Basic Buttercream Icing
My all-time favourite buttercream icing recipe... it's so simple and needs just two ingredients! Plus it's absolutely perfect for icing your favourite cakes, birthday cakes or cupcakes!
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Servings: 12 serves
Calories: 217kcal
Equipment
- hand-held beaters, stand-mixer, Thermomix or wooden spoon
Ingredients
- 185 g butter room temperature
- 300 g (2 ¼ cups) icing sugar powdered sugar/ confectioners sugar
- 2 tbs (30g) cream or milk
- 1 tsp 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
RECIPE NOTES & TIPS
Ingredients 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.
Nutrition
Calories: 217kcal | Carbohydrates: 25g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 8g | Cholesterol: 37mg | Sodium: 112mg | Potassium: 4mg | Sugar: 25g | Vitamin A: 421IU | Calcium: 5mg