The BEST Vanilla Buttercream Frosting!

Your search for the perfect vanilla buttercream frosting stops here!

Although I am partial to whipped cream as my frosting of choice, it just isn’t as sturdy as buttercream. My main gripe with buttercream has been that it is cloyingly sweet, and I’m not a fan of how it seems to crust over when left out for an extended amount of time. Well, the buck stops right here my friends, because I have the buttercream recipe of your dreams!

The secret to this recipe is the addition of heavy cream. You see, adding the cream gives an otherwise heavy buttercream some lightness. It whips up and forms the most smooth and airy frosting, which pipes great and tastes wonderful!

5 from 1 vote

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The BEST Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

Ingredients

• 1 ½ cups unsalted butter, at room temperature
• 3 cups powdered sugar
• ⅙ teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract

Instructions

1. In a large bowl, whip butter on medium-high speed until smooth, about 1 minute.
2. Reduce speed to low and add powdered sugar and salt. Once the sugar is completely incorporated, increase speed to medium-high and whip for 2 minutes.
3. Reduce speed to low and add heavy whipping cream and vanilla. Once it is completely mixed in, increase speed to high and whip until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Remember to scrape the sides of the bowl as necessary.
4. Use as needed and refrigerate leftovers.

Recipe Notes

Frosting can be made and frozen in advance. To use, simply leave on the counter and bring to room temperature. The frosting may need to be whipped lightly to bring back to original consistency.

This recipe makes enough to frost 24 cupcakes or a 2-layer cake.

Recipe adapted from Everyday Annie.