Vanilla buttercream

11 Sept

This vanilla buttercream is beautifully simple—just three ingredients, whipped into a dreamy, soft texture. Using real, high-quality butter makes all the difference, giving it a rich flavour that pairs perfectly with cakes or cupcakes.

This vanilla buttercream is one of my all-time favourites—it’s so easy to whip up and has that gorgeous, authentic flavour thanks to real vanilla extract. I’ve been making it for almost 10 years now, tweaking it little by little until it became the fluffy, perfectly balanced buttercream I can always rely on.

What I love most is how versatile it is. While vanilla is classic, you can easily switch things up with freeze-dried berry powders, lemon zest, or other flavours to match whatever cake or cupcakes you’re baking. It’s smooth, dreamy, and pipes beautifully—flowing through icing tips without a fuss and holding its shape so your cakes stack neatly (no buttercream squishing out the sides!).

A quick tip: if you’re using it on a layer cake, I always recommend keeping the cake in the fridge until 1–2 hours before serving. This keeps the buttercream from melting, especially in warmer weather, while still giving it time to soften so it’s just right to eat.

Click here for my How to: Ice a layer cake page

What's in this recipe?

Vanilla buttercream

Icing sugar
This is what gives buttercream its sweetness and that light, fluffy texture we all love. It blends smoothly into the butter, making the frosting silky and easy to pipe.
Butter (salted)
The star of the show! Real salted butter gives the buttercream its rich, creamy base and just a hint of salt to balance out all that sweetness.
Vanilla extract
The flavour booster. A splash of real vanilla takes simple buttercream from plain sweet to beautifully fragrant and full of flavour.

Step-by-step photos

Beating sugar into butter

Piping tip used for optional piping around the top of a cake