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.
247 Comments
Hi could you tell me what size cake this fills and covers please im doing a 8 inch 2 layered cake i think all your recipes are great
Hi Linda! So glad to hear you’re loving the recipes 😀
This recipe will be enough for an 8 inch two layer cake 🙂
If you want to do a lot of piping then I would recommend making a bit more (maybe 1.5x the recipe). Hope that helps!
Hi MK,
Can I use this recipe in summer and rainy weather? How long can I keep my cake out after using this frosting?
Thank you.
Hi Diane! 🙂 Yes this buttercream is stable enough for hot weather, just be sure not to keep it in direct sunlight and allow the fully frosted cake to chill well in the fridge before taking it out in the heat. Rainy weather should be fine too 🙂
You can keep the cake out at room temp for the day, but overnight it’s best to refrigerate it (if the cake is sliced, then be sure to pop it into an airtight container before refrigerating otherwise the cake will dry out). Hope you enjoy the recipe! 🙂
Is a single batch enough for a 2 layer round cake (either 8 or 9 inch)? Or do I need a double batch?
Hi Jaimie! 🙂 As a guide, a single batch will be enough for an 8 inch 2 layer cake, though if you want to do a full crumb coat and final coat with full coverage and a bit of piping then I’d advise making 1.5x the recipe just so you don’t run short 🙂
From your video I heard you talk about how important the butter’s temperature is before making the buttercream. About what temperature would that be? Thanks!
Hi Brian! 🙂 I don’t know the exact temperature sorry, but the consistency should be soft that you can easily make an indent in the butter with your finger, but not too soft that it doesn’t hold it’s shape. If you find that after whipping the frosting, the buttercream seems a bit firm with a yellow color to it and not very fluffy, then you can ever so slightly heat up the buttercream so it becomes a bit softer and then re-whip it 🙂
Hope that helps and hope you enjoy the recipe 🙂
If I put in frig how do I thaw it?
Hi Aracelis! 🙂 Once ready to use, let it come to room temp and then re-whip for a minute or so to make it smooth again 🙂
If you find the frosting curdles a bit when re-whipping, it just means the butter is still a tad cold so just warm the frosting a little bit (not too much otherwise it will melt) and then whip 🙂
I tried your macaron recipe and it came out great! I’ll give this buttercream recipe a shot. I made mermaid-themed fondant decorations (mermaid tails, starfish, shells) that I’d like to stick to the cake. Is this buttercream strong enough to hold them or is it too soft like whipped cream? The cake will be indoors with air-conditioning. Thank you!
Hi Tina! So glad to hear you loved the macaron recipe 😀
Hmm good question – so when in the fridge the frosting does become hard, but at room temp is soft (like Swiss meringue buttercream). Fondant is a tad on the heavy side though so you may want to use a more firm buttercream just to be sure they don’t fall 🙂
Hello ,
Can this be made ahead and frozen?
Hi Christine! 🙂 I haven’t tried freezing this frosting recipe myself, but I think it should be fine. You could try freezing a small batch first just to make sure.
Once it’s completely thawed, re-whip it to bring it back to a fluffy consistency 🙂
Hello, and thank you for posting your great recipe! How long would a cake stay fresh with your buttercream on it in the fridge? And is it possible to freeze a frosted cake like this as well? Thank you for your advice!
You’re so welcome Mollie! So glad you loved the frosting 🙂
In the fridge, the buttercream should stay fresh up to a week. I haven’t tried freezing this frosting myself, so I would recommend trialling it and maybe putting a small amount in the freezer and then letting it defrost and checking to see if the consistency stays the same once defrosted 🙂
Hope that helps Mollie!
Heating ir has been a game changer for me. Thanks so much 🤩
Awesome Sue! Yes heating is my fav trick to getting super smooth frosting 😀
Can this be used for a crumb coat on a cake please? Thanks
Hi Emma! Yes this should work great as a crumb coat 🙂
Hope you enjoy the recipe!
This is perfectly sweet, silky, and so tasty. Thank you! From now on, I’m not doing anything else. We even added colour (many drops, I stopped counting) and it keeps its smooth texture.
Awesome! So happy to hear you loved the frosting recipe Pascale 😀