-step tutorial on making frosting. You’ll learn that a perfect buttercream frosting recipe starts with room-temperature butter that can still hold its shape but is starting to soften at the edges. Test it by pressing a finger into the butter; if it gives and your finger leaves an indent, it’s ready to go. Once you’ve mastered vanilla buttercream frosting, expand your skill set with more frosting recipes.
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