Basic Vanilla Buttercream Recipe

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Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

total: 5 mins

Yield: Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

simple vanilla frosting

Ingredients

Ingredient Checklist

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar

1/2 cup milk

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

total: 5 mins

Yield: Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

simple vanilla frosting

Gallery

Read the full recipe after the video.

Recipe Summary

total: 5 mins

Yield: Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

Recipe Summary

total: 5 mins

Yield: Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

total: 5 mins

total:

5 mins

Yield: Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

Makes enough for 30 cupcakes

simple vanilla frosting

Ingredients

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
6 to 8 cups confectioners’ sugar
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Directions

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth and creamy, 2 to 3 minutes. With mixer on low speed, add 6 cups sugar, milk, and vanilla; mix until light and fluffy. If necessary, gradually add remaining 2 cups sugar to reach desired consistency.

Reviews (30)

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769 Ratings

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Reviews (30)

Add Rating & Review

769 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

3 star values:

2 star values:

1 star values:

Add Rating & Review

769 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

3 star values:

2 star values:

1 star values:

769 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

3 star values:

2 star values:

1 star values:

769 Ratings

5 star values:

4 star values:

3 star values:

2 star values:

1 star values:

5 star values:
172
4 star values:
247
3 star values:
215
2 star values:
97
1 star values:
38

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

03/14/2017

                This was easy, fast and tasty!  The consistency was great and even better set up in fridge.  Mine was not runny and if it had been I would have added more sugar.  And it was not too sweet to me!  Husband loved it!  Will be making this recipe again!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

06/21/2015

                This was horrible. It was all sugar so we had half the sugar and add milk. I would not recommend this recipe we had to add a lot of cream cheese. I hope this helps you make your decision. It wasn't even icing and tasted DISCUSTING after 40 minutes of blending.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

05/13/2014

                I like the recipe.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

11/19/2012

                this recipe is yummy, but does anyone know how long it lasts before it goes off? how long do you have to use it? as it makes quite a lot, i used it for my victoria sponge cake- made using two 8 inch sandwich tins, and even after sandwiching the layers together with it and putting some over tops and sides of cake, I still had half a load left!!! best made with lurpak though as any other butter will  make buttercreams too buttery and lurpak has a more mild flavour.  can substitute milk for water.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

10/21/2012

                Too sweet but good. I added like one teaspoon of lemon juice.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

08/12/2011

                delicious! super creamy - used just a little over 6 cups  (sugar) and i threw in extra vanilla. i will be using this again and again. perfect with chocolate fudge cupcakes!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

03/01/2011

                I am in love with this recipe.  It is def my go to recipe for frosting.  Simple and ingredients that I normally have on hand.  However, the cupcake recipe I use calls for 24 cupcakes and I find that cutting this recipe in half gives me more than enough frosting.  Also, a suggestion I tried today, I cupback a little bit ont he milk and used about a 1 tbsp of lemon juice and it added a nice tropical flavor to it!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

10/31/2010

                Love this frosting!! It's a little sugary sweeter than other buttercream I have tried, but I thought it was a good thing! It went perfectly with Billy's vanilla cupcakes.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

09/19/2010

                This buttercream is simple

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

07/26/2010

                Mine turned out perfectly! I'm a pretty novice baker. I also live at a high altitude, so I made the necessary adjustments. I think the recipe is PERFECT! YUM!!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

06/08/2010

                When you made your icing that was really watery, did you use a non fat milk?  That is all I can think of.  The more fat in some hard to mix ingredients, the easier it will blend.  I think it is called emulsifying.  Try using [filtered] milk and make sure you add your ingredients in the right order.
                
                angiegirl62 - did you use 2 Tbsp of baking soda? or 1 Tbsp?  or maybe you overfilled the cups?  I just want to make sure my batch turns out well. lol!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

04/24/2010

                In the video - Billy says to put in 2 TBS of baking soda but the recipe indicates 1 TBS.  Please clarify.   This is consistently an issue with recipes on your website!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

03/21/2010

                WOW! This is probably the best buttercream icing I've found. To make it extra vanilla-y, I added the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean :)  No lumps or grittiness, nice and smooth.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

02/03/2009

                i tried the cupcakes and didn't even make it to the frosting because when i took the first pan out of the oven, the batter had bubbled and expanded during baking and had come up out of the cups and spread all over the top of the muffin pan. Why did my batter explode? Anyone have any ideas?

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

02/01/2009

                LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! No probs making it at all. Result, yum!!!  I've only just discovered baking through Martha's Cookie cookbook.  Discovered that as nice as they were, I'm a cupcake gal.  Now trying lots of recipes much to my hubbie, friends and families delight.  Thanks Martha for introducing me to baking.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

12/16/2008

                hi im mexican so i dont know if you refer to 325n  n  f or n  n  c
                the cupcakes soud great :D

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

11/27/2008

                I have no idea u guys ever make this!! (dont mind me , im just pissed with myself) I tried to salvage my mixture for 2 WHOLE HOURS. I just kept stirring and stirring, with and without the electric mixer. But mine totally failed. The milk just keep sipping out of the mixture. Then i thought, how could butter and milk ever combine?? So, i just threw 2 hours of effort away bcos the mixture was full of small lumps and wet milk

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

08/17/2008

                I used this recipe on chocolate cupcakes (recipe from the back of a Hershey's cocoa can- YUMMY!) but only used 4 cups of the powdered sugar and my guest went nuts! I feel I have finally found the best combo of chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. Life is good!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

06/28/2008

                Did anyone catch where Billy gets his white sprinkles?

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

05/19/2008

                Wonderful tasting buttercream recipe. I cut down a bit on the butter and it still turned out great. One of my favorites. Added a few sprinkles on top and everyone was suitably impressed.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

05/15/2008

                Lolitalinda:  
                Make sure your butter is room temperature and not melted, and really make sure you cream the butter well.  This is sooo important.  Once you've made the frosting, keep it refrigerated and covered until you are ready to use it.  If it gets too warm, it will get "melty."  Any baker will tell you that buttercream has a tendency to melt.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

05/14/2008

                I love this frosting - made a bit on the stiff side and it pipes perfectly! These cupcaske are always a big hit in my family and at work.  Try spreading a little orange or lemon curd between the cupcake and the frosting - extra yummy!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

05/13/2008

                I actually live across the street from Billy's and I cant have enough of them! so i decided to make the frosting at home, tragedy!! i followed the recipe and it was horrible!! it was massivly watery! was it the milk?? i ended up adding almost 2 boxes of sugar i even refrigerated for like 10 minutesand nothing!! watery!!!!!
                does anybody have maybe a clue where i went wrong??

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

04/30/2008

                im going to have to try this they look deliouses kimwylie0523!

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

04/13/2008

                I did not think that this frosting was anything special. It just doesn't have any flavor and I am a vanilla lover.

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

03/01/2008

                Oh, pictures:
                
                http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/KimboBleep/Food Photos/100_2149.jpg
                http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/KimboBleep/Food Photos/100_2133.jpg
                http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/KimboBleep/Food Photos/100_2129.jpg

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

03/01/2008

                Yummmmm!!  This frosting rocks my world!  I made cupcakes for my community band (we're doing a birthday tribute concert for Leroy Anderson) and needed a simple and tasty frosting to top them off with.  I added food coloring, which blended easily, and topped them off with sprinkling sugar.  They're delicious, and I can't WAIT to share them!  (possible update??)

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: Unrated

01/02/2008

                Wonderful frosting but I made some changes and made a smaller batch. 1 1/4c butter (some salted that I had lying around), 1 1/3c sugar and enough milk to make it frosting like, approx. 1/4c. It was perfect! Just as tasty as all of the other famous bakeries... Magnolia, The Cupcake Cafe

Martha Stewart Member

Rating: 5 stars

03/14/2017

                This was easy, fast and tasty!  The consistency was great and even better set up in fridge.  Mine was not runny and if it had been I would have added more sugar.  And it was not too sweet to me!  Husband loved it!  Will be making this recipe again!

Rating: 5 stars

Rating: Unrated

06/21/2015

                This was horrible. It was all sugar so we had half the sugar and add milk. I would not recommend this recipe we had to add a lot of cream cheese. I hope this helps you make your decision. It wasn't even icing and tasted DISCUSTING after 40 minutes of blending.

Rating: Unrated

05/13/2014

                I like the recipe.

Rating: Unrated

11/19/2012

                this recipe is yummy, but does anyone know how long it lasts before it goes off? how long do you have to use it? as it makes quite a lot, i used it for my victoria sponge cake- made using two 8 inch sandwich tins, and even after sandwiching the layers together with it and putting some over tops and sides of cake, I still had half a load left!!! best made with lurpak though as any other butter will  make buttercreams too buttery and lurpak has a more mild flavour.  can substitute milk for water.

Rating: Unrated

10/21/2012

                Too sweet but good. I added like one teaspoon of lemon juice.

Rating: Unrated

08/12/2011

                delicious! super creamy - used just a little over 6 cups  (sugar) and i threw in extra vanilla. i will be using this again and again. perfect with chocolate fudge cupcakes!

Rating: Unrated

03/01/2011

                I am in love with this recipe.  It is def my go to recipe for frosting.  Simple and ingredients that I normally have on hand.  However, the cupcake recipe I use calls for 24 cupcakes and I find that cutting this recipe in half gives me more than enough frosting.  Also, a suggestion I tried today, I cupback a little bit ont he milk and used about a 1 tbsp of lemon juice and it added a nice tropical flavor to it!

Rating: Unrated

10/31/2010

                Love this frosting!! It's a little sugary sweeter than other buttercream I have tried, but I thought it was a good thing! It went perfectly with Billy's vanilla cupcakes.

Rating: Unrated

09/19/2010

                This buttercream is simple

Rating: Unrated

07/26/2010

                Mine turned out perfectly! I'm a pretty novice baker. I also live at a high altitude, so I made the necessary adjustments. I think the recipe is PERFECT! YUM!!

Rating: Unrated

06/08/2010

                When you made your icing that was really watery, did you use a non fat milk?  That is all I can think of.  The more fat in some hard to mix ingredients, the easier it will blend.  I think it is called emulsifying.  Try using [filtered] milk and make sure you add your ingredients in the right order.
                
                angiegirl62 - did you use 2 Tbsp of baking soda? or 1 Tbsp?  or maybe you overfilled the cups?  I just want to make sure my batch turns out well. lol!

Rating: Unrated

04/24/2010

                In the video - Billy says to put in 2 TBS of baking soda but the recipe indicates 1 TBS.  Please clarify.   This is consistently an issue with recipes on your website!

Rating: Unrated

03/21/2010

                WOW! This is probably the best buttercream icing I've found. To make it extra vanilla-y, I added the scrapings of 1 vanilla bean :)  No lumps or grittiness, nice and smooth.

Rating: Unrated

02/03/2009

                i tried the cupcakes and didn't even make it to the frosting because when i took the first pan out of the oven, the batter had bubbled and expanded during baking and had come up out of the cups and spread all over the top of the muffin pan. Why did my batter explode? Anyone have any ideas?

Rating: Unrated

02/01/2009

                LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT! No probs making it at all. Result, yum!!!  I've only just discovered baking through Martha's Cookie cookbook.  Discovered that as nice as they were, I'm a cupcake gal.  Now trying lots of recipes much to my hubbie, friends and families delight.  Thanks Martha for introducing me to baking.

Rating: Unrated

12/16/2008

                hi im mexican so i dont know if you refer to 325n  n  f or n  n  c
                the cupcakes soud great :D

Rating: Unrated

11/27/2008

                I have no idea u guys ever make this!! (dont mind me , im just pissed with myself) I tried to salvage my mixture for 2 WHOLE HOURS. I just kept stirring and stirring, with and without the electric mixer. But mine totally failed. The milk just keep sipping out of the mixture. Then i thought, how could butter and milk ever combine?? So, i just threw 2 hours of effort away bcos the mixture was full of small lumps and wet milk

Rating: Unrated

08/17/2008

                I used this recipe on chocolate cupcakes (recipe from the back of a Hershey's cocoa can- YUMMY!) but only used 4 cups of the powdered sugar and my guest went nuts! I feel I have finally found the best combo of chocolate cupcakes with vanilla buttercream. Life is good!

Rating: Unrated

06/28/2008

                Did anyone catch where Billy gets his white sprinkles?

Rating: Unrated

05/19/2008

                Wonderful tasting buttercream recipe. I cut down a bit on the butter and it still turned out great. One of my favorites. Added a few sprinkles on top and everyone was suitably impressed.

Rating: Unrated

05/15/2008

                Lolitalinda:  
                Make sure your butter is room temperature and not melted, and really make sure you cream the butter well.  This is sooo important.  Once you've made the frosting, keep it refrigerated and covered until you are ready to use it.  If it gets too warm, it will get "melty."  Any baker will tell you that buttercream has a tendency to melt.

Rating: Unrated

05/14/2008

                I love this frosting - made a bit on the stiff side and it pipes perfectly! These cupcaske are always a big hit in my family and at work.  Try spreading a little orange or lemon curd between the cupcake and the frosting - extra yummy!

Rating: Unrated

05/13/2008

                I actually live across the street from Billy's and I cant have enough of them! so i decided to make the frosting at home, tragedy!! i followed the recipe and it was horrible!! it was massivly watery! was it the milk?? i ended up adding almost 2 boxes of sugar i even refrigerated for like 10 minutesand nothing!! watery!!!!!
                does anybody have maybe a clue where i went wrong??

Rating: Unrated

04/30/2008

                im going to have to try this they look deliouses kimwylie0523!

Rating: Unrated

04/13/2008

                I did not think that this frosting was anything special. It just doesn't have any flavor and I am a vanilla lover.

Rating: Unrated

03/01/2008

                Oh, pictures:
                
                http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/KimboBleep/Food Photos/100_2149.jpg
                http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/KimboBleep/Food Photos/100_2133.jpg
                http://i77.photobucket.com/albums/j69/KimboBleep/Food Photos/100_2129.jpg  


                    
                Yummmmm!!  This frosting rocks my world!  I made cupcakes for my community band (we're doing a birthday tribute concert for Leroy Anderson) and needed a simple and tasty frosting to top them off with.  I added food coloring, which blended easily, and topped them off with sprinkling sugar.  They're delicious, and I can't WAIT to share them!  (possible update??)

Rating: Unrated

01/02/2008

                Wonderful frosting but I made some changes and made a smaller batch. 1 1/4c butter (some salted that I had lying around), 1 1/3c sugar and enough milk to make it frosting like, approx. 1/4c. It was perfect! Just as tasty as all of the other famous bakeries... Magnolia, The Cupcake Cafe

All Reviews for Basic Vanilla Buttercream

of Reviews

Reviews:

Most Helpful

Most Positive

Least Positive

Newest

All Reviews for Basic Vanilla Buttercream

of Reviews

Reviews:

Most Helpful

Most Positive

Least Positive

Newest

Reviews:

Most Helpful

Most Positive

Least Positive

Newest

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Recipe Summary#

Ingredients#

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Gallery

Recipe Summary

Ingredients