How to Make Vanilla Buttercream (Classic American Frosting Recipe)

How to make easy colored buttercream frosting for decorating cupcakes!

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So, you’ve finally baked the perfect batch of gorgeous cupcakes! Now what? Thus far, you have faced one attempt after another of trying to figure out the perfect ingredient measurements, flavor combinations, baking times, and the right bakeware equipment -all to create the perfect formula for baking flawless cupcakes every time. Finally, after all of your experimenting and hard work, you’ve done it! You weren’t sure if you would ever even get here, but here you are and there they are, a batch of perfectly baked cupcakes. Now, all you need is the perfect frosting to top those beautiful creations off with, like this creamy, vanilla Buttercream Frosting!

This flawless buttercream frosting is the ultimate go-to for just about any kind of cupcakes! Not only is this frosting super easy to make, but it only requires the use of 2 kitchen tools and just a handful of simple ingredients. Plus, you can easily customize this batch of frosting with food coloring, or by altering the consistency to fit your baking project at hand. And this frosting is not just for cupcakes, of course. It’s also a perfect topping for cakes of all sorts or even for soft sugar cookies! Whatever sweet recipe you get a craving for, this super easy buttercream frosting will be there to top it off with!

To make easy buttercream frosting, all you need is: butter, powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk, food coloring, a mixer or whisk, and a mixing bowl. First, beat the room temp butter until it’s light and doubled in size. Then, mix in the vanilla, milk, and gradually add the powdered sugar, beating well between each addition. If color is desired, add a little bit of food coloring and beat for another 8-10 minutes until the desired color and frosting consistency is reached.

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Frosting Equipment

For this ridiculously easy homemade frosting recipe, you are only going to need 2 tools from your kitchen! For optimum ease, I like to use my stand mixer for recipes like this but if you do not have a mixer, then you can replace it with a hand mixer or a simple blending whisk.

• KitchenAid stand mixer 
• Large mixing bowl

Creamy Frosting Ingredients

Now let’s move on to the yummy, creamy frosting ingredients. This easy recipe only requires a small handful of simple ingredients, nothing fancy. To make sure that you can sail through a smooth mixing process, be sure to bring the ingredients to the appropriate temperature before starting this process.

• 1 Cup Butter - room temperature
• 3 Cups Powdered Sugar
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 2 tablespoon Milk 
• Food Coloring

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How to Make the Easiest Homemade Buttercream Frosting

Ready for this super simple frosting process? You’re going to love just how easy it really is and how surprisingly fast you’ll be able to whip up a whole batch of this delectable buttercream frosting!

1. First, gather up and measure out all of the buttercream frosting ingredients.
2. Next, transfer the room temp butter to a large mixing bowl set in a KitchenAid stand mixer prepared with a whisk attachment. Beat the butter for 5 minutes, or until it is doubled in size, light, and creamy.
   1. If you do not have a stand mixer in your home kitchen then you can still accomplish this by hand using a blending whisk or hand mixer.
3. Then, drop in the vanilla extract, milk, and gradually add in the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time, beating well between each addition.
4. Next, add a few drops of desired food coloring into the frosting mixture.
   1. For lighter, pastel frosting colors, use a toothpick to add a tiny amount of food coloring gradually until the desired color is reached.
5. Finally, beat the colored buttercream frosting mixture for another 8-10 minutes, until completely combined and a smooth consistency is reached. 

Frosting Tips: 

• Always remember to let baked goods cool completely before adding any frosting or glaze! If the pastry is still warm the frosting will not stick, it will melt and slide right off.
• To thin out the frosting, just gradually mix in a little more milk until you get the desired consistency.
• If you need to thicken the frosting, just mix in a little more powdered sugar until it reaches the desired consistency. 

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Storing Homemade Buttercream Frosting

Once piped onto a cake or pastry, the buttercream frosting will stay good for as long as that pastry does. However, if you need to store leftover frosting on its own then it needs to stay refrigerated or frozen. Here’s what you can do: 

• Transfer the remainder of buttercream frosting to an airtight container and mark the date on the outside.
• Store in the fridge for up to 1 week or...

To keep frosting longer, store it in the freezer:

• Transfer the frosting to an airtight Ziploc bag.
  • I like to double bag the frosting because it helps save some space in the freezer.
• Mark the date on the outside and store the bag of frosting in the freezer for up to 1 month.
• Let the frosting come to room temperature and whip again before using.

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Sweetly Satisfying Ideas

Love keeping your sweet tooth satisfied? This frosting is perfectly paired with cakes, cupcakes, or other yummy pastries any time of the year! But the flavorful fun doesn’t have to stop here, check out some of my other favorite recipes for frostings, icings, or glazes.

This easy vanilla buttercream frosting is a delightful topping for:

• Bundt cakes
• Layered cakes
• Cupcakes
• Soft sugar cookies

Other sweet and satisfying glazes and frostings:

• Chocolate Glaze for Bundt Cakes
• Homemade Whipped Cream
• Meringue Frosting
• Homemade Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
• Chocolate Ganache
• Toffee Glaze
• Easy Bundt Cake Glaze
• Easy Bundt Cake Frosting
• Store-bought Buttercream Frosting Hacks

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