Buttercream Frosting
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With all the cake recipes that I’ve been sharing lately, I thought you might be in need of a buttercream frosting to go with them. Here’s my super-simple, super-tasty recipe.
Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Makes enough frosting for a 13×9 cake or a two-layer 8×8 or 9×9 cake. Also works well for frosting cookies.
Ingredients
1 lb of powdered sugar (about 3-1/2 cups sifted)
1 stick butter, softened (1/2 cup)
4-5 Tbsp milk
1 Tbsp vanilla
Tip: Invest in a kitchen scale. It comes in handy, when you have ingredients like powdered sugar to weigh out. I think I paid $10 for mine. There’s really no need to spend a lot on one.
What You Do:
Cream the butter and sugar together. Then, add the vanilla and milk. Start with four tablespoons of milk. Only add the fifth tablespoon, if the frosting is thicker than you’d like it to be. Beat until the frosting is smooth.
This will give you a frosting with enough body to hold peaks, so it’ll work well for piping or frosting.
If the frosting is thicker than you’d like it to be, just add a bit more milk. If it’s thinner than you’d like it to be, add a bit more powdered sugar. Frosting is incredibly forgiving, and easy to customize to your needs.
I recommend working with your buttercream at room temperature. It’ll be much easier to spread or pipe. If you’re pulling it out of the refrigerator to use, just allow it to warm on the counter for a bit.
Variations
To make chocolate buttercream frosting, add 2/3 cup cocoa powder or 3 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate (melted and cooled). If you decide to use cocoa powder, you’ll also need to add an additional two Tablespoons of milk to account for the additional dry ingredients.
To make lemon buttercream frosting, omit the vanilla; and replace it with the zest and juice of one lemon.
Buttercream Frosting
Whip up your own buttercream frosting in minutes. Only a few basic ingredients required.
- Total Time: 5 minutes
- Yield: Enough frosting for a 13x9 cake, or 2 8x8 or 9x9 cakes
Ingredients
- 1 lb of powdered sugar (about 3–1/2 cups sifted)
- 1 stick butter, softened (1/2 cup)
- 4–5 Tbsp milk
- 1 Tbsp vanilla
Instructions
Cream the butter and sugar together.
Add the vanilla, and the first 4 Tbsp of milk.
Add the last Tbsp of milk, if the frosting is too thick.
Use at room temperature, for best results.
Notes
- For Chocolate Buttercream Frosting: Add 2/3 cup cocoa powder or 3 ounces of unsweetened baking chocolate (melted and cooled). If you use cocoa powder, add two more Tablespoons of milk to account for the additional dry ingredients.
- For Lemon Buttercream frosting: Omit the vanilla; and replace it with the zest and juice of one lemon.
- Makes enough to frost a 13×9 cake or a two-layer 8×8 or 9×9 cake. Also good on sugar cookies.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Mix
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: buttercream frosting recipe, how to make buttercream frosting
Ready to Try This Buttercream Out?
Here are some recipes that it would work well with:
This is the exact buttercream frosting recipe I used growing up and until my mixer bit the dust. I can attest to how delicious it is! Over the years I noticed that the amount of milk needed to be adjusted up slightly in the winter and down in the summer! Thanks for calling back so many great memories of baking with my Mom and sisters!
Yep, when you spend enough time in the kitchen, you start to realize how much the weather can affect recipes.