Easy Buttercream Frosting

This easy buttercream frosting recipe works beautifully on cakes and cupcakes, and tastes good too! You can easily switch up the consistency for more intricate decorations like flowers and borders, but my favorite part is the unique “crust” it forms to keep all your creations in tact!

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Welcome back to Cake Week! For five jam-packed days, I’m teaching you how to make professional looking cakes at home, so you can avoid those high bakery prices. You can find links to all posts in the series HERE.

This easy buttercream frosting recipe works beautifully on cakes and cupcakes, and tastes good too! You can easily switch up the consistency for more intricate decorations like flowers and borders, but my favorite part is the unique "crust" it forms to keep all your creations in tact!

There’s a lot of buttercream frosting recipes floating around, but the key is to find one you can use to frost cakes, pipe all sorts of intricate decorations, and still have it taste GOOD.

I’ve tried a few different variations of buttercream, but I keep coming back to this Wilton classic because it fits all three criteria. It also forms the perfect “crust” after it sits, so everything stays in tact and doesn’t sag or melt!

Another thing that is really unique, are the ingredients. Because this recipe doesn’t use any milk, eggs, or butter, it lasts for days in a sealed storage container. Technically, you could prep your frosting a day or two before you need it, but if you’re a frosting junkie like I am, it might not last that long!

How to Make Buttercream Icing:

Step 1: Cream shortening, vanilla and water. TIP: Use clear vanilla if you want a pure white icing.

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Step 2: Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until thoroughly mixed together.

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Step 3: Blend until creamy {usually 1 to 2 minutes}

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Step 4: Use immediately, or place in an airtight storage container for later!

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Consistency Tips:

Before using, you will need to adjust the consistency of your icing depending on the project. You can thin the icing by putting in more water, or thicken it by adding confectioner’s sugar.

  • For icing cakes, use a thin-t0-medium consistency.
  • For cupcakes, use a medium-to-stiff consistency.
  • For piping flowers and borders, use a medium-to-stiff consistency.
  • For writing, use a thin consistency.

Basically, if your icing doesn’t come out right or do what you want it to do, it’s probably a consistency issue!

Coloring Tips:

I like to use coloring gels versus the watery drops you can buy in the grocery store. The quality and vibrancy is lot better and they also help maintain consistency. Remember though, a little goes a long way!

To Color:

  • Dip a toothpick into the color gel of your choice, and poke into the frosting in various places. The more color you get on the toothpick and more places you poke, the deeper the color will be.
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  • Mix thoroughly until the white part of the frosting is completely gone. Add more color for a darker hue.
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Print
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Easy Buttercream Frosting


  • Total Time: 5 minutes
  • Yield: 3 cups 1x

Description

This easy buttercream frosting recipe works beautifully on cakes and cupcakes, and tastes good too! You can easily switch up the consistency for more intricate decorations like flowers and borders, but my favorite part is the unique “crust” it forms to keep all your creations in tact!


Ingredients

Scale
  • 1 cup solid white vegetable shortening
  • 1 tsp clear vanilla extract
  • 2 tbsp water
  • 1 lb confectioners sugar
  • 1 tbsp meringue powder

Instructions

  1. Cream shortening, vanilla and water.
  2. Add dry ingredients and mix on medium speed until thoroughly mixed together.
  3. Blend until creamy (usually 1 to 2 minutes).
  • Prep Time: 5 minutes
  • Cook Time: n/a
  • Category: Dessert
  • Cuisine: American

Keywords: buttercream frosting, homemade frosting

Total Cost: $2.63 per batch

Now that you know which icing to use, are you ready to take this buttercream for a test drive? All my Cake Week posts are listed right HERE, so you can practice your skills.

Do you have a favorite buttercream icing recipe?

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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6 Comments

  1. I tried this tonight! I am going to make my own gender reveal cupcakes! I wanted them to look nice. I bought the tip suggested at Walmart, and I got started with my test batch. My measurements for a 1/3 practice batch in case you want to try them too…. I cut the recipe by 3 which was just enough to practice with.

    1/3 c shortening
    1/3 tsp extract
    3-4 tsp water (2 tsp is 1/3 of the recipe, but I needed more water.)
    1 tsp meringue powder
    1 1/3 c sugar

    I used almond extract and butter flavored shortening. I think when I do it again, I will just use vanilla. The almond was overpowering.
    The consistency was perfect. My swirl looked awesome. I tried a few. I think I am ready to make my cupcakes! Thanks so much!

    1. You’re welcome! So glad they turned out well – and it’s a great idea to cut the recipe down for practice. Thanks for sharing.

  2. I have never used meringue powder. I’ll bet that is the secret ingredient I’ve been missing to add a touch of stiffness to the frosting. I can’t wait to try this recipe!

    1. I’ve never been exactly sure what the meringue powder does, but that makes sense. I also think some recipes call for egg whites instead, but the meringue powder makes it so you don’t have to refrigerate it.

  3. This frosting looks delicious. If I ever make any kind of dessert from scratch I’ll have to give this a try.

    1. I honestly think it’s the best frosting out there for decorating – and it tastes good too!

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