Classic American Buttercream is a sweet, fluffy frosting that is very stable and pairs amazingly well with the funfetti cake, chocolate cake, and more. 
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.
Table of contents
American Buttercream Ingredients
Butter is, of course, a key ingredient for "butter"-cream, so using high-quality butter is important. I like using Plugra or Irish butter, but Darigold is also a great option when butter is expensive! You can also use dairy-free butter if you need dairy-free buttercream. If you need stable buttercream for hot and humid climates, replace half of the butter with shortening. High-ratio shortening works best, but Crisco will work too.
Heavy cream is important to help thin out your frosting and make it fluffy, but you can also use water, milk, or non-dairy creamer.
How to Make American Buttercream
- First, bring your butter to room temperature. If your butter is not at room temperature, you will get lumps of butter.
- Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or an electric hand mixer) with the whisk attachment and mix together on medium speed until smooth. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the bowl often. Pro-Tip: If you need more stable buttercream, replace half of the butter with high-ratio shortening.
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing on low speed until smooth.
- Add in your salt, clear vanilla extract, and cream. If your buttercream looks too dry, you can add more cream until you reach the right consistency.
- Whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy.
- Optional: If it looks curdled and separated, remove about 1 cup of buttercream and melt it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Pour it back into the mixing buttercream to bring it all together.
- Optional: To remove bubbles, mix on low with a paddle attachment for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap until you're ready to use it. This frosting can stay out for a few hours but should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer if you don't need it for a few days. Bring it to room temperature and mix on low before each use.
- This is enough buttercream to frost and fill three 8"x2" layers, or 24 cupcakes.
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.
FAQ
ABC is the most stable buttercream in high heat and humidity. The combination of butter, shortening, and a lot of powdered sugar creates a crusting buttercream that prevents the butter from melting. White chocolate ganache and whipped dark chocolate ganache are also great options for high heat.
American buttercream is one of type of the many buttercreams out there. Vanilla buttercream frosting could be made with butter, shortening, meringue, boiling sugar, or other variations. People often use the terms "buttercream" and "frosting" interchangeably, but true frosting recipes do not contain butter as an ingredient.
Many vanilla buttercream recipes use just butter, powdered sugar, milk, salt, and vanilla. This frosting recipe has some variations with heavy cream, water, and vegetable shortening.
It all depends on your preference and what you're using it for, but I find that easy buttercream, Swiss meringue buttercream, or American buttercream works best for wedding cakes. If you live in a hot and humid area, you can always fill your cake with a less stable frosting like cream cheese or whipped cream, and then frost the outside with American.
Yes, this American buttercream can last for up to 2 weeks in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. Bring it to room temperature and mix it on low to make it smooth again. You can also add a little bit of extra milk to thin it out if needed.
Mixing on low and using room-temperature butter are the first steps to smooth, bubble-free buttercream. If it still has air bubbles, remove about 1 cup of buttercream and melt it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Pour it back into the mixing buttercream to bring it all together.
Room-temperature butter makes a huge difference in the texture of your buttercream. If it is too cold, it will make the shortening form clumps and lead to a grainy buttercream. The type of powdered sugar you're using could also be leading to grainy buttercream. Sifting the sugar can help avoid lumps.
Buttercream tends to have a yellow tinge from the butter. Adding a tiny drop of purple food coloring can counteract the yellow in the frosting and make your buttercream whiter.
To color American buttercream, I prefer to use Americolor or Chef Master gels because they are very bright and help you achieve vivid color with not a lot of food coloring. The colors will darken overnight, but you can also remove about 1 cup of the colored buttercream and melt it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Then pour it back into the mixing buttercream for a darker color.
Related Recipes
Recipe
Equipment
- 1 Stand mixer with the paddle attachment
Ingredients
American Buttercream Ingredients
- 24 ounces unsalted butter room temperature
- 40 ounces powdered sugar
- 5 ounces heavy whipping cream
- 3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
American Buttercream Instructions
- First, bring your butter to room temperature. If your butter is not at room temperature, you will get lumps of butter.
- Place the room temperature butter in the bowl of a stand mixer (or an electric hand mixer) with the whisk attachment and mix together on medium speed until smooth. Don't forget to scrape the bottom of the bowl often. Pro-Tip: If you need more stable buttercream, replace half of the butter with high-ratio shortening.
- Add in your powdered sugar one cup at a time while mixing on low speed until smooth.
- Add in your salt, clear vanilla extract, and cream.
- Whip on high speed for 2-3 minutes until the buttercream is smooth and fluffy.
- Optional: If it looks curdled and separated, remove about 1 cup of buttercream and melt it in the microwave for 10-15 seconds. Pour it back into the mixing buttercream to bring it all together.
- Optional: To remove bubbles, mix on low with a paddle attachment for 10 to 15 minutes until smooth.
- Cover the bowl with plastic wrap until you're ready to use it. This frosting can stay out for a few hours but should be stored in an airtight container in the fridge or freezer if you don't need it for a few days. Bring it to room temperature and mix on low before each use.
- This is enough buttercream to frost and fill three 8"x2" layers, or 24 cupcakes.
Notes
- Butter is, of course, a key ingredient for "butter"-cream, so using high-quality butter is important. I like using Plugra or Irish butter, but Darigold is also a great option when butter is expensive! You can also use dairy-free butter if you need dairy-free buttercream.
- Heavy cream is important to help thin out your frosting and make it fluffy, but you can also use water, heavy cream, or non-dairy creamer.
GEORGIA KORDONOURI says
Good evening!
I would like to make a double velvet cake for my nephew's birthday. So I would like to know If I can make the whole cake from the previous day without the fear the buttercream to be melt or to lose taste and appearance.
Thanks in advance
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes of course, not many people can manage to bake and frost a cake all in the same day. Check out my tutorial on how to make your first cake for more info.
Denise Oliver says
Hi Liz. So you use All Vegetable Crisco shortening in your recipe? Before the Trans Fat ban, I was using Alpine Hi Ratio Shortening for my buttercream. Worked awesome. Then I ran out and bought Alpine Soy Flex Shortening. The first cake I frosted using this shortening was a total disaster.. it literally was melting off the cake, even with my air conditioner going full blast. Since then I don't trust it.. I have read on some sites that to make buttercream stable after the Trans Fat ban, use a shortening that is part meat fat and vegetable fat. I did find that type of shortening from Walmart (Great Value brand) and it works okay, but you have to order the shortening online to the store. And they only have 42 ounce cans of it. I am just curious as to how your straight crisco vegetable shortening crusts without any meat fat in it. Now I have the remaining of the 50 lb box of the Alpine Soy Flex Shortening that I don't know what to do with.. (any ideas??) lol.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Hi Denise, yes I use all vegetable crisco. Frosting crusts because of how much sugar is in the recipe, not the type of fat. You can make a crusting recipe with all crisco or all butter if there is enough powdered sugar in the recipe. Hope that helps
Emz says
Hi. Thanks for the recipe. But can i use milk instead of creamer?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can
Leana says
can you reduce the butter by 1/2 and the difference to hi ratio amount.
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes you can replace some of the butter with high-ratio shortening
Angela S says
Thanks so much for sharing this wonderful recipe. I made my first wedding cake last weekend and the bride and everyone else gave rave reviews. During my cake testing I used my old recipe and everyone, including me, thought it was too sweet. I've been using cream cheese buttercream because of the sweetness of vanilla. Now I can use vanilla buttercream!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yay! So glad to hear it!
Kim Jung says
Just tried this recipe today and it's fabulous! After honestly struggling for a while to find a not overly sweet frosting this is a hit! It's not too sweet and the textureis nice. I did half butter half vegetable shortening. This is definitely my new go to. It even won over my extremely picky frosting child, lol.
Kstef says
How would I make this into chocolate American BC? Would I replace some of the powdered sugar with unsweetened cocoa powder? how much would I replace in this recipe? Thanks!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Just add in cocoa powder as you desire, I use about 1/4 cup of dutched cocoa powder
Melissa Modisette says
Have you ever used almond extract in the frosting to make it have the more wedding cake flavor?
The Sugar Geek Show says
You can if you want to.
Marcia B says
I was wondering after you have froze and thawed your buttercream how many days is it good for? Thank you in advance?
Marcia B says
I Love this recipe so yummy! My question is how long can it be frozen? Thank you in advance ?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes for 6 months
Ramona says
What are you using now that high ratio shortening is no longer available?
The Sugar Geek Show says
I have never used high-ratio shortening, only crisco.
Paige says
Is this the type of buttercream that you can smooth using that "Viva Paper Towel Method"? Thanks for all of the wonderful information and recipes that you so generously offer to the "caking community", you're terrific!
The Sugar Geek Show says
Yes it is
Julie B says
I know it's okay to be left out, but will it hurt the buttercream to be refrigerated after the cake has been decorated? I'm planning to use for flower decorations, but don't want them to wilt.
The Sugar Geek Show says
I always refrigerate my cakes after decorating 🙂 Just leave them at room temp for an hour or two before eating otherwise the cake will be very hard from being cold.
Cassie says
Is this recipe good to use to pipe buttercream flowers?
Danielle G says
Hi Liz,
Is this recipe good for hot and humid climates? I recently asked on the facebook page, and ganache seemed to be the answer, but I am not sure I want to go that route just yet.
Kim Burnham says
What brand of shortening do you use?
The Sugar Geek Show says
Just crisco 🙂