Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream

Mar 18, 2025 | Cakes, Fillings, Recipes, Vanilla

This ridiculously fluffy Vanilla Buttercream whips it up in minutes and is perfect for swirling on cupcakes and cakes, or can be sandwiched between cookies and macarons. Once you try this simple frosting recipe, you'll wonder how you ever lived without it! The best part? It's completely versatile -colour and flavour it however you desire.

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Fluffy Vanilla Buttercream

This is a seriously easy, no-fail recipe for a super fluffy Vanilla Buttercream. It’s light and fluffy, with the most delicious creamy texture, making it perfect for piping on cupcakes, fabulous for cakes and a quick and easy filling for macarons and sandwich cookies.

All of us home bakers need a great vanilla buttercream recipe and this. is. it! This fluffy vanilla frosting is the best buttercream to have in your repertoire, as it’s so easy to make and can be flavoured and coloured so many ways. It’s a classic vanilla buttercream recipe that will serve you well time and time again. I hope you love it!

Why We Love This Recipe

It’s literally made in minutes –10 minutes is all you need!
The fluffy consistency makes it super light and perfect to pipe.
Delicious on vanilla cupcakes, chocolate cupcakes and everything in between.
Great for birthday cakes and can be used when making layer cakes -simply pipe the frosting around the edges of each layer, then fill the inside of the circle fill lemon curd, salted caramel, caramel apple filling or your favourite filling and top with another cake layer. Elevates a plain cake into a decadent dessert!

Recipe Ingredients

Pure icing sugar: also known as powdered sugar or confectioners sugar. Please use the pure icing sugar, not icing sugar mixture, which has added cornstarch.
Room temperature unsalted butter: Using unsalted butter means you control how much salt goes into theis buttercream recipe.
Good quality vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste: I like vanilla paste, as I like to see the little bits of vanilla seeds in my frosting.
Heavy whipping cream: makes this vanilla buttercream super rich and fluffy.
Sea salt flakes: this is a sweet American Buttercream, so using a little bit of salt will cut through the sweetness, making this buttercream less cloying than some.

Substitutions and Variations

.This is seriously the best buttercream recipe! Try mixing it up and play around with the flavour and colour. Here’s a few suggestions:

- Try adding different flavours to your buttercream, such as extracts, jams, caramel, nutella, biscoff or peanut butter. Simply replace the vanilla for your chosen flavour.
- Colour your frosting with gel or water-based colour -add a few drops at the final mix, until you reach your desired colour.

How To Make The Fluffiest Buttercream

How to make a fluffy vanilla buttercream frosting.

Step 1:

Place butter into the large mixing bowl of your stand mixer and beat for 2 minutes, using your paddle attachment.

Step 2:

Add the cream, vanilla, half of the sugar and a pinch of salt (if using), then beat for a minimum of 3 minutes, making the mixture light and fluffy. Remember to scrape your bowl with a spatula as needed.

Start on low speed, then once the ingredients have incorporated, increase to medium-high speed. This will ensure you don’t create an icing sugar explosion!

Step 3:

Add the remaining icing sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.

Step 4:

If the mixture is too thick for you, add a little more cream and beat again. If it’s too runny, add more icing sugar. At this stage, you can add food colouring if you like -just mix again until fully combined.

Step 5:

Use as is, or flavour and colour as desired. Fill a piping bag and pipe it on top of your favourite cupcakes, or between sandwich cookies. Or simply spread it over a sheet cake, chocolate cake or between cake layers for a celebration cake.

If you’re not using it straight away, you can store it in the fridge. Once refrigerated, it will need to be brought back to room temperature and remixed before using.

Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, or the freezer for 3 months.

Expert Tips

Using a stand mixer allows you to mix the ingredients at a reasonably high speed for an extended time, getting the mixture nice and fluffy, which is why I choose a stand mixer over an electric hand mixer.
The best way to control the amount of salt in your buttercream is by using unsalted butter and adding salt flakes to taste.
Sifting your icing sugar will eliminate pesky lumps and give you a smooth, lump-free buttercream.

Frequently Asked Questions

How can I make my buttercream white?

If your butter is quite yellow (real butter is!), try using a white, gel food colouring to bring it back to white. A tiny drop of violet colouring will also neutralize the yellow.

Can you freeze buttercream?

This is the best buttercream to freeze! In a well sealed freezer bag or container, it will keep for 3 months. Simply defrost it in the fridge, then give it a quick mix again after defrosting.

Can I use an oil-based colour to colour my buttercream?

Oil-based food colours are best suited to buttercreams with a high fat content, such as Swiss Meringue Buttercream. You will get better, more consistent colour with a gel-based colouring.

Can I make my buttercream thicker?

You can easily change the consistency of this fluffy buttercream frosting. If you want to make it thicker, simply add a little more icing sugar, just a couple of spoonfuls at a time, until you reach your desired thickness. To thin it out, simply add a small spoonful of heavy cream and mix it again, until you reach your desired (thinner) fluffy texture.

How To Use Vanilla Buttercream

I mean, where do I start? Apart from the standard cakes and cupcakes I would use this buttercream to layer cakes, using a filling like salted caramel or curd between the layers. It can be used as a filling for sandwich cookies and macarons and can be flavoured in so many different ways. It’s just a great base recipe that can be adapted to suit whatever it is you’re baking.

Storage Tips

Room Temperature: The good about this slice is it won’t melt at room temperature. As long as it’s not too hot, it will keep in an airtight container for a day or two.

Fridge: No-bake Hedgehog Slice will keep well either covered in plastic wrap or in an airtight container for 5 days.

Freezer: It will keep for up to 3 months.

Have you made this?

Please let me know by leaving a comment below and sharing it on Instagram, Pinterest and Facebook

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Vanilla Buttercream

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Prep Time 10

Course Afternoon Tea, brunch, Dessert, fillings, Holidays, party food

Cuisine American

Servings cups

Ingredients

250 grams Unsalted butter room temperature
600 grams Pure icing sugar (powdered sugar)
3 tbsp Cream 60ml
1 tbsp Vanilla extract or paste
1 pinch sea salt optional, to balance the sweetness

Instructions

Place butter into the large mixing bowl of your stand mixer and beat for 2 minutes, using your paddle attachment.
Add the cream, vanilla, half of the sugar and salt (if using), then beat for a minimum of 3 minutes, making the mixture light and fluffy.
Add the remaining icing sugar and beat for another 3 minutes.
If the mixture is too thick for you, add a little more cream and beat again. If it's too runny, add more icing sugar.
Use as is, or flavour and colour as desired. Once refrigerated, it will need to be brought back to room temperature and remixed before using.
Will keep in the fridge for up to 1 week, or the freezer for 3 months.

Keyword frosting, frosting recipe, vanilla

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