Buttercream Icing Recipe
Buttercream Icing Recipe…………….
For all of those who have asked, here is the Buttercream Recipe that I use on my cakes, it is soo good and you will receive many compliments!
NOTE: For those in other countries here are some conversions that may help in figuring out how much butter to use in this recipe…..
1 stick of butter = 1/4 pound 1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup 1 stick of butter = 8 tablespoons 1 stick of butter = 4 ounces 1 stick of butter = 113 grams For those in the UK..... Shortening is actually called Trex.
1 stick butter (unsalted)
1 stick butter (salted)
1 cup shortening
2lb bag of confectioner’s sugar (some times called powdered sugar)
3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
4-6 tablespoons of milk (cold) More or less depending on the consistency you are looking for.
Mix the butter and shortening together until they are creamed together.
Add clear vanilla extract.
FYI……Using clear vanilla will give a whiter icing, Using the dark-colored vanilla will give you a off white icing. It is up to you what you decide to use for your icing.
Add 3 tablespoons of the milk.
Then add your confectioner’s sugar to the bowl a little at a time until blended well
Once you have added all of your sugar, then add the remaining milk depending upon how stiff you want your icing to be…… I add just 1 more tablespoon and then mix. Check and see if this consistency will work for you, if not then add another tablespoon of milk until it is the consistency that you need.
Instead of adding the Vanilla you can achieve other flavors such as almond, raspberry or lemon by just adding your flavoring in the place of the vanilla.
Note: If you are using a brand new bag of powdered sugar you do not need to sift the sugar, however if your bag has been opened previously it is a good idea to sift the sugar before using so that you do not have lumps in your icing.
To create a Cream Cheese Buttercream……..I just add a 1/4 cup of Cream Cheese (make sure the cream cheese is soft) to the buttercream recipe above…..Perfect for those making a Carrot Cake or Red Velvet, the taste is out of this world.
To color your Buttercream Icing…….If your interested in coloring your Buttercream Icing this can be done by adding a few drop of food coloring or a small amount of food coloring gels to your icing and then mix together. You can do this immediately after mixing all the required ingredients for making your icing recipe. Always start off with a small amount of color and then you can add more as you go to achieve the desired color that you are looking for.
Making Buttercrean Roses and other Flowers
The question of making Buttercream Roses and other icing flowers with this recipe has come up so I will address that question here so that others will have the all the information.
To creare icing flowers you need a stiff consistency icing to start with, so using the recipe above you would need to eliminate the butter altogether and replace it with shortening. Then start off only using 3 table spoons of milk instead of 4-6 as referenced in the above recipe.
How to know if your icing is stiff enough, put some in a cup and turn the cup upside down…..nothing should come out!
If you happen to end up with an icing that is not stiff enough just add more powdered sugar to your recipe, start by adding an
Icing consistency and its use…………..
Thin consistency icing is used for writing on cakes
Medium consistency icing is used to ice cakes, to pipe borders as well as other details on cakes
Stiff consistency icing is used for making Roses and other icing flowers.
If you have any questions let me know!!
hi! can i make this recipe in half? i only use a hand mixer and i’m afraid it won’t take the load of 2 pounds of powdered sugar. can i also do it for the chocolate buttercream? thanks!
Jenjh, yes you can just half all the ingredients and it should work out for both just fine for you, good luck to you my friend!
Hi I was wondering if I can use margarine instead of butter? I’m new to the baking from scratch world.
Thanks for your help.
Kelly
Kelly you can use Margarine but it will taste better with the butter, good luck to you and welcome to the world of baking!!
After you make this icing does it need to be refrigerated or can I store it at room temp. I wanted to try a new buttercream recipe, the wilton one is so sugary and sweet.
This recipe does not have to be refrigerated, since it has such a high sugar cotent and does not have any ingredients that would pose an issue.
Hi. Great explanation of the recipe but I got confused at one point.
You write, quote:
“Add clear vanilla extract then add confectioner’s sugar.
[etc]
Add 3 tablespoons of the milk.
Then add your confectioner’s sugar to the bowl a little at a time until blended well”
When do I add the sugar, before or after the milk? Above it states in both places, and if so, does it matter whether its before or not?
Thanks!
Sorry about that typo, I have fixed it on the recipe page so that I do not confuse anyone else.
Hi. I was wondering if this buttercream is good for making roses, and if it’s not, what can i add to it so that my roses don’t turn to mush?
It is best to use a Buttercream recipe that calls for all shortening instead of a butter based recipe. When making buttercream flowers you will need a stiff consistency to your icing…..this recipe as stated will make a medium consistency, to make a stiffer icing eliminate up to 3 tbs of the milk and eliminate the butter then replace it with shortening. For further info I have updated the article about to reflect additional info on making icing flowers and the different consistency of buttercream icing.
Hi there. Thanks for the recipe but what is shortening in South Africa?
Thanks alot
From what I understand Titia Shortening is called “wooden spoon which is a vegetable based margarine” in South Africa! Good Luck to you my friend……
Hi! I have made your buttercream icing and I loved it! How can I make it a chocolate buttercream? I want to make it for cupcakes like the upscale cupcake shops do. Also for decorating I need a medium consistency right? Do you just add more milk?
can u please tell me what is shortening, i am from india, is it something like margarine or ghee
hi there ive been baking for a while now and have decided to take a bit more seriously as such have enrolled on the wiltons method courses.
i would like to try your buttervcream recipie but i live in the UK and do not have a clue what shortening is.
PLEASE HELLLLLLLLLP
Hello Jeannie
Shortening is a solid fat made from hydogenated vegetable oils, sometimes it is often called by the brand name of Crisco here in the US.
and Trex in the UK.
hiya
just to let you know shortening over here in the UK is called Trex, thats the brand I found
Happy baking =)
Thanks soo much Fiona for making a comment to let those of us know the particular name over in the UK I do appreicate as I am sure others will as well…….
TREX in uk
When you say 1 stick of butter, I dont understand. how much is that.I live in South Africa and our butter comes in 500gm bricks.
LIke your website
Here are some conversions for those of you who may not know what a stick of butter is equal to in other countries…..
1 stick of butter = 1/4 pound
1 stick of butter = 1/2 cup
1 stick of butter = 8 tablespoons
1 stick of butter = 4 ounces
1 stick of butter = 113 grams
Hi Donna,
I would like your opinion on the icing I make .. It is butter cream . I use, 2 cups of Shortening, vanilla flavouring, 1 cup of water and 8 cups of icing sugar.. It seems to work for me I just wanted your opinion.
Also I live in a humid area . My cakes weep . Is this because I don’t cool them properly? Any help on this matter would be appreciated. Thanks , Laura
Hi Donna.
I tried your recipe for buttercream with the cream cheese (delicious) but after a while the buttercream became very soft and falling from the cupcakes
Could you suggest anything that i could next time
I appreciate it
Luisa
Sounds like the icing got too warm, try keeping your icing in the fridge and then use it right away. The heat from your hands wreck havoc on icing when trying to apply to cakes and such…. When I am doing cupcakes with the cream cheese icing I store the cupcakes in the fridge so that it does not get too soft as well
Sheila,
Are you crumb coating before you frost? I used to have the same problem but then I started doing a crumb coat, pop in the freezer just to harden a bit, and then frost. No more shadows.
The last wedding cake that I made, you could see some of the “light brown” of the cake through the buttercream icing. Is there something that I can do so this wont happen? Or, what am I doing that I shouldn’t be?
Thanks.
I have had this issue as well in the past…..it is important to do a crumb coat and then your regular layer of icing, this should take care of the issue you are having.
Yes I use this recipe on my wedding cakes and special occasion cakes expecially my carrot and red velvet cakes…
Is your cream cheese recipe appropriate for a decorated cake such as wedding? I have tried every cream cheese frosting recipe I’ve run across and so far all are too soft to frost and decorate. Taste is important but it also has to frost smooth and have that soft crust.
Your videos are fanatastic. Thanks for all your help
Do you using this icing to decorate? If so, how much liquid is needed to pipe roses, stiff consistency and do borders, medium consistency?
Hello Donna,
I just recently tried your buttercream icing and loved it. It is by far, the best icing that I have tasted. I would like to know if you have the chocolate version. I would greatly appreicate it. I have been looking for a chocolate buttercream icing for sometime and still I am not satisfied with the recipes that I have tried. Thank you!
Teresa Johnson, Hi my name is Melissa and I bake cakes myself and I have this amazing chocolate icing you’ll LOVE.. I got it off the back of Hershey’s cocoa, everyone LOVES it..
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter or margarine
2/3c. Hershey’s cocoa
3c. powder sugar
1/3c.milk
1tsp.vanilla extract
1.) Melt butter. Stir in cocoa. 2)Alternately, add powdered sugar and milk, beating on med.speed to spreading consistency. Add more milk, if needed. Stir in vanilla.
I hope you get this and you enjoy it as much as my family and I do…
Thanks so much for the recipe….I too have used this chocolate icing and it tastes wonderful…….
You can use all shortening in the recipe instead of using butter, that is up to you. Some decorators use all shortening in their recipes in the warm summer months so that the icing will hold up better to the heat.
Hello
I was just curious about your buttercream frosting. What the difference is between using 2 sticks of unsalted and salted butter vs using crisco shortening? I bake a lot and I want to add some decorations to my cakes. Thanks so much, Carolyn Ellis from Louisville, Ky.
Hi
I am making a birthday cake for my daugther’s 1st birthday and have a few things I just can’t understand and I’m hoping you may be able to help me.
1. I would like to use buttercream to ice her cake. Can I ice it 2-3 days in advance? and if so does it need to be kept in the fridge?
2. I am making animal figures but don’t know what medium to use? Fondant? Marzipan? Gumpaste? and how far ahead of time can I make them?
3. I read somewhere that if a cake is iced with buttercream and then fondant flowers or fondant figures were used that the fondant can absorb the moisture from the buttercream and the fondant can become soft or lose there shape? If this is true then what should I use to make my animals?
4. When I have finished decorating my cake with buttercream and which ever medium I use to make my animals how do I store it till its her birthday?
5. oh and the shortening used in you buttercream recipe, is it any vegetable shortening? (I’m from New Zealand)
hehe I’m so sorry I have so many questions! I’m fairly new to this lol and have taken on a heap challenge! (I just never do anything by halves!! lol)
Anyways hopefully you get what I’m trying to ask! and I thank you now in advance =)
Kind regards
Vanessa Iti from New Zealand =)