Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
Total Time
10 mins
Prep Time
10 mins
Rating
4.71 out of 5 stars
(24)
Ingredients
12 servings
- 1 cup (227 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2½ cups (283 g) powdered sugar, sifted
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
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Preparation
Step 1
Using the whisk attachment of your stand mixer, whip the butter on medium-high speed for 5 minutes, stopping to scrape the bowl once or twice.
Step 2
Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the powdered sugar. Once all of the powdered sugar is incorporated, increase the speed to medium-high and add the vanilla, mixing until incorporated. Whip at medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping the bowl as needed.
Step 3
Frost cake or cupcakes as desired.
Step 4
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Chef's notes
Yield:
This is enough frosting to generously frost 12 cupcakes or a 9×13-inch cake. If you are making 24 cupcakes or need to fill and frost a 2-layer cake, I recommend doubling the recipe.
Equipment:
While a stand mixer with a whisk attachment makes this easy and efficient, you can also use a hand mixer.
Vanilla:
You can substitute an equal amount of vanilla bean paste or the seeds from one vanilla bean for the vanilla extract.
Colored Frosting:
To tint your frosting, I highly recommend gel food coloring.
Favorite Piping Tips:
Ateco #828 (large open star) / Ateco #808 (large plain round) / Ateco #1 (small round for writing and small details)
Chocolate:
For a chocolate version of this recipe, see The Best Chocolate Frosting.
Nutrition information is based on 1/12 of the recipe.
