The BEST American Buttercream Recipe

I’ll be honest—when I whip up a bowl of American buttercream recipe, at least one spoon never sees the dishwasher. Pretty sure there’s actually one in the fridge right now…

Course Dessert

Cuisine American

Keyword American Buttercream Recipe

Prep Time 10

Total Time 10

Servings servings

Calories 154kcal

Author Dana DeVolk

Ingredients

1 cup unsalted butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar sifted
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon vanilla extract or extract of your choice
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Instructions

Place the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment.
1 cup unsalted butter
Whip until smooth and fluffy, for about a minute.
Add the sifted powdered sugar a spoonful at a time over medium-low speed. Keep doing this until all of the sugar is added, scraping down the sides as necessary.
4 cups powdered sugar
Add the salt and extract and stir to combine.
Pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon vanilla extract or extract of your choice
Lastly, slowly stir in the heavy cream, then place on medium-high speed and whip for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
3 tablespoons heavy cream

Notes

Start adding powdered sugar slowly on low speed. Sugar clouds are funny until you’re cleaning them.
Beat butter alone first; this yields a whiter, silky smooth texture.
For extra‑white frosting, add a tiny drop of violet gel color to cancel yellow tones.
Scrape sides of the bowl and paddle frequently with a rubber spatula to avoid lumps of sugar.
If frosting seems too thick, drizzle in more cream ½ teaspoon at a time. Much liquid can make it soupy.
Want a crusting buttercream for sharp edges? Add an extra cup of sugar and whip 30 seconds longer.

Nutrition