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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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Jason says
For those asking about fondant, I wouldn’t recommend it as this buttercream will not crust (a requirement for fondant).
Kelliane says
Is this icing recipe mainly for just covering a cake….or will it hold up to being piped for decocrating the cake as well (ie: flowers, etc…) ?
tara says
FANTASTIC recipe! I couldn’t stop licking the spoon….. I started out making “buttercream” with a recipe using shortening….yuck. I ended up scraping the icing off of all 30 cupcakes, which I had made for my daughter’s birthday party. Started again with this recipe, and boy am I glad I did! The icing tastes great, is super easy to make, and gives the beautiful light, whipped look! Worked great using a large star tip and piping bag. Thanks so much!
Maija says
Okay… I’ve got cupcakes to make for church this Sunday. I have made Swiss Meringue Buttercream often in the past, but I think I’ll give this a whirl. I’ll flavour it, but not sure yet what flavour cupcakes I’m making. I’m going to fill them as well.
As far as cream goes, here’s my 2cents worth: half and half is 10% (but you can buy 5% now… which I do for my coffee). Table or coffee cream is 18%. Whipping cream is 35%. Those flavoured coffee ‘creams’ work wonderfully, Coconut cream is something I’ll try soon… (that’s skimming the cream off the top of a can of full fat coconut milk) I’m not sure the fat content of that, but it’ll be high. I bet using whipping cream would give the icing a bit more airiness or lightness. Even though it sounds gross, I can’t help but wonder if buttermilk would cut the sweetness a little, adding a tiny bit of tang. Another “try one day” for me.
The other thing I wanted to mention is that here, in Canada, the icing sugar has a small amount of cornstarch in it. (3%?) That helps to stabilize the icing. Also, if you google it, you’ll find a way to turn granulated sugar into icing sugar (if you cannot get it).
Another ‘hi’ from a fellow Canuck. (Ontario)
Melissa says
This icing is to die for… I love it! I made a cake for my daughter’s 1st birthday and I piped it with your recipe and it looked awesome, and tasted even better.. People were going for 2nd & 3rd pieces! It was a huge hit.. I have passed your recipe on to about a dozen people so far.. Thank you so much! I will never make another icing again… YUMMMMMMMY
laura says
i just bought a butter the name is “challenge butter” but i want to know what brand is the better i just want my frosting to taste verry good!!!! 🙂 thanks for your time!
Justyna says
I used 1 tbl spoon of sour cream, and 3 tbls of milk!!! it was AWESOME!
LeeAnna says
oh ok lol!! My mother moved to Calgary, it is beautiful up there!!
LeeAnna says
Is this buttercream icing similar to Publix’s buttercream icing?
Karlynn says
I have no idea! I had to look up what Publix was, we don’t have any here in Alberta! Any of my American readers want to chime in on this?
Melissa Stoltzfus says
what can i use if i dont have any kind of cream?
Karlynn says
You can use milk, but it’s the cream that gives it the wow factor. The fat in the cream is what makes it work the best.
Rose says
Hello from Prince Edward Island! I just wanted to tell you that your icing is fantastic! It is by far the best buttercream icing I have ever tasted and it is so easy to make. Thank you for sharing it. I will definitely make it again and again.
Karlynn says
Hi Rose!! Welcome to my site, my fellow Canadian! Thanks for the lovely compliment, I am so glad you liked it!
Jacqueline says
I am totally with you! I never ever buy unsalted butter. I think it is flavorless and the butter adds so much! I just made my first batch using cream the other day and I loved it too.
Rachel says
Nailed it! I’m a huge frosting snob but I used this recipe this weekend for my daughter’s first birthday party before testing it. I used whipping cream and it worked perfectly. Instead of vanilla extract, I used almond. Yowza, was that the best decision ever! Perfectly complemented the red velvet cupcakes I made. I’m not even a baker but I’ve got friends booking orders with me for upcoming baby showers and weddings!
Karlynn says
Good to know whipping cream works! And yes, you can add any flavoring to it and instantly have a different but amazing icing! Thanks for the lovely comment and glad you impressed so many people with it!
BlackbirdPie says
Would whipping cream (35%) work okay? It is available in very small (250 mL) containers, vs the whole litre for the 18%.
Kathy says
I should mention I have been making chocolate butter cream icing for years. To this recipe, add 6 tablespoons cocoa, make it tonight. Delicious.
Kathy says
Wow, great icing, I’ve tried a lot of buttercream and really like this one. I used 3 teaspoons maraschino cherry juice instead of vanilla to go over cherry cupcakes. Fabulous. Makes plenty to ice 24 cupcaks
Becky says
Hi again, one more question.. I don’t have a kitchenaid, but i do have a handheld mixer. Will that work to whip the butter? thanks!
Karlynn says
Exposure to air is what will harden icing, so if you keep them in a closed container, the icing will harden in the fridge (as butter does) but when brought back to room temp it will soften (again, just like buttah). Your handheld should be fine, your arm might hurt from holding it! Just make sure you soften the butter enough that your mixer can handle it and whip the heck out of it as usual. Good luck!
Becky says
Hi… I’m going to try your buttercream recipe for halloween cupcakes fo rmy son’s kindergarten class. Since halloween is on monday, i would prefer to make the cupcakes sunday night to bring in monday morning. I’ve put cupcakes in the fridge in the past and the frosting seems to harden and then it’s not as good (and sometimes stays hard) after you take it out the next day. Will this frosting soften up nicely after being kept overnight in the fridge? thanks!
Kim says
I love this recipe and I tried it with my kids and they love it ! But is there any other way to still make this even though you DON’T have any icing sugar? Does it make a difference if its like regular sugar?
Sandra says
oooh, also, I noticed you mentioned using fresh sugar. I have an unopened bag but not sure how long its been in the cupboard. Do you recommend buying a new fresh bag?
Karlynn says
Hey Sandra, thanks for popping by! The sugar, yes, I recommend fresh as it seems to pick up flavors once opened. Could be my tastebuds, but I can tell when it’s stale or has picked up smells, like baking soda does. I wouldn’t use yogurt or sourcream, just a higher fat cream, is there half and half? It’s just that more fat of course makes the icing better, so anything over the usual 2% milk that recipes use is an improvement!
Sandra says
Thank you for the recipe! I’ve been searching for the perfect icing for my cupcake-cake but only have access to salted butter in my area. I’m actually originally from Etown too! But I’ve never seen 18% cream sod here in Korea. Do you think I could use (the drinkable type) yogurt or sour cream instead?
thanks again!
Blackbird Pie says
Finally used this recipe today to make icing for Halloween Brains in a Jar. YUM! Turned out great. I could only get the 18% cream in 1L size though, so I am sending the rest of it to the office for the coffee drinkers. It was called “table cream” at Superstore.
Jeri H says
Thanks for the recipe! I’ve made buttercream icing before and it turned out just ok. Yours sounds yummy and simple! I love the idea of using salted butter. I think it will make all the difference! Thank you!
Karlynn says
Let me know what you think, thanks for stopping by!
claujean says
hi.. i don’t know whats coffee cream here in philippines.. is there any alternative for that? thank you!!
Karlynn says
It’s a high fat cream, 18% here in Canada. You can use half and half as well!
Brenda says
Is this Icing a good one to use for decorating cakes..like with the bags and such?
Karlynn says
It is, for doing stars to cover a cake, swirls, just not anything that needs to hold an extreme shape.
Cathy says
this would be so good with almond extract in place of the vanilla. Will try it soon.
Jen says
Yay! Finally a buttercream recipe with NO EGGS! I’m allergic to eggs and am unable to eat the buttercream I usually make (which requires eggs and sugar to be disolved together). I can’t wait to try this recipe! Thanks so much!
Carolyn S. says
I also ONLY use salted butter! And I make a very similar buttercream frosting recipe. People have tried to duplicate it using unsalted butter.. and yack. Not not not even close!
Melissa Quinn says
I don’t know if anybody has said this yet…sorry if it has already been said. The salt cuts the sweetness of the icing sugar so that is why it is added to butter cream. More salt=less sweet icing.
James says
You convince me enough to make it :). FYI, this is for my macaron filling
Anyway I’m not familiar with coffee cream? is that coffee flavoured cream?
I live in Australia and never heard of this before.
Karlynn says
It’s a higher fat cream, so use perhaps half and half?