Fundamentals: Buttercream Frosting

by Jamie on January 23, 2011

Post image for Fundamentals: Buttercream Frosting

One of the most common questions that I get from my readers is about buttercream frosting, so I figured this would be the perfect topic for my second Fundamentals post.

Although I have made several types of buttercream frosting recipes, the recipe I am going post is by far my favorite due to its flavor, simplicity, and smooth texture. Essentially, this buttercream recipe can be infused with many different flavors to accompany your dessert.

There are many variations of recipes for buttercream; however, I prefer using unsalted butter for the fat component because I find it to be less greasy than buttercream made with shortening. However, to each their own, if you’re a shortening fan, see the notes in the printable recipe box for this adaptation.

This frosting is extremely easy to pipe on and holds a shape very well. It will flow easily through a variety of piping tips. My favorite being the 1M from Wilton and the large round and large French tips from Bake It Pretty. With this basic buttercream recipe under your belt, you’ll be well on your way to creating cake and cupcake masterpieces.

Fundamental Information

Basic Buttercream- This buttercream is, fast, simple and what you see on most grocery store cakes. It’s essentially fat (butter, margarine, shortening), confectioners’ sugar, and vanilla extract whipped together.
Swiss Meringue Buttercream- This type of buttercream in made by cooking egg whites and sugar together in a bowl placed on a pot of boiling water. The mixture is continuously whisked while it reaches 140° F. The egg white and sugar mixture is then removed from the heat and whipped at high speed until it forms stiff peaks and has cooled.
Italian Buttercream- This buttercream is made by adding simple syrup, which is made by heating sugar and water (soft-ball stage) to the egg-whites and allowing the syrup to cook the egg whites and whipped to form stiff peaks.

Fundamental Gear

-big bowl
-electric mixer; if using a stand mixer I recommend the paddle attachment
-rubber spatula

Uses for Homemade Buttercream

-Frosting for cakes or cupcakes
-cupcake filling
-Sandwiched cookie filling
-Anything that has frosting on the top

Fundamental Additions

-citrus zest (lemon, lime, orange, grapefruit)
-various extracts
-beautify your buttercream by adding a touch of gel dyes ( I prefer AmeriColor)
-Add in cocoa powder or melted chocolate
-garnish your buttercream with various sprinkles; just make sure you do this immediately after you frost your baked goods. Once the top layer of the buttercream crusts, nothing will stick

Save Recipe Print

Buttercream Frosting

Yield: enough buttercream to frost 24 cupcakes or one 9 inch layer cake

Ingredients:

4 sticks unsalted butter, softened
pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 tablespoon clear vanilla extract
2 pounds confectioners’ sugar, sifted
4-6 tablespoons heavy cream or milk

Directions:

1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter until fluffy add in salt. Slowly add in confectioners' sugar, and continue creaming until well blended.

2. Add salt, vanilla, and 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk. Blend on low speed until moistened. Add an additional 1 to 3 tablespoons of heavy cream or milk until you reach the desired consistency. Beat at high speed until frosting is smooth and fluffy.

Notes:

- This recipe will make enough frosting to generously frost 24 cupcakes or one 9 inch layer cake.
- You can easily adjust the consistency of this recipe by simply adding in more heavy cream or milk.
- If you are a fan of shortening in your buttercream. simply omit one stick of butter and replace with 1/2 cup shortening.
- Clear vanilla extract is used in this recipe to keep the frosting nice and white. If you don’t mind a slight color change, feel free to use pure vanilla extract, but decrease the amount to 2 teaspoons.
- Covered and refrigerated frosting can be stored for up to three days. Simply bring it to room temperature and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. You may need to add a couple of teaspoons of heavy cream or milk to revive the consistency.
- If you choose to dye your frosting, go easy with the dye. Remember, you can always add more color, but you can’t remove it.

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{ 84 comments… read them below or add one }

avatar 1 Lauren at KeepItSweet January 23, 2011 at 5:53 pm

Great information regarding buttercream! I like any form in general but real basic buttercream is just so good.

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avatar 2 Michelle January 23, 2011 at 6:09 pm

Awesome post! I like the idea of a fundamentals series on this blog. :)

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avatar 3 Amanda January 23, 2011 at 7:26 pm

I love learning from the best! Great info here!!

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avatar 4 sweet road January 23, 2011 at 7:27 pm

Mmmm I need cupcakes in my life… right now.

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avatar 5 Courtney January 23, 2011 at 7:34 pm

Loving this new topic! Can’t wait to try out this buttercream :)

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avatar 6 Tracy January 23, 2011 at 7:55 pm

Wonderful! I usually use shortening in my buttercream which I’m not necessarily a fan of, so I will have to give yours a try!

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avatar 7 Wenderly January 23, 2011 at 8:04 pm

I could eat that whole bowl of yummy goodness. I’m a *butter* buttercream frosting fan myself. This looks heavenly!

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avatar 8 Sherry Greek January 23, 2011 at 8:23 pm

This is a great post! I make a pretty good buttercream, but this post could help me make it effortless to do. I really like these fundamentals posts=)

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avatar 9 Semalee January 23, 2011 at 8:36 pm

I LOVE homemade buttercream frosting- and now that I make my own I can’t really stomach store bought frosting… so watch out- this can happen to you too!

Semalee @ Nailing Jello to a Tree

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avatar 10 Nikki Mancini January 23, 2011 at 9:01 pm

I always make my own too–with shortening, vanilla extract, butter flavored extract, water,& confection sugar, little salt. I am going to try this one. It wont stand as long in the fridge, but it just might be what I’ve been looking for. Thanks for posting!!

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avatar 11 Amy N January 23, 2011 at 9:31 pm

Mmmmm yum!!! I’m going to have to whip up some of this to slather on some cupcakes!!! Thanks for the recipe and I LOVE your Le Creuset bowl too btw!! :)

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avatar 12 Mrs. Jen B January 23, 2011 at 9:47 pm

Oh, I just want to dive right into that bowl of buttercream. What a great tutorial – thank you!

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avatar 13 Shaina January 23, 2011 at 10:35 pm

Great post on something everyone should know how to do, and it looks like the perfect recipe to top off your favorite cake!

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avatar 14 Miss January 23, 2011 at 10:52 pm

What a great post. I always make cream cheese frosting but next time I will try this one, it sounds really good. I am looking forward to your fundamentals posts. Very helpful.

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avatar 15 Lynette W. January 24, 2011 at 12:08 am

Hi ya! Was wondering if you are going to post the recipes for making the Swiss Meringue and the Italian Buttercreme directions too! I love to have all those different options at my fingertips! Thanks so much!

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avatar 16 Katrina January 24, 2011 at 7:40 am

Oh my! I love buttercream. Your recipe looks so delicious!

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avatar 17 CaSaundra January 24, 2011 at 10:05 am

Such great info! I was always wondering what types of buttercreams there are and how they different–you answered my question and more–thanks! :-)

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avatar 18 Cookbook Queen January 24, 2011 at 10:21 am

Your recipe looks great!!

Everyone needs an awesome buttercream recipe…it’s totally essential.

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avatar 19 naomi January 24, 2011 at 10:30 am

Great post on the buttercream frosting and great series!

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avatar 20 Annalise January 24, 2011 at 12:44 pm

Loving the fundamentals posts, what a fun idea!

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avatar 21 HappyWhenNotHungry January 24, 2011 at 2:41 pm

What a great post and your butter cream recipe looks awesome! Thanks for sharing this fundamentals post!

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avatar 22 Ingrid January 24, 2011 at 2:54 pm

Great buttercream recipe. I have to admit I have never made it from scratch. But I will now! :)

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avatar 23 Anna January 24, 2011 at 3:16 pm

Hey this is very good!
I’ve actually been looking for a simple, basic recipe for buttercream icing, now I found it! Thanks, kind!

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avatar 24 Annie scrumptiousamp.blogspot.com January 24, 2011 at 4:18 pm

Great tips, I love the detail and explanation. Great work, really enjoying your blog.

Annie xxx

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avatar 25 Jess January 24, 2011 at 4:51 pm

Thanks for posting, this is really cool! The picture at the top really drew me in and the buttercream recipe looks really good! I think heavy whipping cream is key!
Jess : )

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avatar 26 yolanda January 24, 2011 at 7:57 pm

thanks for a great recipe!

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avatar 27 Larisa January 25, 2011 at 8:52 pm

Thank you for posting this!!! Ok, I have a *stupid* question. How long do you leave the butter out to soften? Ina Garten says 4 hours or overnight… I am always worried about getting butter too soft. Thanks again!!

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avatar 28 Carrie January 25, 2011 at 8:53 pm

I love your site – it’s very well organized & easy to find recipes!

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avatar 29 Tickled Red January 25, 2011 at 9:13 pm

Love it!! You would be surprised how many places get their buttercream wrong and it is such a turn off, you should want to eat the whole bowl.I can’t wait to try your recipe because I know for sure I’ll lick the spoon clean :)

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avatar 30 Lynette January 26, 2011 at 1:08 am

I was at the grocery store yesterday, looking at the canned frosting and thinking about how expensive it was – when I remembered your post (just yesterday!) about the buttercreme and decided to take on making it from scratch! I will be using it on 2 birthday cakes I have to make this week, and it was just good luck that you posted! Thanks for the idea’s and tips! Hoping this turns out great!

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avatar 31 blackbookkitchendiaries January 26, 2011 at 4:51 pm

thank you for sharing this post. love your method and techniques.

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avatar 32 Lynnette January 27, 2011 at 2:00 pm

I have made this version of buttercream without a hitch and it is very good. A bit sweet but, good. But, every time I try either the swiss or french version my butter curdles. I try very hard to pay attention to the temperatures but to no avail. Will you be going over these versions in the near future??

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avatar 33 Heather January 28, 2011 at 10:25 pm

So I made this tonight and this is the best buttercream I’ve ever made. It was so light and fluffy. The sweetness wasn’t over powering. It was creamy & so delicious. This will definitely be my go to buttercream from here on out.

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avatar 34 shannon February 1, 2011 at 11:40 pm

Question on the powdered sugar… is it 2 pounds then sift or sift to equal 2 pounds?

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avatar 35 Jamie February 2, 2011 at 10:37 am

Shannon-
It’s measure then sift. It totally depends on the way recipes are written in this case the measurement (weight) comes first, then tells you that weight is sifted. Thanks so much!
-Jamie

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avatar 36 CMom February 5, 2011 at 12:09 am

Wow! I just made this. It is amazing! I will never go back to the Wilton shortening recipe EVER again (sorry, Wilton…I still love you for other things). This is the most delicious buttercream recipe I have ever recreated in my kitchen. Thanks!

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avatar 37 shannon February 7, 2011 at 11:00 pm

Thank you, thats what I thought.

One other question for you how much melted chocolate would you add to make it a chocolate buttercream? I was thinking 5oz too much too little?

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avatar 38 Tina March 18, 2011 at 11:02 am

Hi, I’m from Canada and our butter does not come in sticks here.How much doea 1 stick of butter equal in cups.I’m thinking it’s about 1/2 cup.The icing sugar how many cups in the 2 lbs.Thanks so much.Love this site :)

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avatar 39 Jamie March 18, 2011 at 4:31 pm

Tina-
You are correct, 1 stick equals 1/2 cup. Thanks so much for stopping by!
-Jamie

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avatar 40 Cameryn March 22, 2011 at 7:27 am

Hi Jamie, this may be a bit of a dumb question but after you’ve frosted the cupcakes, do they need to be refrigerated or is that not enough milk to matter?

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avatar 41 lisa p April 3, 2011 at 1:29 pm

Just made this buttercream and it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOO good! Easy to work with, not overly sweet. Will definitely be keeping this recipe. Thanks

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avatar 42 Heather Fiend May 1, 2011 at 11:58 am

I tried making this and my frosting ended up very gritty, is there anything I should be doing differently to prevent this from happening?

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avatar 43 Greta May 10, 2011 at 3:57 pm

I love your blog, its so helpful for aspiring bakers like myself! This might be a novice question, but is there a frosting that doesn’t harden?

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avatar 44 Shay May 30, 2011 at 4:42 am

I love trying all of your recipes…. But I can never get that perfect swirl on top of the cupcakes like you can! I was wondering what kind of piping tools you use to get that perfect amount of icing on top to make that swirl??
thanks so much!

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avatar 45 Leah June 6, 2011 at 11:25 pm

Greta: if you work quickly enough it shouldn’t be a problem, but one thing that really helps is running your spatula or icing spreader under some warm water (then drying it off) before using it. If your tool is a bit warm, the icing won’t seize up as much and will be easier to spread. But not letting the icing sit too long is best :)

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avatar 46 Brittany June 17, 2011 at 4:11 pm

Thank you for sharing this recipe.
May I ask how much is 4 sticks of butter? I dont think we have sticks of butter in Canada.
How many ml is 2 pounds of confectioners sugar?
Sorry, i’d greatly appreciate this.

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avatar 47 Jamie June 18, 2011 at 9:46 pm

Brittany–

Each stick of butter is equal to 1/2 cup or 1/4 pound or 8 tablespoons. I honestly have no idea about the ml for the sugar, sorry.

–Jamie

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avatar 48 Kerri July 20, 2011 at 10:47 am

Hello: I am a novice baker, with a new found interest — cupcakes; and I am completely enamored by your website. But I have a question: It appears that many of your butter cream recipes vary from one to the next (beyond their particular nuances, i.e. the addition of citrus zests, gel dyes, fruits, etc., but regarding their fundamental ingredients, i.e. the amount and kind of fat, confectioners sugar, etc.) — why do they vary so much? Do you prefer one butter cream recipe to another based on its texture; ease of piping; or…? Thanks.

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avatar 49 Jamie July 20, 2011 at 6:10 pm

Kerri-
Most of the buttercreams that I use start out with this recipe, they will require modifications based on the other ingredients that I impart to the base recipe. Buttercream is pretty durable, so play around and have fun.
–Jamie

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avatar 50 Tina September 3, 2011 at 6:29 pm

I was very happy to see your fundamentals on buttercream frosting. I am having one problem though. After only hours of my buttercream being piped onto my cupcake it gets a thin hard shell. I assumed it was because I wasn’t using shortening but after reading your post and all the responses I’m not sure if that’s the problem.
I also considered climate but if the bakeries aren’t having this problem then I shouldn’t be either……
Any ideas? (oh the only thing different I do is no salt. I will try it!)
Thank you so much!!

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avatar 51 Jamie September 4, 2011 at 5:38 pm

Tina-
This is a “Crusting Buttercream” if you are looking for a non-crusting buttercream, I’d suggest a Swiss Meringue or Italian Meringue Buttercream instead. Have a great weekend.
Jamie

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avatar 52 Mary September 16, 2011 at 1:05 pm

My favorite, too! I love that fact that (a.) you don’t have to cook anything and wait for it to cool and (b.) you can change the flavor just by adding an emloient, extract, juice, etc. I also like how you included the richest ingredients (and by far the tastiest): butter, cream, etc. rather than shortening, water, etc. PS: I am enjoying your blog!

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avatar 53 starla September 20, 2011 at 2:18 am

Can you make a cream cheese butter cream icing, and how would you suggest doing that? Thank you!

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avatar 54 Melanie November 12, 2011 at 12:15 pm

I am happy to see that this is a crusting buttercream frosting since I was looking for one and had a hard time finding one that didn’t use shortening!
How long should I let it sit before I can expect it to crust?
Thanks

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avatar 55 Jamie November 13, 2011 at 9:47 am

Melanie-
It crusts pretty quickly – I’d say within an hour or so. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie

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avatar 56 Stephanie P January 22, 2012 at 10:24 pm

Looks like Bake It Pretty is closing down. Do you know where else those tips can be purchased?

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avatar 57 Jamie February 1, 2012 at 5:33 pm

Stephanie-
I am so sad to see Bake It Pretty close down, unfortunately – I do not have another source for these tips, but I am searching.
-Jamie

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avatar 58 Sophie Morrell February 1, 2012 at 4:10 pm

Hey, I was just wondering what you, or anyone else would recommend to make my buttercream White? The butter always makes it yellow, and so it doesn’t quite work for the creme egg effect :( xx

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avatar 59 Jamie February 1, 2012 at 5:21 pm

Sophie-
I’d recommend testing out different butter. For instance, I find that Kroger brand unsalted butter is the whitest that I can find. Pair that with clear vanilla extract and you’ll end up with a pretty white frosting. Hope this helps.
-Jamie

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avatar 60 Michelle F. February 5, 2012 at 11:04 am

Great frosting! Just made it this weekend for my son’s bday cake. I did one batch with unsalted butter & one batch with salted butter (was out of unsalted). The salted butter batch came out less sweet (which we liked)!! This recipe is a keeper! Thanks!!

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avatar 61 Marissa February 15, 2012 at 12:11 am

I made this butter cream the other day and it came out wonderful! A suggestion… maybe add some where in your posting that butter cream has to stay cool in order to keep its form. I am a beginner when coming to making butter cream and mine had a very thin texture right after making it and once I put it in the fridge for an hour it had the perfect consistency. It easily frosted 24 cupcakes and after frosting half of my cupcakes I added cocoa powder to make a chocolate butter cream. Over all I love this recipe, just wish I had known in advance it neeed to be kept cool but after finding that out I feel like I am better prepared. I will definitely be making more!

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avatar 62 Missy March 16, 2012 at 8:47 pm

I made this but it seemed very runny? Not sure what I did wrong.

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avatar 63 Jamie March 20, 2012 at 5:29 pm

Missy-
Thanks for stopping by, if your frosting was runny, my best best guess would be that you added to much liquid (milk or heavy cream). I recommend adding the liquid very slowly. Hope this helps.
-Jamie

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avatar 64 Mackenzie April 1, 2012 at 7:14 pm

Seriously, these fundamental tutorials are AWESOME! I am new to cooking and baking, and I have made SO many mistakes that would have been solved if I knew a few of these tricks. Thank you for posting these for cooking newbies like me!

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avatar 65 w8n2xhl April 5, 2012 at 11:00 am

Thanks for this!! I’m about to make cupcakes for my daughter’s birthday to share with her softball team. I’ll need about that much frosting (if not more if I increase the amount of cupcakes by another dozen) Half will be chocolate (base to represent dirt) half will be dyed green for the grass. Then I’m making little cakeballs dipped in colored white chocolate for the softballs and if I’m so inspired, I’ll make softball gloves out of melted Tootsie Rolls that are shaped. A lot of work, I know, but cheaper than a party for her 18th, right?

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avatar 66 Beth April 6, 2012 at 9:40 pm

I just made this for some Easter cupcakes and it is AMAZING!!!!
This was my first time ever making homemade icing.
I am so excited for everyone to try their cupcakes with this absolutely incredible topping!
I had to stop myself from liking the spatula when I was finished.
I’m hoping refridger-ating for a day won’t take anything away from its deliciousness!
Thanks so much!!!!!

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avatar 67 Nancy April 18, 2012 at 3:09 pm

4 sticks of butter seems like an awful lot. Is that correct?

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avatar 68 Jamie April 18, 2012 at 5:11 pm

Nancy-
Yes, this is correct. The recipe makes a lot of frosting. Thanks for stopping by!
-Jamie

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avatar 69 Felicia April 26, 2012 at 1:14 am

How long would these be good if I served them a day after I’ve made the buttercream?

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avatar 70 Jamie May 18, 2012 at 11:51 am

Felicia,

Cupcakes will usually be good for 2-3 days after frosting so long as you keep them refrigerated in an air tight container.

Thanks for stopping by.

- Jamie

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avatar 71 Taneesha April 29, 2012 at 4:45 am

Used your fantastic buttercream on a batch of cupcakes tonight. Not sure if i got the measurements exact as out in Aus. we dont use sticks of butter but I was thrilled with the result all the same, and even more excited to have heaps left over!

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avatar 72 Hadley May 11, 2012 at 12:21 pm

This was a great recipe. Although, I followed your instructions on putting 1 tablespoon of vanilla in it and it tasted toooooooo much like vanilla.

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avatar 73 Jackie May 12, 2012 at 10:07 am

Gonna try this frosting, excited because I hate the taste of the buttercream made with shortening! I do have a question, if your going to use flavor in your buttercream like extracts do you still add the vanilla also?

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avatar 74 Jamie May 13, 2012 at 4:27 pm

Jackie-
I would recommend adding the extracts first – then give it a taste, if it needs a little vanilla, add some in until the flavor suites you! Have a great day.
-Jamie

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avatar 75 Sara May 25, 2012 at 7:45 pm

Hey, thanks for the recipe. I can’t tell you how many different recipes I’ve tried. After countless tossed bowls of icing, I swore I’d never try again! But, one more time can’t hurt. I was just wondering if this icing will harden, and remain hard at room temperature. :)

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avatar 76 Jamie May 26, 2012 at 11:48 am

Sara-
This is a crusting buttercream, so yes, the outside layer will “crust” up a bit. If you are looking for something that will not harden, try a Swiss Meringue Buttercream. I hope this helps.
-Jamie

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avatar 77 Loopy August 9, 2012 at 10:26 pm

Hey, thank you for this wonderful post! I am very excited to try this rendition of traditional American buttercream (I hope it won’t be too buttery—I like a subtle hint of it, not chock full!). I do have a question though—how many cups does this produce? I see it states it can cover 24 cupcakes, but I’m a novice :)

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avatar 78 tasha September 26, 2012 at 7:42 pm

Making cupcakes for my son’s birthday and needed a good buttercream frosting recipe. Sat down at the computer and found this – I love the internet, technology and bloggers!
This is delicious!
I made 1/2 the amount (kindergartners would just make a huge mess of all of it, right?!).
I read that 3 1/2 to 4 c. = 1 lb.
2 cups of powdered sugar worked fine for me to 1/2 the recipe. I frosted 26 cupcakes and I’m licking the bowl!
Thanks for sharing – delicious.
Tasha

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avatar 79 ZK September 29, 2012 at 7:31 pm

Hi there pounds makes how many cups or gms?

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avatar 80 z October 8, 2012 at 9:49 am

Hello! Thank you for this! I’ve always loved baking but I never *got* how to make buttercream frosting. I followed the recipe/s correctly but for some reason, the last buttercream frosting that I made melted and slid right off my banana cake just a few minutes after I piped it on the cake. I’m not sure if I have to refrigerate the frosting before I pipe it on the cake or something since NONE of the many recipes I’ve read mentioned it. I’m not sure if climate has something to do with it since I live in a tropical country where the normal temperature nearly all year round is 32 deg C. Any advice please?

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avatar 81 MBA November 12, 2012 at 8:24 pm

Hello-
I am sorry you had some issues with the recipe. Typically, refrigeration isn’t necessary, so you may first want to try adding the entire amount of powder sugar and then the heavy cream so you can judge the consistency. This allows you to adjust accordingly. Hope this was helpful! Thanks for stopping by and have a great day!
-Jamie

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avatar 82 Nikki October 29, 2012 at 12:03 pm

This frosting is fantastic! The notes were very helpful.

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avatar 83 Pamela January 11, 2013 at 4:46 pm

This is by far the most delicious buttercream recipe I have ever used. Delicious! Infinitely better than the Wilton recipe I had been using. I used high quality vanilla extract DOUBLE strength from Penzeys & I think that really added to the flavor as I still used 1 tablespoon. To my knowledge, clear vanilla extract is all imitation? Thanks so much for the recipe!

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avatar 84 JenM January 25, 2013 at 1:37 am

Thank you for this!! Your recipe told me why mine wasn’t allowing my grass to be … well, grassy. It was coming out too mushy. Added some more powdered sugar and that did the trick! Thank you for sharing your recipes!!! :)

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