This is THE original salted buttercream frosting recipe that went viral and has been shared by hundreds of thousands of people – and this recipe has been read tens of millions of times!
Millions Have Enjoyed this Recipe
Millions Have Enjoyed this RecipeThis was my very first viral recipe here on The Kitchen Magpie! If you like this, you should try my Lemon Buttercream Frosting recipe. This recipe is the best thanks to sweet and salty mixing together!
When I first wrote this recipe 9 years ago, no one was using salted butter in their frostings – or at least there weren’t any posted online that I could find.This recipe made it in to my cookbook, that’s how amazing it is! This recipe was one of the first on my website and has been viewed by tens of millions of people over the years! Isn’t that crazy?
This buttercream icing is still is amazing, melt in your mouth, whippy, ultimate swirly cupcake worthy. It was fantastic on the homemade chocolate cake I made to go with it the very first time I whipped it up. The cake was dense and moist, and paired with a light as air buttercream icing… heaven. Angels dancing on your taste buds. I’ve tried it on every cupcake that you can imagine and it’s even amazing on vanilla. Salty vanilla icing on a vanilla cupcake is heaven for vanilla lovers!
Please go and have a read of my Buttercream Icing FAQ which answers a lot of the questions about this recipe asked in the hundreds of comments on this post below!
The most important is How to Fix Broken Buttercream, that’s a whole post in itself!
Frosting Ingredients
There are four basic ingredients for this buttercream frosting and I have kept it simple and straightforward for years now:
- Salted butter – a good quality, tastes-good-off-the-spoon butter is important!
- Vanilla – You need that classic vanilla taste
- Icing sugar – This is also known as powdered sugar or confectioners sugar
- Coffee cream – This is literally called coffee cream here in Canada but what it is is a cream that is 18% milk fat and up
Commonly Asked Frosting/Icing Questions and Answers
Do I have to refrigerate a cake with buttercream?
This buttercream has butter and it has whipping cream in it. I personally leave it out all day and it’s fine ( butter is always fine at room temperature) but the whipping cream? That’s a personal call for you. I have left it out overnight, but I honestly have to tell you to refrigerate it instead of leaving it out. But it’s really a personal decision. Apparently because of all the sugar you can leave a cake with buttercream frosting out for 2-3 days.
How long can you leave a cake with buttercream icing out?
I leave mine out for a day, not in the hot sun at all and it’s fine. According to the US food and inspection agency, you can leave a cake with buttercream frosting out for 2-3 days.
What is the best butter to use?
Salted and organic butter is literally the best butter that you can use. It is the salt that really makes this the best buttercream frosting ever. It’s actually a myth that salted butter is an inferior quality – it’s not. It’s the same quality.
How do I make the frosting stiffer?
You will want to use less cream in order to make the frosting stiffer. Start out with only a small amount of cream and add it until you get the consistency that you want.
How do you thicken up frosting?
This buttercream frosting is thick to start without adding in the cream! To start, beat in the icing sugar and see what the thickness of the frosting is. Then you can add a little bit of cream, a little at a time, until you reach the desired consistency. IF you go too far, you then can add more icing sugar/powdered sugar to thicken it back up.
How do you soften buttercream?
This one is easy, leave it out on the counter at room temperature for 45-60 minutes and it will be soft! If that doesn’t work and your frosting is too thick, then you might have to beat it again and add some more cream.
Can you store butter based frostings in the refrigerator?
You bet! Buttercream frosting/icing can be stored in the refrigerator for a week or two, as long as the whipping cream that you use wasn’t going to expire soon.
Can you freeze butter based icings?
I freeze it all the time! Simply defrost, mix and use as normal.
Tips and Tricks for the Best Buttercream Frosting
- Always use salted butter. When I first wrote this recipe in 2010 there weren’t many people that were food blogging compared to today, so I literally couldn’t find a SINGLE buttercream frosting recipe on the internet that used salted butter! Now I am sure that if I looked there would be tons of recipes similar to this one. Oh, how times have changed! So I had discovered that salt and sweet are a match made in heaven for icing and I never looked back. You can also read about the difference between salted and unsalted butter.
- Whip that butter, with a paddle beater if you have it, if not, don’t worry. You can also use the beaters on your handheld mixer just fine to beat the buttercream frosting! You want the butter to be smooth and creamy before you add the icing sugar.
- Fresh icing sugar makes all the difference. Icing sugar/powdered sugar/confectioners sugar goes stale, and you can sure taste it when it does! Crack open a fresh bag for icings, you won’t be sorry! Over the years many people have agreed that this is another trick to making great buttercream frosting.
- You can make this frosting as light or as heavy as you want by adjusting the amount of heavy cream that you use.
- Read this if you are looking for piping techniques.
Some More Frosting Recipes:
- Cream Cheese Buttercream Frosting
- Chocolate Buttercream Icing
- Pistachio Pudding Buttercream Icing
- Vegan Buttercream Icing
- Candy Bar Buttercream Icing
Happy baking everyone!
Love,
Karlynn
The Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup of salted butter
- 3 teaspoons of vanilla
- 4 cups of icing sugar
- 4-5 tablespoons of coffee cream 18% and up
Instructions
- Get out the salted butter! Trust me and use salted butter, it’s the secret ingredient!
- Beat the butter until it is light and creamy. This is important as you are adding the icing sugar next. If the butter isn’t creamy you can get lumps in the icing.
- Add in the icing sugar. Again, if you are like me and can taste stale icing sugar, you will need a fresh bag.
- Add in the cream.. I used 4 tablespoons for my preference, you adjust to what you want.
- Stiffer icing = less cream. Lighter icing = more cream. Adjust the amount to your liking by adding one tablespoon at a time until the desired consistency is reached.
- Add the vanilla then keep mixing it until fluffy and thoroughly combined.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Simply Parties says
I always, always use salted butter in everything too 😉 Was just looking around trying to see if anyone else used salted butter for buttercream and found you ! #simplypartiesok
BettyDotstampinupdotnet says
ThankUso much. My first time to make buttercream icing upon the insistence of my children, turned out perfectly and they loved the sugar high
kaylina0511 says
Can this be used under fondant?
Dana Al Mansour says
Hi i need a quick response plz coz i came across this recipe and i wanna try it out for my cupcakes tomorrow. I live in Kuwait and i can’t find coffee cream here. Is it possible to use heavy cream instead?? Will it taste the same?!!
Guest says
I’ve been using a recipe that’s exactly like this, but with unsalted butter & it’s WAY too sweet. Does the salted butter make it less sweet?
Frazzled Baker says
@Guest Sorry to jump in, there are some bakers which prefer salted butter which addresses the salt addition to a frosting. However, the preference is unsalted as you can chose the amount of salt you add to your butter cream. Salt cuts the sweetness a bit, you can also try adding acid (lemon/orange juice) as well. If your BC is too sweet, you may have used too much sugar from the beginning. As a suggestion, always scrape down your bowl when mixing to ensure incorporation of every component. Taste as you go, if the recipe calls for 4C icing sugar, begin tasting at 3 cups, and add a little as you go until you are happy with the flavor. I would not recommend adding any more butter/shortening to alleviate sweetness, as some on the net have suggested. Good luck
JenniferRosa1 says
This is the most amazing frosting. I made it for my husband’s birthday today and I couldn’t believe how it turned out. I used fat free hazelnut creamer and it was to die for!
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/77355585/" ns="true">JenniferRosa1 Aw I love hearing from everyone who made it for special occasions! Happy birthday to your hubby!
LanaKane says
This recipe is great. Limited ingredients and is perfect with the salted butter. I also made the lemon one. Excellent. Great recipes and instructions. Anyone who is getting anything ‘grainy’ is not using powdered sugar. This recipe blends perfectly.
Thanks a bunch!
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/76433810/" ns="true">LanaKane You are SO welcome! Thanks for letting me know! The lemon one is my favorite!
Java_Junkie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/76433810/" ns="true">LanaKane I use this recipe a lot, but not the lemon – will have to give that a go. As for grainy, it could be the powdered sugar itself. I picked up a couple bags from Dollarama one day, and I could beat the living ‘you know what’ out of that icing, and it stayed gritty. Tried a 2nd bag…same thing. Never had a problem with Rogers or even the stuff from Bulk Barn, but that stuff was awful!!
christineh2 says
Oh, I also had a white pillsbury cake mix in the house. So, I followed the directions on the box, but “exchanged the required “cup of water” for a cup of “cocnut juice(dollar store), then added a cup of “crushed pinapple(squeeze water out real good) to batter and a small jar of “marachino cherries cut up(also squeeze out excess juice in cherries) mix the batter and fill large muffin pans(there’s 6 in each)I never make small muffins or cupcakes:)
One box will make 12 large)
After baking, and while “still warm” i poked holes with toothpick into each cupcake, and lightly drizzled melted butter over tops so it “went into the tiny toothpick holes”…Made it sooo moist, along with what the “crushed pineapple does to any recipe”, especially “zucini bread”…
Once cooled, (I usually put cupcakes in freezer for a couple hours) Its always easier to ice a cake or cupcakes if slightly frozenI just iced them with the raseberry buttercream icing I wrote about, and lightly sprinkle with coconut! So pretty…
My hubby really is “not into cupcakes”, but THIS particular one, well…I had just “one left and was going to bring it to a single friend to try…He said “Absolutly NOT!”…It’s staying here! too funny!
Oh, I’m a “lemon head ” too!…add fresh squeezed lemon and “grated lemon zest” to your buttercream icing…Too die for!…
Sometimes I just do a “lemon glaze over lemon blueberry muffins, as I don’t want them too heavy.
christineh2 says
I have made mine this way for many years. My grandmother was Polish, and I learned from her(60 years ago!) Yesterday I added a couple teaspoons(to taste) of “seedless Raseberry Jam and a 1/4 cup of “Triple berry Cream cheese…Too DIE for!
I put this on fudge chocolate large cupcakes “filled with the raseberry jam OR just chop “maricino cherries in quarters and put in batter…YUM, Yum!
SkylarOsterman says
So glad to see another salted butter purist! I don’t believe in unsalted butter. I accept that exists but I see no purpose for it. Whenever I’ve ended up with it accidentally I always just add the salt back in. Thanks for the great recipe!!
yanogator says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/76775627/" ns="true">SkylarOsterman There is definitely a purpose for unsalted butter. Salt isn’t added to butter for flavor. Instead, it is a preservative, so the butter can be kept in cold storage for a long time without going bad. Unsalted butter has to be sold when it is fresh. You can add salt for the flavor.
Frazzled Baker says
Hey there. Where did you get the icing sugar? Isn’t it just powered sugar?
Jen Nee says
Yes it is
LanaKane says
I am so frustrated with the way this page loads! I am trying to read the comments and it flips to the top because the videos keep reloading!
ClaudiaAcostaMay says
One more question, this recipe says it serves 6, if I double the recipe would it be enough to frost two 9 inch cakes?
ClaudiaAcostaMay says
I am celebrating my son’s 18th birthday and want to use butter cream as the “icing on the cake” , literally. I am not a fan of butter creams, and believe have tried many of them. This recipe caught my attention because of the salted butter, will try it on Friday April 17th, 2015 and I’ll post back again next week to give my feed back on the recipe. Do you have a preference of brand? for the butter?
Jillian T says
I can’t wait to slap this on my upcoming birthday cupcakes for work….question, does it need to be refridgerated?? How long can the icing stay out so if I make them and take them on a car ride, should I not ice anything until I’m ready to serve?? Please advise. 🙂 Thanks again!
thekitchenmagpie says
@Jillian T It can stay out for a few hours completely fine!
Erin233 says
_u********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/4786878/" ns="true">thekitchenmagpie I’m excited to make this! How many days in advance do you think this could be made? Or, is that not recommended? Thanks!!
Carole W says
Is this recipe enough to fill and frost a 9-inch cake?
thekitchenmagpie says
@Carole W Sure is!
melinda_m says
I’ve made lots of icing recipes – this is by far and away the BEST one. I’ll never use any others!
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/75490540/" ns="true">melinda_m Glad to hear it! Thanks fo popping by to let me know!
KristenJamieson says
Best icing ever!! I even forgot to put in the vanilla (duh), and it still tasted amazing!
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/75419279/" ns="true">KristenJamieson Good to know LOL!
amy says
Hello,
Can you pipe roses and such with this recipe?
thekitchenmagpie says
@amy Yes you can!
Rachel says
I also only ever use salted butter – I’ve had people horrified at me that I don’t use unsalted when the recipe calls for it 😀 I figure adjust as needed…..or not, it hasn’t failed me yet!
thekitchenmagpie says
@Rachel IF it tastes great off the spoon plain (the butter) then you know it’s amazing and NEVER too salty in the icing. So simple! I don’t get it, a pinch of salt never turns out the same, its’ truly the secret!
BrennaCollyard says
This frosting is ridiculously insane bonkers delicious! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe. I just made a trial batch of cupcakes for my daughters birthday and I can’t believe how they turned out. I have a feeling I’m going to be singing your praise to a lot of parents come this weekend. One question though, do I need to refrigerate the frosting? Or, would it be fine to make the batch of cupcakes and frosting before the party and have them stay out?
And thanks again for this recipe, I’m going to use it for everything now, cake, cupcakes, lunch…
laurensguitar1999 says
Is this buttercream stiff enough to pipe roses and such, my grandmother is a cake decorating master, but my cousin and sister want to surprise her with a homemade cake, for her surprise 65th birthday party.
EagerNewbie77 says
Hi there,
Have been looking all around for an easy yet effective recipe. Just wondering if I can substitute Coffee cream with Sour cream?
Thank you
kindredcottage says
so very good! added 1 T vanilla ext. plus 1/2 t lemon emulsion. what a light fluffy texture and fresh taste! thank you so much for sharing!
ShatteredHelix says
I have made this recipe several times with a couple of sight modifications. Instead of coffee cream, I used the highest percent heavy cream that I could find. Also, I used un-salted butter for one batch because I did not have any salted (I use both depending on the application) and instead used 1/2 teaspoon fine ground sea salt. I have to say, this is by far my favorite icing and I look forward to experimenting with it in the future to get additional flavors. Perhaps a chocolate, or mint, or chocolate mint version would be worth trying out.
Jan Marie says
Excellent recipe! Just made a batch for a 1/2 sheet cake (18×22) I modified it just a bit for this larger cake: 1 lb butter, 15 c 10x sugar, almost 1/3 c whole w/cream milk and vanilla. Yummy!!!!
Chelsea says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/72033571/" ns="true">Jan Marie Did you ice a single layer or was it a 2-layer 1/2 slab? I’m doing the same cake right now and I’m not sure what icing batch size to use. Thanks Jan!
3boysNic says
How long does it last? I was planning to make the icing Thursday to ice the cake Friday night to eat on Saturday. Will this work? If so, what is the best way to store it in between? Thank you!
kindredcottage says
I ziploc bagged up 1/2 of mine and kept in the fridge.
threeboys061114 says
Where do u buy icing sugar??? I’m from northwest Indiana and CAN NOT find icing sugar in any stores????? Any online site u can give me??? Your recipe sounds too good to miss!!! Thanks -meryl-
thekitchenmagpie says
_u*********@li******.com" profile_url="https://www.livefyre.com/profile/71753611/" ns="true">threeboys061114 It’s also called powdered sugar and confectioners sugar.
Laura says
Am looking for a filling for a cake and will definitely try this recipe! How long can it stay out in the open for (ie. If it’s used in a wedding cake, can the cake be displayed for a few hours)?
Thanks in advance!
Georgette76 says
Wonderful taste and texture, the kids loved the taste of it.