Name: Easy Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: PT-463842H40M3S
Total time: 5 min
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 1 cup solid white vegetable shortening; 1 tsp clear vanilla extract; 2 tbsp water; 1 lb confectioners sugar; 1 tbsp meringue powder

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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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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.

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

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

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

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.

Mix thoroughly until the white part of the frosting is completely gone. Add more color for a darker hue.