How to Make Buttercream Frosting

How to Make Buttercream Frosting is a trick every baker needs to know. It’s a classic for a reason and so versatile!

I’m a professional cake decorator’s daughter and it only took me 12 years to post the most basic frosting recipe of all time. Well, isn’t that just the icing on the cake?

How to Make Buttercream Frosting

• 1 pound unsalted butter, softened
• 1 1/2 – 2 teaspoons sea salt
• 2 pounds powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (or any flavor you like)
• 1/8 to 1/4 cup warm water or milk, if needed

Place the butter and salt in an electric mixer bowl. Turn on and whip until light and fluffy. Turn off the mixer.

Add the powdered sugar and vanilla (or your flavor of choice), Cover the top of the bowl snug with a clean towel and hold in place to prevent a mess. Start the mixer at a slow speed. After the powdered sugar is mixed in enough, remove the towel and continue whipping frosting.

If you’d like the frosting to be less stiff, add a little it of milk or water and mix until it is the consistency you’d like it to be.

Some other fun flavor options are lemon (using fresh lemon juice & lemon zest), maple extract, or mint extract, a tiny touch of leaf green food coloring & mini chocolate chips for chocolate chip mint frosting. I mean, shuddup!