Creamy, dreamy American buttercream is one of the easiest ways to finish off a cake, build a cookie sandwich, or ice a tray of chocolate chip cookie bars. Bonus: You only need five ingredients and five minutes to make this tried-and-true homemade buttercream frosting recipe.
The butteriest buttercream starts with softened butter, so be sure to set those sticks out a few hours before you plan to bake (if you forgot, we’ve got a few tips to soften butter quickly). Sifting the powdered sugar before combining it with butter guards against lumps, but it’s not entirely necessary; just be sure to start your electric mixer on low speed so the sugar doesn’t explode into a cloud. Don’t forget to add a pinch of salt, which is essential for balancing the sweetness. Of course, it wouldn’t be vanilla frosting without vanilla: We call for extract here, but you can swap in vanilla bean paste or powder for a bolder vanilla flavor and those telltale specks.
There are endless uses for classic American buttercream icing. Yes, you can use it for frosting cakes (layer cakes, sheet cakes, or cupcakes). But you can also use this simple frosting to decorate sugar cookies, construct gingerbread houses, or sandwich whoopie pies. Baking a chocolate cake? Add in melted chocolate and cocoa powder to make chocolate buttercream. Baking a birthday cake? Use food coloring to dye it pink, purple, or any color of the rainbow.
This recipe was adapted for style from ‘Hey There, Cupcake!’ by Clare Crespo. Buy the full book on Amazon.