Basic Buttercream

This is your standard buttercream. Light and fluffy. Not too sweet. Perfect for cupcakes, cakes, and everything in between. Edit it as you like. 

The Story

I’m a big fan of constantly changing my icing. Depending on the cake, you should vary the icing. Maybe a cream cheese icing goes better with a certain type of cake, while a buttercream goes better on another. Or you want a super light icing on one cake, and then you want a dense and rich icing on the next. Each cake should have a different icing.

But that doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t have a basic icing recipe stowed away for easy access when needed.

So that’s why I made this. This is a standard, basic buttercream. It’s light and fluffy, it’s not too sweet, and it’s perfect for almost every and any occasion. It’s also easy to make your own. Want coconut icing? Add some coconut extract to it. Want orange icing? Zest a little orange rind into it. It can become anything so, so easily.

Plus it’s quick and easy to make. Stop using pre-made and store-bought icing that is made with ingredients that you can’t pronounce. Everyone loves a homemade icing, and this is sure to please.

 

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), softened

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

 

The Detailed Guide

MAKE SURE YOUR BUTTER IS SOFT

Take your butter out of the fridge and leave it on the counter until it is soft. Generally, I take it out the night before or before I run to the store to get any ingredients I may need for the cake I’m making this icing for. If you are more last minute or forgot, you can always stick it in the microwave for 10 seconds at a time until it is soft but NOT MELTED.

Making the Icing

Put your softened butter into a mixer and mix on medium speed for maybe a 30 seconds. Then, add in the vegetable shortening. Again, mix this at a medium speed for 30 seconds or so. You may notice a slightly lighter color to your butter. That’s good!

Add in the vanilla.

Then, alternate additions of confectioner’s sugar and milk (1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1 cup sugar), mixing in between additions on low/medium. Scrap the sides as you go, and be careful about adding the confectioner’s sugar in the bowl and then turning the mixer on. Confectioner’s sugar has a tendency of flying out of the bowl.

Finally, slowly increase the speed of the mixer from medium to high, and then keep it at high for 1 minute. Depending on the mixer, it may be a 5 to a 7 speed which will be ideal for this. This high speed mixing is going to whip to the icing and get lots of tiny air bubbles into it. The paddle (not whisk) attachment on a mixer is just fine for this. You will notice a visible difference in both the consistency (it will be much, much fluffier) and color (it will be much, much lighter) than before mixing it.

And that’s it.

This should be plenty for a batch of cupcakes or a cake.

 

Shut up and just GIVE ME THE RECIPE!!

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter (2 sticks), softened

1 cup vegetable shortening

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 cups confectioner’s sugar

2 tablespoons whole milk

Make It

Mix softened butter in a mixer on medium for about 30 seconds. Add in vegetable shortening and mix for the same. Add in the vanilla.

Then, alternate additions of confectioner’s sugar and milk (1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1 cup sugar, 1 tbsp milk, 1 cup sugar), mixing in between additions on low/medium. Scrap the sides as you go.

Finally, slowly increase the speed of the mixer from medium to high, and then keep it at high for 1 minute. You will notice a visible difference in both the consistency (it will be much, much fluffier) and color (it will be much, much lighter) than before mixing it.

Done.