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.
256 Comments
THANK YOU for sharing this amazing recipe! It is the best buttercream I’ve made. Very smooth and delicious without being overly sweet like typical American buttercream. Deleting ALL other recipes now!
Awww yay! Thanks Andrea so glad you loved the buttercream 😀
Simple, easy and not too sweet!
Thanks Eileen! So glad you enjoyed the frosting 🙂
Excited to try this recipe! I’m decorating a two layer 9 inch cake with a layer of icing in between, do you think the 1x recipe will be enough to achieve this?
Hi Mackenzie! 😊
For a two layer 9-inch cake with a layer of icing in between, 1x the recipe should be enough for basic filling and crumb coat, but if you want full coverage and extra piping decorations, I’d recommend making 1.5x or even 2x the recipe (for a lot of extra piping). Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe! 😊
Hi
Love all your videos. I’ve watched several sites to make whipped buttercream – all suggest whipping cream cold.
Your recipe says whipping cream at room temp.
Can you please clarify?
Hi Sri! 😊
Yes, if you are just whipping cream on its own, cold cream is best. But for this buttercream recipe, using cold cream can actually harden the butter too much, which affects the final texture. So room temperature cream works better here. Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe! 😊
Hi
What quantity would I need for a 8” x 6”
Round cake filled, crumb coat and final coat, Thankyou
Hi Tamara! 🙂
Would that be around an 8inch 3 layer cake? If so, then you will need to double the recipe, maybe even increase the quantity a little more (it will depend on how thick the final coat of frosting will be).
Sorry I couldn’t be of more help but hope this gives you a rough idea 🙂
Hello, is is okay to freeze this buttercream?
Hi Mary! 🙂
I unfortunately haven’t tried freezing this buttercream myself so I am not too sure sorry!
I was looking online specifically for a buttercream frosting that wasn’t gritty. I picked this one because it had a lot of positive reviews. I know why now. Made these for my 5 year olds bday party and it tastes so good. Thank you!!
Awesome! So glad you loved the recipe Stephanie, it’s one of my fav frostings 😀
Hope your child had a wonderful 5th birthday!
Thank you so much for a great video and recipe! I am making 60 cupcakes for an late evening event and I will be icing them in the morning. Can the frosted cupcakes be left at room temperature most of the day or do they need to be refrigerated?
You’re so welcome Theresa! 🙂
If it isn’t too hot, then the cupcakes should be fine to leave out at room temp for the day as the sugar in the frosting will preserve the dairy 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
Hi MK, I love this recipe soo much thank you. What would you recommend adding to make it chocolate flavoured?
Hi Faridah! So happy to hear you’re loving the recipe 😀
Check out the chocolate frosting for my yellow cake recipe: https://cakesbymk.com/recipe/moist-yellow-cake-recipe/
It’s basically a chocolate version of this one 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the chocolate version!
Hi there! Thank you for sharing this recipe!
I’m planning to bake 24 cupcakes—would this recipe yield enough batter for 24, or should I adjust it?
Hi Yuri! You’re so welcome 🙂
Yes 1x this recipe should be more than enough for 24 cupcakes. Hope you enjoy the recipe 😀