If you’re looking for a silky smooth buttercream frosting recipe that is not too sweet or grainy, then this recipe is it!
I find traditional American style buttercreams way too sweet, so I came up with my own version that has far less icing sugar (in relation to the amount of butter) compared to more traditional recipes. Best part is, it’s still stable enough to use for layered cakes and is great for piping too!
What’s Different With This Buttercream
Usual American style buttercreams that are made with butter and icing sugar (also known as powdered or confectioners sugar), have double the amount of icing sugar compared to butter. This makes a great stable buttercream, however it also makes it very sweet!
This version uses an almost 1:1 ratio of icing sugar to butter, so it’s far less sweet. It also uses a full half cup of cream to help dissolve the icing sugar in the buttercream to make the final product less grainy. Cream is also used in replacement of milk (which is more common in American buttercreams), as it has a higher fat content and provides extra stability to the buttercream when whipped.
This makes this less-sweet buttercream great for using with layered cakes and for piping. The picture below is an example of this frosting used in combination with my white cake recipe.
How Can I Store This Buttercream
Although this recipe is made using ingredients that aren’t usually kept at room temperature (i.e. cream), the high sugar content from the icing sugar and fat from the butter, prevent the frosting from going off immediately. This means you can keep the frosting at room temperature for a day or two, but after that it’s best to refrigerate.
Does This Buttercream Crust?
As great as this recipe is, the only down side is that it does not crust. This means that it may not be suitable for certain cake decorating techniques that require a crusting buttercream.
How to Make Buttercream Frosting
This recipe comes together really easily using only four ingredients!
In the bowl of a stand mixer (see note 1 on recipe card below), add in the butter, icing sugar (also known as powdered or confectioners sugar), vanilla and cream.
Using the paddle attachment, mix on the lowest speed until the ingredients are combined (about a minute), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix for a full 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down half way through.
After 10 minutes, turn the mixer down to the lowest speed for a further minute or so to remove any large air bubbles.
The frosting should be silky smooth and it’s now ready to use! If you find that your buttercream is a bit firm and has a lot of holes, then it means that either the butter or cream was too cold. To fix this, gently heat the buttercream in the microwave for 5 second bursts (don’t heat it for too long otherwise the buttercream will melt), mixing in between each burst until the frosting is softer in consistency and you can easily mix it, and then rewhip it for a few minutes.
Silky Smooth Buttercream Frosting
Print Pin VideoIMPORTANT: For accuracy, I would recommend using the gram measurements provided, as those are the exact quantities I use. Cup measurements are given as estimates (based on US cup measurements) to make it easier for those who do not have a scale.
Ingredients
- 1½ cups (340 g) unsalted butter - room temperature
- 3 cups (375 g) icing sugar - also known as powdered/confectioners sugar
- 2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
- ½ cup (120 g) heavy cream - room temperature. Any cream used to make whipped cream will work.
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer (see note 1), add in the butter, icing sugar, vanilla and cream.
- Using the paddle attachment, mix on the lowest speed until the ingredients are combined (about a minute), and then turn up the speed to a medium high and mix for a full 10 minutes. Scrape the bowl down half way through.
- After 10 minutes, turn the mixer down to the lowest speed for a further minute or so to remove any large air bubbles.
- The frosting should be silky smooth and it's now ready to use! If you find that your buttercream is a bit firm and has a lot of holes, then it means that either the butter or cream was too cold. To fix this, gently heat the buttercream in the microwave for 5 second bursts (don't heat it for too long otherwise the buttercream will melt), mixing in between each burst until the frosting is softer in consistency and you can easily mix it, and then rewhip it for a few minutes.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information are estimates only as they are automatically calculated by a third party application. Actual values may differ based on brands and types of products used.
245 Comments
Hi! I made this buttercream for a cake earlier this week and am using it again for my grandsons cake. Everyone complimented the cake but especially the buttercream. Thank you so much for the recipe ❤️
I’ve been baking at home for over 15 years now, and I could never find a way to like American buttercream. Every recipe I’ve tried has always been hideously gritty and unbearably sugary. But I decided to take a chance on this recipe for a cake I made for a friend because MK’s recipes haven’t failed me yet, and I’m so glad I did! It was not only edible, but delicious, and, as promised, not too gritty. I made one batch, and it was enough to crumb and final coat a 3-layer number cake that was 20cm x 30cm x 7cm. I didn’t have enough for piping, so next time I would make a 1.5 batch or even double it to have enough to decorate with. Thanks MK!
Thanks so much for the wonderful feedback Mel! So glad you loved the frosting 😀
Hi can i use something instead of the cream in this frosting but still get the silky smooth texture
Hi Linda! 🙂
I haven’t tried another ingredient as a substitute myself, but a smaller amount of milk may work. Would love to hear how it goes if you decide to try it out 😀
This is so light, fluffy and delicious! And the first non-chocolate frosting my husband likes! I was a little concerned immediately after mixing the ingredients because it looked like there was hardly any. After the first 5 minutes of beating it easily tripled in volume and became a beautiful pale fluff.
This is for your Soft Lemon Cake with Eggless Lemon Curd, of which both recipes turned out AMAZING. I truly hope I do a decent job frosting the cake, because it deserves to look as good as it tastes! Thank you so much, your recipes were easy to follow for a beginner!
Aww thank you so much for the wonderful feedback Linda! So glad you loved the frosting and the other recipes too 😀
Love this version! So creamy and yet not so sweet. Pretty easy to make for a beginner like me. I did have to microwave the butter mixture for 5 sec bursts for the recipe to work. This recipe requires the butter to be as soft as possible, but still firm.
So glad you loved the frosting Puchka! 😀