American buttercream is the easiest frosting you will ever make and one of the most versatile. Five ingredients, less than 15 minutes, and you get a sweet, creamy frosting that is stable enough for warm weather, pipes beautifully, and works under fondant. I use this on everything from funfetti cake to chocolate cake, and it has been my go-to recommendation for beginner bakers for years.
Quick Glance: American Buttercream Recipe
- Recipe Name: American Buttercream Recipe
- Why You'll Love It: Sweet, creamy, and incredibly stable, this is the easiest frosting you will ever make with just five ingredients and 15 minutes
- Time and Difficulty: 5 minutes | Beginner-friendly
- Main Ingredients: Unsalted butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, clear vanilla extract, salt
- Method: Beat butter until smooth, add powdered sugar gradually, add cream and vanilla, whip until fluffy
- Texture and Flavor: Light, sweet, and creamy with a classic vanilla flavor that pipes beautifully and holds its shape
- Quick Tip: Always use butter at room temperature. Cold butter creates lumps that are nearly impossible to smooth out once the sugar is added
This recipe is incredibly easy, only uses 5 simple ingredients, and takes less than 15 minutes to make. Follow this recipe for tricks on how to get your buttercream smooth and bubble-free, and how to avoid grainy, separated frosting.
I have tested so many frostings to combat the summer heat, and American buttercream is the most stable. Many of my go-to recipes, like easy buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, or Italian meringue buttercream, use egg whites, so if you are vegan or unable to eat eggs, American buttercream is a great option.
It's also incredible on my easy chocolate cake recipe - the contrast between rich chocolate and sweet buttercream is a classic combination.
American Buttercream Ingredients
American buttercream only uses five ingredients but each one matters. Here is what they do and what you can substitute if needed.
Unsalted Butter: The base of the frosting and what gives it richness and body. Use high-quality butter for the best flavor. I like Plugra or Irish butter, but Darigold is a great budget-friendly option. Make sure it is fully at room temperature before you start. For a more heat-stable version, replace half the butter with high-ratio shortening. For dairy-free buttercream, use a plant-based butter substitute.
Powdered Sugar: Also called confectioners sugar or icing sugar, this is what gives American buttercream its structure and sweetness. Always sift it before adding to avoid lumps. Add it one cup at a time so it incorporates smoothly without a cloud of sugar flying everywhere.
Heavy Cream: A small amount of cream thins the buttercream to the right consistency and makes it fluffy. You can substitute whole milk, water, or a non-dairy creamer if needed. Add it gradually until you reach the consistency you want. I heat mine up for 1 minute to emulsify the frosting.
Clear Vanilla Extract: Adds classic vanilla flavor without adding color. This is important if you want a bright white frosting. If color is not a concern, regular vanilla extract works just as well and has a slightly richer flavor.
Salt: A small amount of salt balances the sweetness and rounds out the flavor. Without it the frosting can taste one-dimensional. Do not skip it.
How to Make American Buttercream Step-By-Step
Just 15 minutes of your time and you'll have the smoothest, tastiest American buttercream of your life!
- Make sure your butter is fully at room temperature before you start. It should be soft enough to press a finger into easily but not greasy or melted. If it is too cold, you will get lumps. If it is too warm, the frosting will be too soft to pipe.
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until the butter is completely smooth, pale, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Any unmixed butter at the bottom will show up as lumps later.
EXPERT TIP: You can also replace half the butter with vegetable shortening to make it more stable in the heat.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time on the lowest speed. Adding it all at once creates a cloud of sugar and makes it harder to incorporate evenly. Mix until smooth after each addition before adding more.
- Add the salt, clear vanilla extract, and hot heavy cream. If the buttercream looks too thick or dry, add a little more cream one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
- Increase the speed to high and whip for 2 to 3 minutes until the buttercream is light, fluffy, and bright white. It should look smooth and hold a peak when you lift the whisk.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap until you are ready to use it. American buttercream can sit at room temperature for a few hours. For longer storage, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks or freeze for up to three months. Bring it back to room temperature and mix on low before using.
EXPERT TIP: If the buttercream looks curdled or separated, Scoop out about one cup of the buttercream and microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds until just melted. Pour it back into the mixing bowl while the mixer is running on low. It will come back together quickly.
What Are The Different Types of Buttercream?
- American buttercream (ABC) is made with powdered sugar, butter, and liquid. It's very sweet, creamy, and the most stable in warm temperatures due to the high amount of sugar.
- Swiss meringue buttercream (SMBC) is made by combining meringue with whipped butter and extracts. This buttercream is light, soft, and not very sweet. My Easy buttercream is an easy mock-Swiss buttercream recipe.
- Italian meringue buttercream (IMBC) is made by pouring boiled sugar into whipping meringue. This produces a very stable and light buttercream frosting that's not very sweet, but it is a little bit trickier to make.
- French buttercream is made with egg yolks or whole eggs in a meringue base. It's similar to a custard or pastry cream, is not as sweet, and has a richer flavor compared to some of the other buttercreams.
- German buttercream is made by combining pastry cream, butter, and powdered sugar. It's very rich, silky, and not too sweet.
- Flour buttercream or boiled milk frosting like Ermine frosting is an old-fashioned type of buttercream. It's made by cooking flour and sugar with milk to make a sweet vanilla bean paste, then whipping that with butter and extracts.
Common Mistakes To Avoid
- Using cold butter. This is the most common mistake. Cold butter will not fully incorporate with the sugar and you will end up with a lumpy, uneven frosting that no amount of mixing will fix. Set your butter out at least an hour before you start.
- Adding all the powdered sugar at once. Dumping in all the sugar at once makes it impossible to incorporate smoothly and creates a huge mess. Add it one cup at a time on the lowest speed and let it fully mix in before adding more.
- Using regular vanilla instead of clear. If you want a bright white buttercream, you need clear vanilla extract. Regular vanilla turns the frosting yellow or ivory, which is fine for some cakes but makes it difficult to achieve true colors when tinting.
- Not scraping the bowl. Unmixed butter and sugar likes to hide at the bottom of the bowl. If you do not scrape the bowl well between additions you will have lumps in your finished frosting. Scrape down often.
- Over-whipping on high speed. Whipping on high for too long pumps too much air into the frosting and creates large air bubbles that are hard to smooth out on a cake. Whip on high for just 2 to 3 minutes, then switch to the paddle on low to smooth it out.
- Adding too much cream at once. A little cream goes a long way. If you add too much the frosting becomes too loose to pipe. Add it one tablespoon at a time and stop when you reach the right consistency.
- Not adjusting for the climate. In hot or humid weather, standard American buttercream can get soft and slippery. If you are decorating in summer or a warm kitchen, replace half the butter with high-ratio shortening to give it more stability.
American Buttercream FAQs
American buttercream is the most heat-stable of all the buttercreams because of its high sugar content. Sugar is hygroscopic and absorbs moisture rather than releasing it, which keeps the frosting from breaking down as quickly as egg-based buttercreams. That said, it can still soften in extreme heat. If you are decorating in a hot kitchen or serving the cake outdoors in warm weather, replace half the butter with high-ratio shortening for extra stability.
American buttercream is one of type of the many buttercreams out there. The word buttercream is a general term for any frosting made with butter as a base. American buttercream is the simplest version, made with just butter, powdered sugar, and a liquid. Other styles like Swiss meringue buttercream and Italian meringue buttercream are made by whipping butter into a cooked meringue base, which makes them lighter and less sweet but more time-consuming to prepare.
American buttercream is made with unsalted butter, powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla extract, and salt. That is it. The simplicity is what makes it so easy to pull off even for complete beginners, and you can customize the flavor and color with just a few small tweaks.
It depends on the look and setting. American buttercream is very stable and great for piping intricate decorations, which is why it is popular for wedding cakes with lots of detail work. For a smoother, less sweet finish, Swiss meringue or Italian meringue buttercream are excellent choices. If the wedding is outdoors in warm weather, American buttercream with some shortening mixed in or a high-ratio shortening based frosting will hold up best.
Yes. American buttercream keeps well in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks, or in the freezer for up to three months. When you are ready to use it, let it come fully to room temperature and then mix on low speed until it is smooth and creamy again. It may look separated at first but it will come back together.
Switch to the paddle attachment on your stand mixer and mix on the lowest speed for 10 to 15 minutes. This slowly pushes the air out and gives you a dense, smooth frosting that is much easier to get a clean finish with on a cake. It is one of the best tips I have for getting a really professional-looking result.
Grainy buttercream is almost always caused by powdered sugar that has not fully dissolved. Make sure you sift the powdered sugar before adding it and add it slowly on low speed. If it is still grainy after mixing, try adding a splash of cream and mixing for a few more minutes. The extra liquid helps the sugar fully dissolve.
Use clear vanilla extract instead of regular vanilla, and make sure your butter is very pale and well-whipped before adding the sugar. Whipping the butter for a full 2 to 3 minutes before anything else is added turns it from yellow to almost white. Adding a tiny drop of violet food gel can also neutralize any remaining yellow tones and make the frosting appear brighter white.
Always use gel food coloring rather than liquid. Liquid coloring adds too much water to the frosting and can affect the consistency. Gel gives you much more intense color with just a small amount. For very deep colors like red or black, start with a chocolate buttercream base to cut down on how much coloring you need. Let the colored buttercream sit for 15 to 20 minutes after mixing as colors often deepen as they rest.
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Recipe
Ingredients
American Buttercream Ingredients
- 24 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 40 ounces powdered sugar
- 3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 5 ounces heavy whipping cream heated until very warm
Instructions
American Buttercream Instructions
- Make sure your butter is fully at room temperature before you start. It should be soft enough to press a finger into easily but not greasy or melted. If it is too cold you will get lumps. If it is too warm the frosting will be too soft to pipe.
- Place the softened butter in the bowl of your stand mixer with the whisk attachment. Mix on medium speed until the butter is completely smooth, pale, and fluffy, about 2 to 3 minutes. Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl well. Any unmixed butter at the bottom will show up as lumps later.
- Add the powdered sugar one cup at a time on the lowest speed. Adding it all at once creates a cloud of sugar and makes it harder to incorporate evenly. Mix until smooth after each addition before adding more.
- Add the salt, clear vanilla extract, and hot heavy cream. If the buttercream looks too thick or dry, add a little more cream one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the right consistency.
- Increase the speed to high and whip for 2 to 3 minutes until the buttercream is light, fluffy, and bright white. It should look smooth and hold a peak when you lift the whisk.
- If the buttercream looks curdled or separated: Scoop out about one cup of the buttercream and microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds until just melted. Pour it back into the mixing bowl while the mixer is running on low. It will come back together quickly.
- If you want to remove air bubbles: Switch to the paddle attachment and mix on the lowest speed for 10 to 15 minutes. This pushes out the air and gives you an incredibly smooth, velvety finish that is much easier to work with when frosting a cake.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap until you are ready to use it. American buttercream can sit at room temperature for a few hours. For longer storage, keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to two weeks or freeze for up to three months. Bring it back to room temperature and mix on low before using.
Video
Notes
- For the best results, use high-quality butter like Plugra, Irish butter, or Darigold. You can also use dairy-free butter if needed.
- For a more stable buttercream that holds up in hot or humid climates, replace half of the butter with high-ratio shortening. Crisco will also work, though high-ratio shortening gives the best results.
- You can also make this recipe with a combination of butter and shortening from the start. Use 12 ounces of butter and 12 ounces of shortening for a buttercream that is both flavorful and more heat stable than an all-butter version.
- Heavy cream can be substituted with whole milk, water, or non-dairy creamer if needed.
- If your buttercream looks too dry, add more cream one tablespoon at a time until you reach the right consistency.
- If your buttercream looks curdled or separated, remove about 1 cup and microwave it for 10 to 15 seconds, then pour it back into the mixing bowl and mix until smooth.
- To remove air bubbles, switch to the paddle attachment and mix on low for 10 to 15 minutes.
- This recipe makes enough to frost and fill three 8x2 inch cake layers or 24 cupcakes.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 weeks or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Bring to room temperature and mix on low before using.
Stephanie Hernandez says
Hey Liz, What brands are high ratio shortening? Do grocery stores sell it?
Elizabeth Marek says
I'm not sure, it's different in every area. I just use butter with a little crisco
Anisor F says
Wow! Idk why I didn't make this sooner. I always use Liz's Easy Buttercream which is nice and smooth and not overly sweet but I'll be switching to this American Buttercream as my new go to for party cakes! It's super delicious compared to other American Buttercreams I've tried and it's the sweetness my clients are wanting. I really love this recipe. One batch makes a lot! I actually can't double it in my 4.5 qt. Kitchen Aid lol. Thank You Liz for another amazing recipe
Jacqueline M Andra says
In your description you mention creamer but your recipe mentions milk and water? I have made Sugar Shacks version of this with all shortening and the hot creamer but I do not wish to make that much buttercream. Can you tell me where you use the creamer? mix etc?
Elizabeth Marek says
I used to use commercial coffee creamer in my recipe but now I just use milk 🙂
Alina says
I'm trying to make a two layer 6-inch cake, and this is my first time trying out this recipe. How much do I use of everything?
Elizabeth Marek says
I would cut this recipe in half for a 6" cake
Liset says
Hi liz, how much of this buttercream i will need for a 8" 3 layers rosettes cake, i,m planning to use hi ratio shortening because i live in florida, but i only have 4 cups of that shortening, can i add regular shortening?
Thank you
The Sugar Geek Show says
This one recipe would be plenty for an 8" cake
Freda says
How many cupcakes would you say this can ice, say, a rosette onto?
The Sugar Geek Show says
There's really no way for me to know for sure, it would vary depending on the person and I have never thought to count how many rosettes one batch of buttercream makes
Keryn says
Hi. How long ahead of frosting my cake will this last In the fridge ? How long should it last in the fridge ? Thank you !
The Sugar Geek Show says
I would say no more than a month in the fridge or it might dry out but it won't spoil
Carol Jupiter says
Hi I Made my cake using your frosting during the Christmas holiday, and the family went Crazzzzy!!!!, told me to only use this frosting with your vanilla cake recipe, now that want me to make another cake, would you please answer a few questions, my sister wants a white cake with a red stenciled design on it, using your frosting and the techniques on crumb coating, then final coat and chilling, how would I prevent the red stenciled design from bleeding? would I frost and stencil and leave at room temperature or frost and stencil and then put back in the fridge and then the next day just take out of fridge and allow to come to room temp. I wanted to at least ice and stencil the day before, it's her birthday cake. Nervous about the red bleeding, Please Help.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hey Carol, I haven't had a lot of experience stenciling dark colors so I can't make any for sure suggestions but I would say to make sure you're not using too much food coloring. Start with pink, then add in red and let it mature overnight to let it deepen in color. Make sure your first layer of buttercream has crusted and is chilled before doing your stencil.
barb says
can you put fondant flowers on buttercream icing
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can
Liz says
What could I use for a non diary creamer?. I'm going to try and.make your banana cake this weekend. Could i use buttermilk ? Thank you
The Sugar Geek Show says
if you dont have non-dairy creamer then just use milk
Hafsa says
Can I use this recipe in hot humid weather? And are my toppers going to stay on it?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can, American buttercream is great for hot humid weather
Gloria says
When would you use this as opposed to a regular non crusting ABC recipe?
The Sugar Geek Show says
It's really just a preference of the taste that you like. Some people really like the sweeter frostings. Or if you're in a really hot area, american buttercream is more stable than meringue based buttercreams
Jacqui Andra says
Can you use this buttercream and frost the 1/2 sheet cake the same way you do in your video? I know your video uses your Easy Buttercream recipe (aka easy SMBC). Thank you
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can
Jacqueline M Andra says
Thank you
Jodie Winterton says
Hi ! I have to say I love your website and tutorials ! Love how you share your ideas ! Your super cool! Thank you ! I live in Australia and I have been asked to make a 70th birthday cake, so weather is warming up and I have a 2 hour trip to transfer this cake! I am looking at using this recipe? Not sure if I should experiment as I don’t have a lot of time to play. I am Not sure what to use as the liquid creamer? Please can you help ? I have been trying to search through your questions and answers and thought just best to ask you yourself . Also what is the best way to travel this cake also so I don’t have a melting disaster as I usually do fondant cakes? Please help and thank you again for your amazing site xx
The Sugar Geek Show says
Liquid creamer is just creamer you would put in your coffee. I'm not sure if you have that available in your area. I you can't find it then just use milk 🙂
Tami says
Hi!!! You’re website/YouTube channel.. everything is fantastic! Just looking for some advice! I am making my second wedding cake in 3 weeks! First one went well... all butter American buttercream cake! My next bride is asking for a fondant cake(with ruffles, lots of ruffles). This would be my first all fondant wedding cake.
What is your favorite buttercream recipe to use on your fondant cakes???
Can I refrigerate my LMF fondant cake for 24 hours prior to delivery?
Thank you SO MUCH!
The Sugar Geek Show says
I use my easy buttercream for everything 🙂 Fondant ruffles are time consuming but easy to apply. Make them as thin as possible and start from the top, working your way down to the bottom of the cake. You can definitely refrigerate fondant. A chilled cake is much safer to transport than a warm cake.