This classic American Buttercream Recipe takes about 10 minutes to make, is silky smooth, incredibly flavorful, and not as sweet as most American-style buttercream recipes.
The recipe includes plenty of butter, vanilla, and a touch of almond extract, It also uses heavy cream instead of milk which keeps it rich and creamy without being too sweet.
Why This Recipe Works
If you've been hanging around here for a while, you probably know that I'm fanatic about Italian Meringue Buttercream. No offense to American Buttercream, but Italian Meringue is generally my go-to. However...
There is absolutely, positively a time and place for American Buttercream. Like when you want to make buttercream super duper fast. Italian Meringue Buttercream takes nearly an hour to make. American Buttercream takes about 5 minutes. HUGE advantage.
Also, there are certain cakes that just seem to beg for American Buttercream over every other option. Like Funfetti Cake. I'm not entirely certain why I feel strongly that Funfetti Cake should be frosted with American Buttercream, but I do. Italian Meringue Buttercream feels too fancy and formal for a cake as whimsical as one with sprinkles in the batter.
Here's what I often DO NOT like about American Buttercream: It can be so crazy sweet. Also, it can sometimes be flavorless. This recipe is also quite sweet. (It is frosting, after all.) But, thanks to the addition of heavy cream, it's not as sweet as the American Buttercream's you might be used to.
Also, this recipe for American Buttercream is most definitely not that flavorless waxy stuff we are all way too familiar with.
The Ingredients that Make This Buttercream So Good
- Butter!
- Plenty of salt
- A generous amount of vanilla PLUS a touch of almond extract (optional, but recommended)
- Heavy cream instead of milk
Why Does This American Buttercream Recipe Use Cream Instead of Milk?
Using heavy whipping cream instead of milk and beating it for several minutes is the secret to super fluffy, silky smooth buttercream. The reason is simple: Beating cream allows you to incorporate some air into the buttercream.
Anyone who's ever made whipped cream knows how this works. You can beat milk all day long and you'll never end up with airy, fluffy, whipped milk.
Using cream instead of milk does something else you might not expect - it makes the buttercream less sweet. Again, this is because of cream's ability to trap some air in there. Airy buttercream with a high fat content will not only taste less sweet, it will allow you to incorporate slightly less sugar than if you use milk.
The 3 Most Important Ingredients to Make Buttercream with a Lot of Flavor
In this recipe, the three most important ingredients to making American Buttercream with a LOT of flavor are:
- Salt
- Vanilla extract
- Almond extract
The entire point of adding salt and flavor extracts to American Buttercream is to give it plenty of flavor. And many recipes, in my opinion, don't contain enough of any of them.
If you've read through other American Buttercream recipes, you might notice that this recipe has more salt than most. In general, I feel that most recipes for sweet things don't contain enough salt to balance the sweetness and bring out the other flavors. But, this is largely a matter of personal taste.
If you're skeptical about adding a whole teaspoon of salt to your buttercream, start with a ½ tsp. Taste, and go from there.
Likewise, I tend to be heavy handed with the vanilla in this buttercream because that's how I like it. If you're not sure you'll want a whole tablespoon of vanilla, start with less, taste, and add as much or as little as you like.
The almond extract is completely optional, but adds a nice subtle element that rounds out the sweeness. Like the salt and vanilla, add as much or as little as you like.
How to Keep American-Style Buttercream from Melting
I am pretty much an all-butter-all-the-time buttercream baker because butter tastes better. (How's that for a tongue twister?)
You know that grocery store buttercream that tastes like sugar and wax? That's because it's made with shortening. Or something like shortening. (Probably we don't want to know what it's really made from.)
Shortening scores a big zero in the flavor department while butter is delicious. There is one big exception to this rule: When you know your cake is going to have to spend some time in very high heat and humidity.
Replacing half the butter with shortening will help keep the buttercream from melting - within reason. Regardless of how much of the butter you replace with shortening, it's going to melt if it's sitting out in direct sun for a couple of hours on a hot day.
On the other hand, using some shortening in the buttercream does make it more stable and less prone to melting than all butter buttercream.
Use American Buttercream to Frost These Cakes:
More Buttercream Recipes:
American Buttercream is a Building Block Recipe
Building block recipes are tried-and-true recipes that I consider foundational to great home baking. They are the kind of recipes I come back to over and over again, sometimes baking them as is, but often using them as a jumping off point to create something new. > Scroll through all Building Block recipes.
If you give this recipe a try, let me know! Leave a comment, rate it, or take a picture and tag it #ofbatteranddough on Instagram.
Happy baking!
American Buttercream {with butter and heavy cream}
Want to make a chocolate version of this buttercream? Here's the recipe for my favorite Quick Chocolate Buttercream.
Ingredients
- 3 sticks (1 & ½ cups) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 4 - 5 cups powdered sugar
- ⅓ cup heavy cream, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (optional)
Instructions
- Add the butter and one cup of the powdered sugar to the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Beat on low just to blend, then beat on high for 3 minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Add the heavy cream and another cup of powdered sugar. Beat on low speed to blend, then on high speed for another two minutes, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times.
- Add two more cups of powdered sugar and the salt and extracts. Beat on low to combine, then on high for about 1 minute, until the buttercream is completely smooth.
- Check the consistency and beat in more powdered sugar if the buttercream is too thin. Taste, and add more salt, vanilla, or almond extract if desired.
Notes
One reader left a comment with a valuable suggestion that I wanted to share (thank you Janice!). Here's what she said:
"One word of caution, I just blindly added all of the ⅓ cup of heavy cream at once which made the frosting very thin and I had to add quite a bit more sugar to get the right consistency. I suggest adding the ⅓ cup of heavy cream 1 Tablespoon at time to get the consistency that you are wanting."
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 16 Serving Size: ¼ cupAmount Per Serving: Calories: 177Total Fat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 21mgSodium: 148mgCarbohydrates: 28gFiber: 0gSugar: 27gProtein: 0g
Jane says
This butter cream frosting was delicious. I followed the directions to the t and it turned out great!! The butter was room temperature so I don’t know if that did it but it was perfect!!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that Jane! thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! I truly appreciate it! xo
kathleen says
Hi- I am using the American Buttercream for your Coconut Cake recipe- Should I substitute Coconut Extract for the Almond Extract, or stick with the Almond?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kathleen! I would probably use coconut extract or vanilla extract, one or the other, or a combination of the two will be delicious on the Coconut Cake. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions and I'd love to hear how the cake and buttercream come out for you! xo
Britney says
Can I split the butter amount in half and do half shortening and half butter when using heavy whipping cream?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Britney! Yes - you can make this buttercream with half shortening and half butter if you like. You will loose a bit of the butter flavor, but your buttercream will also be whiter than it is when using all butter. Either way, it will work great. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Donna says
Have you ever tried using a liqueur instead of vanilla, such as Cointreau or Grand Mariner?
As well there were tiny air bubbles in it. I would like to be able to make it smooth for a wedding cake. Any suggestions?
Thanks so much. I made a small 3 layer 6” cake on the weekend for my kids anniversary and it was a huge hit!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Donna! You should be able to add any kind of liqueur to this buttercream, but the trick is to add it very slowly, beating the buttercream as you add the liquid. Butter isn't the biggest fan of liquid - you have to force it to incorporate it. This is easy, as long as you can be patient, and add the liquor very, very slowly as you beat the buttercream. If at any point, the buttercream looks like it's starting to split, just stop adding the liquid, scrape down the sides of the bowl and beat on high until it comes back together.
Beating should also take care of the air bubble problem; however, if you're icing a cake and finding that there are air bubble in it, you can just smooth them out with a hot knife. Coat the cake with buttercream, getting it as smooth as you can. Then, fill a tall glass with very, very hot water. Dip your icing spatula in the hot water to heat it, quickly wipe it off on a towel, and then smooth it over the icing. The heat from the spatula will melt the butter in the buttercream, slightly and it will smooth right out.
I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Kelly says
This is an absolutely perfect vanilla buttercream recipe! Thank you so much. Could you please tell me how long this will keep at room temperature and in the refrigerator?
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Kelly! I am so happy to hear that you like this recipe! It's perfectly safe to keep buttercream at room temperature for up to 2 days. After that, it should be refrigerated. It will keep in the refrigerator for a week. It will still be "safe" after a week in the refrigerator, but will start to taste a bit stale. Let the buttercream come to room temperature and re-beat it for a couple of minutes before using. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Fay says
Hi, wanted to find out is this still the case at room temperature considering it has double cream? Double cream cannot stay out the fridge for longer than 4 hours or it will start to get bacteria growth.
Please advice further if the mix of butter means it is ok to stay at room temp?
Want to use this for wedding cakes
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Fay! It should only take 30-60 minutes for double cream to rise to room temperature, so I think you'll be fine. The thing to keep in mind is that the cream only needs to be warm enough to blend into the frosting. If it's too cold when you add it, it just won't incorporate quickly. However, beating it long enough will incorporate the cream regardless of how cold it is. So, if you do add the double cream when it's still quite cold, just keep beating until the buttercream is smooth and creamy. I hope that helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xo
Pat Adams says
I am IN LOVE with your website. Where has it been all my life? You attention to detail is beyond incredible I do have one question - for Confectioner's (10X) sugar - must you always sift it ? I HATE to sift sugar; but if I must what is the easiest method for sifting sugar (or flour). Many thanks!
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am SO happy to hear that you like this website Pat! Your lovely words just made my whole day. 🙂 Honestly, I never sift anything. Instead, I just dump whatever dry ingredients I'm working with into a bowl and stir it around with a wire whisk. I find this much easier and less messy than sifting, and think it works just as well. Please let me know if you ever have any other questions! xo
Jackie says
I’m an at home baker. I shy away from the “butter” buttercream because of the unstableness(and cost😬) But am going to give this a try. Any recommendations about coloring this buttercream?
Rebecca Blackwell says
I'm so happy to hear that you're going to give this recipe a try Jackie! I usually use gel food coloring to color this buttercream. It will accept color well - start with a little and then keep adding until you get the shade you're looking for. I've also found that a drop or black or brown in most colors gives it depth and intensifies the color. I can't wait to hear what you think of this buttercream! Please do let me know! xo
Tolu says
I loved it. It wasn't sickening sweet. It was the perfect amount of sweet. This was more than enough to frost a the 3 tier Funfetti Cake and I had a little left over. Thank you so much.
Rebecca Blackwell says
I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe Tolu! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me. I truly appreciate it! xo
Janice Nelson says
I decided to vary my cake frosting from my favorite Italian Meringue Buttercream and try good old fashioned American Buttercream. Very pleasantly surprised by this recipe! Even though it is much sweeter than Italian Buttercream this is a delicious recipe and goes very well with Rebecca's Devil's Food Cake recipe. One word of caution, I just blindly added all of the 1/3 cup of heavy cream at once which made the frosting very thin and I had to add quite a bit more sugar to get the right consistency. I suggest adding the 1/3 cup of heavy cream 1 Tablespoon at time to get the consistency that you are wanting. Taste as you go. The almond extract is a must as it really accentuates the vanilla flavor and seems to make the vanilla a much deeper flavor. You will enjoy this recipe!
Rebecca Blackwell says
Hi Janice! I am so happy to hear that you liked this recipe! It is sweeter than Italian Meringue (my favorite!), but for some cakes, I actually like this better. Thanks so much for the tip on adding the heavy cream. I'm going to add your suggestion to the notes section of the recipe so other bakers will be sure to see it. Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment for me! I truly appreciate it! xo
kita says
I LOVE the tip on using cream instead of milk! I had no idea it helped the buttercream to be less sweet. Total gem of a tip!