Learn how to make easy vanilla homemade buttercream icing that’s smooth, creamy and fluffy. Made with simple ingredients, this classic buttercream is perfect for piping, decorating cupcakes, icing birthday cakes and adding the finishing touch to your favourite homemade bakes. And it is perfectly white without adding any food colourings
Easy Buttercream Icing Recipe - Smooth, Creamy & Fluffy
Easy Buttercream Icing Recipe - Smooth, Creamy & Fluffy
Ashley’s Place
12 Serves
15 minutes
American
Baking
My buttercream icing is one I always get compliments on when anyone eats any of my cupcakes or cakes and one I always get asked "how do you get it so white??". And no it isn't food colouring. This buttercream icing is balanced, not too overly sweet, light and fluffy but perfect to pipe or decorate cakes and with the right method and mixing you can get beautifully white icing without having to add any food colouring too.
Ingredients
- 300g Icing Sugar Mix (Confectioners Sugar)
- 150g Unsalted Butter (Room Temp)
- 1.5 Tsp Vanilla Essence
- 2 Tsp Milk (or milk substitute, water is ok too)
Directions
Take your butter out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature. This is so we can cream it (mix it) and it will incorporate into the icing easier otherwise it won’t mix in properly.
Once the butter is room temp chop into small pieces and add it into your stand mixer (or use a handheld mixer too) and mix on medium - high speed for at least 3 minutes until the butter is light in colour and looks smooth. Scrape down the bowl halfway through and again once it is finished mixing so the butter isn’t sticking to the bottom. This step is called ‘creaming the butter’
Add your icing sugar mix to your bowl in about 3 equal parts (so add some mix and add the next batch) this is so you don’t get an icing explosion, mix for about 30 seconds after each addition before adding the next portion of icing
Once the 3 parts are added and mixing, add your vanilla and milk (you can use any milk substitute or water if needed but it’s nicer with that dash of milk)
Mix on medium speed for 1 minute, stop to scrape down the sides and base of the bowl again to make sure all the ingredients get mixed properly and nothing is stuck to the sides
Mix on medium - high for at least 5-8 minutes and stop halfway to scrape the sides and base of the bowl. This step is essential to get the right flavour and perfect buttercream texture and this is where alot of buttercreams don’t work so well because they weren’t mixed enough. This is also how you get white icing (*See note 1)
You will notice the buttercream become lighter in colour and it should have a perfectly balanced taste that’s not too sweet and not too buttery
If you find any butter hasn’t incorporated properly just give it a mix with your spatula or spoon, it could just be getting missed by your machine
Before decorating a cake, cupcakes, slice etc make sure your cupcakes are completely cold, you don’t want even a little bit of warmth otherwise your icing will melt and start slipping off
Once your buttercream done its ready to use, pop it into your piping bag or simply ice with a knife
The icing can be stored by itself in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 1 month or in the freezer for 3 months. Just take it out and leave to come to room temp then give it a good mix with your stand mixer (or handheld) to bring it back to life (*See note 2)