I love making cakes and cupcakes and have never really been quite fond of the frosting you buy in stores. I have been making my own homemade buttercream frosting for years now and it is honestly the best icing ever!
I do still get the icing in stores if it is free after coupons, as it comes in handy if I’m out of icing sugar or another important ingredient for this recipe.
Buttercream Frosting (Click here to print this recipe.)
Ingredients:
- 1/2 Cup Butter
- 1 1/2 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 2 Cups Icing Sugar
- 2 Tablespoons Milk
- 3 Drops Food Colour (Optional)Instructions:
1. Beat butter in a medium bowl until creamy, about 5 minutes.2. Add milk and vanilla. Mix until combined.
3. Add half of icing sugar, mix until well combined, then add the other half and do the same.
4. Add 3 drops of food colouring to your frosting, if desired.
Makes enough frosting for 24 cupcakes.
Heidi: It would work for piping, sure. If it seems a bit too thin for you, just add some more icing sugar.
Does this icing work well for decorating? Or is it best to use it just as a spread type icing. I want to make stars with one of those piping tools. Thanks
Thanks for the tip, Jessie!
Try adding 1 cup of icing sugar to your tub of store bought frosting. Makes it taste like home made in my opinion! It can be done with any flavor. I don’t know what the results would be with the whipped frostings but know the others work great!
Thank you so much Cassie! Wish I had this buttercream icing recipe during Father’s Day, where I screwed up two different attempts at buttercream icing for my red velvet cupcakes!!
I like this recipe here.Both my fiance and I can’t eat those canned frostings as they don’t agree with us. We also stay away from shortening too, so this one looks like more of a “cleaner” icing to eat. Like from the days before canned icings.
Just so you know, you can also make a GREAT Butter cream buy using half shortening, half butter. As an avid baker and cake decorator, I find it comes out whiter, therefore easier to tint, as well shortening is much cheaper to purchase. Also, replacing the vanilla with lemon, orange, or any other liquid (I love coffee and chocolate sauce!) can give you amazing flavour (but it may change your colour, so if white is desired, stick with cream or milk)!