Bakery Style Buttercream Frosting: A Simple 5-Ingredient Frosting

A super simple, bakery style sweet buttercream that is perfect for frosting and decorating cakes, cupcakes, cookies, and more!

Once you try a bit of this homemade sweet buttercream frosting, you will never go back to those store-bought tubs that have a thousand ingredients on the label. This recipe only requires 5 simple ingredients and has a great texture and flavor that can be used for all your frosting needs.

I’ve been making this frosting for years now, and it has always been a huge hit at my kids’ birthday parties. Now that my kids are older, we don’t have as many parties, but this frosting is still my go-to anytime cakes, cupcakes, or even one of those big cookie cakes are requested!

Ingredients For Baskery Style Buttercream Frosting

Butter – I use salted butter for my buttercream frosting. This is a sweet frosting, so I feel like the added salt in the butter helps to slightly offset the sweet flavor. Since you want to maintain the creamy, smooth texture, I don’t suggest adding a pinch of salt if you only have unsalted butter, but feel free to experiment. The butter needs to be at room temperature either way.

Shortening – The shortening helps to add stability to the buttercream frosting, as well as helps enhance the white color of the frosting. Since real butter has a slight yellow tinge, the shortening helps to reduce that. If you want to make “true” American Buttercream frosting, omit the shortening and use only butter. However, the addition of the shortening is really important if you are hosting a party somewhere where it is hot and humid.

Vanilla – The splash of vanilla extract helps to take the flavor of this buttercream frosting over the top. I highly suggest using a homemade vanilla. You can easily make your own by following my simple steps, “Homemade Vanilla Extract In Three Simple Steps!”

Confectioner’s Sugar – Using a good quality confectioner’s sugar that is 100% Pure Cane Sugar is key to getting a smooth buttercream frosting that isn’t grainy or gritty. If you have the option, get one that has at least “10-X” on it, which shows how many times the sugar was milled. The higher the number, the smoother and finer the sugar will be. Domino or C&H are the brands I usually grab for.

Milk – You can use any percentage of milk, half and half, or heavy whipping cream. I normally just use whatever milk we have on hand, which is usually 2%.

Instructions For Bakery Style Buttercream Frosting

This recipe is best done using a stand mixer. You can attempt it using a hand mixer, but just be sure to give it plenty of breaks so it doesn’t get overheated. This is the stand mixer I use on the regular, only in a different color: KitchenAid Artisan Series 5 Quart Tilt Head Stand Mixer (Product Link).

In the mixing bowl, add the room temperature butter and the shortening. Do not use cold butter because it will not blend well. Using a paddle attachment, mix the two at medium speed. Once the mixture is a pale yellow color and nice and creamy in texture, add the vanilla and mix again.

Slowly, start to add in the confectioner’s sugar. I like to do this in around four batches, making sure to mix well after each addition using a low speed. (Trust me, you don’t want to ever mix confectioner’s sugar at a high speed or else you will be cleaning it out of your ears and hair for days!). Stop and scrape the bowl with a spatula in between each addition.

Adding The Milk

The mixture will seem a bit dry once all of the sugar is added, but that is normal. The milk will help create the smooth texture you want. Start by adding one or two tablespoons of milk at a time, mixing well after each addition using a medium speed.

How much milk you need will depend on how thick you want your frosting to be. Also, if you are using a liquid food coloring, add a bit less milk. The liquid in the coloring will change the consistency of the frosting slightly. (Gel food coloring doens’t have as much of an effect.)

Once you have the frosting to your preferred consistency, it is ready for coloring and frosting your baked goods like cakes, cupcakes, or even a chocolate chip cookie cake!

Storing Tips For The Baked Goodies & Extra Frosting

The bakery style buttercream frosting can stay at room temperature for up to three days in an enclosed container. This includes the baked goods you have decorated with the frosting.

After that, keep any extra frosting and the frosted goodies in a refrigerator for up to two weeks. To use the extra frosting again, allow it to come to room temperature, then whip it on low speed for 3 to 4 minutes.

This buttercream frosting also freezes perfectly for up to 6 months. Allow the frosting to thaw out in your refrigerator overnight, then bring it to room temperature before using. Whip the thawed buttercream in the mixer on low for 3 to 4 minutes to reincorporate the ingredients and wake everything up.

Frequently Asked Questions – Bakery Style Buttercream Frosting

How Much Frosting Does This Recipe Make?

This recipe results in about 6 cups of bakery style buttercream frosting. This will allow you to frost either of the following:

• One 3-layer, 8″ or 9″ cake
• One 9 x 13″ sheet cake
• Around 24 to 36 cupcakes

Please note that how far the frosting goes will depend on whether you are spreading the frosting by hand or using tips, the type of tip you use, and how heavy-handed you are with the piping bag.

Should I Use Gel Or Liquid Food Coloring?

What type of food coloring is best for this bakery style buttercream frosting? Both will work just fine, but I prefer to use gel food coloring. I like to get the frosting at the perfect consistency using my stand mixer first. Then I separate out the frosting into smaller bowls and color them that way.

Liquid food coloring can alter that consistency quite a bit, depending on how much color you need to add. Gel food coloring, however, has a higher-concentration of pigments. It takes less to color the frosting, and it doesn’t add much extra moisture to the frosting.

When adding gel food colorings, use one toothpick per color. Dip the toothpick into the coloring and then swipe it in the frosting. Then mix well using a spatula. Be sure to scrape the sides because gel coloring can clump together.

No matter what type of food coloring you use, keep in mind that the color will darken slightly as the frosting sits.

How Do I Make Pure White Buttercream Frosting?

The base color of this frosting, as-is, is a slightly off-white color. To me, it is plenty white enough, but you might find the slight tint to be a bit too yellow.

To help create a pure white color to the frosting as it is written, add just a small amount of violet or purple gel food coloring and mix thoroughly. I’m talking like the end of a toothpick amount. Start with a small amount and add more if needed so you don’t wind up with a huge batch of grayish purple frosting!

Also, choose a brand of butter that has a lighter base color. The yellow color in the butter is usually based on the cows’ diets and the time of year. The more pasture and grasses the cows eat, the richer the color of the butter will be. However, some brands just tend to be more yellow than others, like Kerrygold’s Irish Butter.

Lastly, make sure to whip the butter and shortening for at least 5 to 10 minutes before adding the vanilla and confectioner’s sugar. You can also use a clear vanilla extract if you are really worried about the slightly off-white color, but I prefer to stick to the real stuff.

What’s The Difference Between Confectioner’s Sugar And Powdered Sugar?

You might be wondering if confectioner’s sugar and powdered sugar are one and the same. They are often mentioned in recipes interchangeably by home bakers, myself included.

Both are finely milled granulated sugar that provides a powdery texture. The main difference is that confectioner’s sugar has 3 to 5% of starch added. The small amount of either cornstarch or tapioca starch prevents the sugar from turning hard and clumping.

In addition, the added starch helps to stabilize the frosting. This is really important if you want to use the buttercream for decorating and making flowers or other textured decorations on your cakes and cupcakes. So while you can technically use powdered sugar, try to find 100% pure cane, 10-X confectioner’s sugar for the best results.

Why Is My Bakery Style Buttercream Frosting Grainy?

This usually has to do with either using the wrong kind of confectioner’s sugar or your butter is cold. Your butter needs to be at room temperature for the smoothest buttercream possible. All the mixing in the world won’t really help if your butter is lumpy and cold.

Most confectioner’s sugar brands come pre-sifted, but it might be a good idea to sift ahead of time if you keep getting a grainy texture. Use a fine mesh sieve and run the sugar through it before adding it to the mixing bowl.

Also, ensure that you are using a good-quality brand of confectioner’s sugar. I’ve tried using off-brands but find that the sugar tends not to be as finely milled. Also, make sure the bag says 10-X to make sure it is a super fine textureand that it’s 100% pure cane sugar.

Lastly, allow the frosting to mix for several minutes after each addition, especially after adding the milk. This will help improve the texture and make it as smooth as possible.

Help, My Buttercream Is Too Watery Or Way Too Thick!

Thankfully, these are both easy fixes! If your buttercream is too thick, just add a little more milk. Only do a little bit at a time, though, because the consistency does change quickly.

If your buttercream is too runny, simply add a bit more confectioner’s sugar and mix well. Just like the milk, only add a little bit (like 1/4 cup) at a time and mix well between additions.

It might take some practice, but soon you will be able to get the perfect consistency of bakery style buttercream frosting you are after!

Until next time, thanks for stopping by!
– Chelsea

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