Happy mistakes. Today I made a happy, happy mistake. Whipped Vanilla Buttercream was the result! If you like this recipe you will also like my traditional American Buttercream Frosting.
Vanilla Buttercream
I walked away from my stand mixer while making buttercream. I walked over to my computer to check an ingredient and got sucked into a facebook rabbit hole of opinions and drama and insanity. Please tell me I am not the only one who does this?!
And seven minutes later I realized my mixer was furiously whipping butter and sugar into an awesomely light and sweet frosting.
I mean, I know I did not invent this technique. (Heck, I have done it before with whipped chocolate buttercream!) Everyone and their grandma (literally, my great-grandma did this, only by HAND) has done it. But I do not have a whipped vanilla buttercream recipe on my blog so HERE YOU GO.
Back to this awesome little treat!
I will be sharing the recipe for that beautiful pink velvet cupcake tomorrow… as I loved it SO much that I immediately made it into a layer cake. Because that is what I do. #iamcakemaker
Today is all about that whipped frosting amazingness.
How to Make Whipped Vanilla Buttercream
Having your butter and milk at room temperature helps greatly.
Substituting whipping cream for milk is a great idea, but not necessary if you get the butter whipped up nicely. (I do not recommend skim milk in this recipe.)
I have seen this recipe as a “quick one-bowl” recipe. To do this simply add all ingredients into the stand mixer then combine on low for one minute. After ingredients are incorporated, turn mixer to high and leave it for 5 minutes. This yields very similar results!
You can definitely leave out the almond extract if that is not your preference, but PLEASE try it once before deciding. If you have a nut allergy simply use Imitation Almond Extract. (You do not need to add more vanilla to compensate.) But do experiment with other extract flavors! Like coffee or root beer or lemon or orange!
And yes, yes you can decrease the sugar content if you want. I have seen it as low as 2 cups. Start with two and then taste test along the way to determine your ideal flavor and texture.
Pink Velvet Cupcakes are made from this Pink Velvet Cake Recipe!
Here is a PRO-TIP from a high-end Bakery owner:
If you want your buttercream even smoother, put it into the food processor! Right after you have followed the recipe directions above (using a stand-mixer) put the frosting into the food processor and process on low speed for about 5 minutes. It creates a SILK-like texture that is perfection!
Not only is this whipped buttercream one of the best tasting I have ever had, but it is PERFECT for piping!!
I tinted this frosting turquoise for a fun piping experiment:
Here is an amazing PRO-TIP on how to get WHITE frosting:
Use pale butter. Quite frankly, this often equates to the most inexpensive butter, which works for me. ๐
Use clear imitation vanilla extract.
And here is the tip that just might rock your world...
try adding the TINIEST amount of purple food color. A VERY small amount.
Here is the video where Cakes by Raewyn describes how to do this!! Trust me, it’s LIFE CHANGING!!! When you do this you don’t have to worry about the color of your butter or extract.
Vanilla Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks or 226g) butter, softened
- 2 teaspoons McCormickยฎ Pure Vanilla Extract
- 1 teaspoon McCormickยฎ Pure Almond Extract
- 32 oz confectioners sugar, sifted*
- 2 tablespoons whole milk, you can use up to 1/2 cup if you need a loose, creamy consistency
- pinch salt
- *You can use as little as 16 ounces if you want to decrease sugar
Instructions
- Beat butter in bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. (about 3 minutes)
- Add vanilla and almond extract.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in confectioners sugar , milk, and salt; frequently scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Once incorporated, whip frosting for at least 3 minutes on medium high to high. (My mixer went for 7 minutes)
- If frosting is too thick to spread, gradually beat in additional milk.
- Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.
Video
Did you make this recipe?
Thank you for making my recipe! You took pictures, right? Well go ahead and post them on Instagram! Be sure to mention me @iambaker and use the hashtag #YouAreBaker.
Are those Wilton tips? If not do you know the tip numbers if they werenโt Wilton?
When do you add the food coloring to the icing to change the color of the icicng?
Is it one cup of butter and two stick of butter or just one or the other?
1 stick = 1/2 cup, so 2 sticks is 1 cup
Just a question on this recipe! Is it one cup and 2 sticks of butter?
Yes
Delicious frosting!! I put this on top of your sprinkle cake recipe, and it really brought it all together! Will definitely be using this again, keep up the good work Amanda!
I loved it! I made the white wedding cake as a test run and this frosting to go wirh it. I made it with a hand held mixer no problem. Already licked the beaters now and itโs light and delicious….I canโt wait to frost my little tier cake and pipe wirh it. Thanks for the tip about double bags. I never would have thought of it nor have I seen it anywhere. I donโt know why but Iโve always been so intrigued by cake decorating. Want to learn and test out more. I also didnโt have clear vanilla or almond extract but Iโll get it for next time to get the true taste. I made the bottom layer of my cake with mini chocolate chips and will probably use them as sprinkles on the frosting too.
Awesome, never made this frosting before
After reading comments, I’m still confused on the butter issue and would like to clarify. How many sticks do you use? I know 2 sticks = 1 cup. Recipe says 1 cup 2 sticks. Is it a total of 2 sticks or 4 sticks of butter?
I’ve made this twice, and had trouble getting it to the right consistency both times. I think my butter & milk weren’t warm enough, and/or I used too much sugar. You’re talking 32oz weight, right, not volume? That’s two pounds of sugar๐ฎ)
Hi. I dont own a stand mixer could I use my ninja blender bowl to make this? Thanks
You can use a hand-help mixer. I do not have a ninja blender bowl so can’t speak as to how well that would work.