This easy buttercream icing needs just two ingredients, butter and icing sugar, and it's my all time favourite icing for birthday cakes and cupcakes.
It's smooth, creamy and easy to colour into pretty pink buttercream, so it's perfect on my Easy Vanilla Cupcakes or my Ultimate Butter Cake.
A Quick Look At The Recipe
✅ Recipe Name: Basic Buttercream Icing
🕒 Ready In: 10 minutes
👪 Serves: 12
🍚 Calories: 217kcal per serve
🥣 Main Ingredients: butter, icing sugar, cream or milk, vanilla extract
📖 Method: Hand held beaters, stand mixer or Thermomix
⭐ Why You'll Love It: Just 2 main ingredients and 10 minutes for smooth, creamy icing you can colour any shade you like!
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Buttercream is the most popular icing for cakes and cupcakes, with my Cream Cheese Frosting following close behind. A splash of cream or milk makes it extra creamy, a little vanilla adds flavour and a drop or two of food colouring turns it into the pretty pink buttercream you see in these photos.
You can whip it up with hand held beaters, a stand mixer or your Thermomix, and it's ready in about 10 minutes.
Why You're Going To Love This Recipe
- Only 2 main ingredients: butter and icing sugar, plus a few optional extras.
- Quick: ready in about 10 minutes.
- Easy to colour: add a drop or two of food colouring for pink, blue or any shade you like.
- So versatile: perfect for birthday cakes, butter cakes, mud cakes and cupcakes.
- Conventional and Thermomix methods: both are in the recipe card below.
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Buttercream Icing Ingredients
A basic buttercream only needs butter and icing sugar, but these extras make it even better:
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
- Butter: salted or unsalted both work. I like unsalted butter with a pinch of salt so I can control the saltiness. Make sure it's at room temperature.
- Icing sugar: also called powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar. Pure icing sugar makes a firmer buttercream, while icing sugar mixture makes a smoother one.
- Cream or milk: for the creamiest finish, use full fat milk or pouring (thin) cream.
- Food colouring: optional. Just 1 to 2 drops is all you need.
Buttercream Variations
- Chocolate buttercream: add ½ cup sifted cocoa powder and an extra tablespoon of cream, and use ¼ cup less icing sugar. Or try my Chocolate Buttercream.
- Pink buttercream: beat in 1 to 2 drops of pink or red food colouring at the end, adding a little more for a deeper colour.
- Vanilla buttercream: add 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract for a lovely creamy vanilla flavour.
- Lemon buttercream: for a zesty version, try the frosting on my Lemon Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream Frosting.
- Something tangier: swap to my Cream Cheese Frosting instead.
How To Make Buttercream Icing
Buttercream comes together in just a couple of steps. The full recipe card is below.
Note: Scroll to the recipe card at the bottom for the ingredients quantities and full detailed method.
- Step 1: Beat the butter. Beat the room temperature butter with hand held beaters or a stand mixer on medium high for about 3 to 4 minutes, until very pale and fluffy.
- Step 2: Add the icing sugar and extras. Slowly add the icing sugar, cream or milk and the vanilla, pinch of salt and food colouring if using. Beat on low until combined, then on medium for about 2 minutes until smooth and creamy.
- Step 3: Ice your cake. Spread the buttercream over a completely cooled cake or cupcakes and serve.
Thermomix Buttercream
- Step 4: Mill the icing sugar. Place the icing sugar into the Thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds, Speed 9.
- Step 5: Mix it all together. Add the butter, cream or milk and the optional vanilla, salt and food colouring. Mix for 30 seconds, Speed 4, scraping down the sides occasionally.
How To Make Pink Buttercream
For pink buttercream like the one in these photos, beat 1 to 2 drops of pink or red food colouring into the finished buttercream. Start with one drop, beat it through, then add another if you'd like a deeper pink.
Top Tip
For the smoothest buttercream, make sure your butter is at room temperature and sift your icing sugar before you start.
Storing Buttercream
- Use it straight away: buttercream is best used as soon as it's made.
- Iced cakes and cupcakes: keep them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Recipe Tips
- Buttercream too thick? Add 1 tablespoon of extra cream or milk and beat again.
- Buttercream too thin? Add half a cup of extra icing sugar and beat it through.
- Buttercream too sweet? Beat in a small pinch of salt. It balances the sweetness and brings out the creaminess.
- No mixer? You can use a wooden spoon to beat the room temperature butter until pale and creamy, then beat in the remaining ingredients. It's a great arm workout!
- Go easy on the colour: start with a single drop of food colouring and add more until you're happy.
Buttercream Icing FAQs
Yes, both work! Pure icing sugar makes a slightly firmer buttercream, while icing sugar mixture makes a smoother one. Whichever you use, sift it first for the smoothest result.
Yes, salted or unsalted butter both work. If you use salted butter, there's no need to add the extra pinch of salt.
Make the buttercream as usual, then beat in 1 to 2 drops of pink or red food colouring. Add a little more, a drop at a time, for a deeper pink.
If it's too thick, beat in 1 tablespoon of extra cream or milk. If it's too thin, add half a cup of extra icing sugar and beat it through.
Buttercream is best used straight away. Iced cakes and cupcakes will keep in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
More Icing And Cake Recipes
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How To Make Buttercream
Ingredients
- 185 g butter room temperature
- 300 g (2 ¼ cups) icing sugar powdered sugar/ confectioners sugar
- 2 tbs (30g) cream or milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract optional
- pinch of salt see notes
- 1-2 drops food colouring optional
Instructions
Conventional Method
- Beat the room temperature butter with hand-held beaters or a stand-mixer (see notes) in a bowl until pale and fluffy (approximately 3-4 minutes).
- Slowly add the icing sugar, milk/cream and optional vanilla extract, pinch of salt and food colouring and continue to beat until smooth and creamy.
- Spread the buttercream frosting over a cooled cake or cupcakes and serve.
- Store the iced cake or cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Thermomix Method
- Place the icing sugar into the Thermomix bowl and mix for 10 seconds, Speed 9.
- Add the butter, cream/milk and optional vanilla extract, pinch of salt and food colouring to the bowl. Mix for 30 seconds, Speed 4 (scraping down the sides occasionally).
- Spread the buttercream frosting over a cooled cake or cupcakes and serve.
- Store the iced cake or cupcakes in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- butter - you can use either salted or unsalted butter when making buttercream. My personal preference is to use unsalted butter and then add a little pinch of salt to your buttercream as this allows you to control the saltiness. Ensure your butter is at room temperature before using.
- icing sugar (also known as powdered sugar or confectioners' sugar) - this gives the buttercream it's delicious sweetness! You can use either pure icing sugar or icing sugar mixture (pure icing sugar will make a firmer buttercream, whereas icing sugar mixture will make a smoother buttercream).
- a dash of milk (or cream) - for the ultimate creamy finish. For best results, use full fat milk or pouring (thin) cream.
- vanilla extract - this gives the buttercream a beautiful vanilla flavour.
- pinch of salt - if you've used unsalted butter, then add a little pinch of salt to your buttercream. If you've used salted butter, there's no need to add any extra salt. Adding a touch of salt to your buttercream, minimises the super sweetness of the icing sugar and brings out the icings beautiful creaminess.
- food colouring - you can also colour your buttercream using 1-2 drops of food colouring.
- make sure your butter is at room temperature before using
- for a smooth result, ensure that you sift your icing sugar (powdered sugar) before using
- add vanilla extract for a creamy vanilla flavour
- adding a pinch of salt minimises the sweetness of the sugar and brings out the creaminess of the buttercream
- use hand-held beaters, a stand-mixer or Thermomix to make the buttercream
- if you don't have any of the above equipment, you can use a wooden spoon (and a whole lot of muscle power!)
- to make chocolate buttercream, add ½ cup sifted cocoa powder and an extra tablespoon of cream, and use ¼ cup less icing sugar than the recipe states
- if your buttercream is too thick, add 1 tablespoon of extra cream (or milk) and beat again
- if your buttercream is too thin, add half a cup of extra icing sugar (powdered sugar) and beat through
- if your buttercream is too sweet, add a small pinch of salt and beat through
- buttercream is best used immediately - iced cakes or cupcakes can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
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