Easy Vanilla Buttercream
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When you just need an easy vanilla buttercream, this 3 ingredient American style frosting gets your cakes and cupcakes finished quickly. This recipe will frost 12 cupcakes, and is so easy to double or triple.
I’m not going to spend a ton of time raving about something as simple as a vanilla buttercream. At its core, this recipe is what I pull out when I need a simple vanilla frosting for cakes or cupcakes of basically any flavor.
It takes just 3 ingredients to make, you can easily double, triple, or quadruple it, and it’s just sweet enough to be tasty without being cloying. Plus, since it’s simple and white, you can color it, decorate it, or just slap it on your cake and call it a day.
3 Ingredient Vanilla Buttercream
I love fluffy Italian meringue frostings or tangy cream cheese frostings, but I’m a mom, a business owner…and I’m not a big decorator. Sometimes, we just need frosting.
Instead of turning to the sickly plastic tubs of frosting, I whip this recipe out. It gets the job done every time and you’ll only need:
- Butter – Go for unsalted butter, but a better quality one will give you a better frosting. Note that if you use a very yellow butter (like grass fed) it’ll affect the color.
- Powdered sugar – This recipe uses ¾ of a pound, or 12 ounces. If you’re making more than one batch, prep accordingly!
- Vanilla – I use my homemade vanilla extract here, I strongly encourage using pure at least. Heck, if you’re feeling spunky, go for maple or lemon and change the game! (Only add half the amount for those).
Making & Storing an Easy Vanilla Buttercream
It’s really not hard to make, so I’ll leave the step-by-step for the recipe card below. But one key thing to remember is: make sure the butter is softened, not melted, or cold. Melted butter will leave you with runny, gloopy frosting. Cold butter will leave you with odd chunks.
If for some reason you find the recipe too thick, you can add a ½ teaspoon of milk at a time, and it’ll loosen up.
When you’re done, decorate cooled cupcakes, cookies, or cakes with it. No need to refrigerate it, it’s safe at room temperature for 3 days. A single batch is perfect for 12 cupcakes. If you’re frosting a 2 layer cake (8-9”), I would triple it to be safe. I hate running out of frosting!
If you have leftovers, go ahead and freeze it. It’ll keep in the freezer for 3 months. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight and beat it again until it goes back to the fluffy light texture.
With a simple vanilla buttercream you can literally top any flavor cake. Here are just a few suggestions from the blog, and feel free to experiment!
Easy Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 8 ounces butter, softened* 2 sticks
- 12 ounces powdered sugar* 3/4 lb
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Place the softened butter in a large bowl and beat with a mixer until smooth.
- Add in the vanilla extract and 1/3 of the powdered sugar and begin beating it in on low. (To avoid plumes of sugar clouds).
- Continue adding the sugar until all incorporated, then beat on high until light and fluffy.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information and cooking times are provided as a best estimate. Values may vary based upon ingredients and equipment.
Some things are better left simple and delicious. There’s no sense in changing something that works and this vanilla buttercream works every time!
Bernice, thanks for sharing. It is really delicious on my Chocolate Cupcakes with Vanilla Buttercream
You can never go wrong with a good buttercream and this recipe was so easy to make and had just the right sweetness.
Thanks Sean, I am glad it turned out so well for you!
Such an easy and simple buttercream recipe! Made whipping up our end-of-school cupcakes a breeze, I’ll keep this in my back pocket for any cake.
Thanks Eden, I bet the kids really enjoyed your cupcakes!
A simple and easy-to-make buttercream recipe. I’ll never buy store bought again – this tasted better without all the additives too – thanks!
So good to hear Lauren, I too prefer homemade and knowing exactly what I am putting into our food!
This frosting was a life saver over the weekend. My grandson wanted cupcakes and I wanted a quick, easy and delicious way to frost them! Thank you.
Jacqueline, thanks for sharing, I’m glad you found the recipe to be quick and delicious!
Great go-to recipe for vanilla buttercream! My favorite mom hack is using homemade frosting on cake mix treats and this recipe is perfect for those semi-homemade desserts!
Ashley, I am glad you like my buttercream recipe and it was easy to make!
This buttercream came out so good! So simple, quick and creamy and versatile. I totally recommend it.
Thanks Megane, it is my go to for anything I need a quick frosting for, it colors nicely to for the kiddos birthday celebrations!