Buttercream Dream

18 Feb

Posted by AgentCakeBaker in Frostings

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Rating: 9.9/10 (424 votes cast)

This recipe was made from trial and error. I made two mixtures of buttercream. One with salted butter which was too buttery (salty) and one with unsalted butter which was still too sweet. So I combined the two and it became the best buttercream I’ve ever tasted. I use this recipe for all of my cake orders and it is a hit every time!!!

Buttercream Dream

Ingredients

1 stick butter (unsalted)
1 stick butter (salted)
1 cup shortening
2lb bag of confectioner’s sugar
3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
5-6 tablespoons of milk (cold)

Instructions

64 Responses

Cordilleran

September 3rd, 2009 at 10:08 am

I tried this recipe yesterday and LOVED it! Thsi is the recipe I am going to use from now on!
scionmom

September 11th, 2009 at 7:15 am

Wonderful! Everyone wanted to know the brand… couldnt believe when I told them it was home made!!
cakesbydana

September 12th, 2009 at 6:33 pm

This is awesome! I replace the milk with french vanilla coffee creamer and it is even more divine.
CakeMakar

September 19th, 2009 at 8:06 am

Sorry, this icing was horrible. I’d be willing to give it another go since it has great reviews, but this was the hardest time I’ve ever had icing a cake and I’m completely unhappy with it. Enough so that I’m considering taking it all off and making a different icing. The icing wouldn’t smooth, it’s bubbly all over.
Sugar_Plum_Fairy

September 23rd, 2009 at 5:43 pm

When makeing a “standard American BC” this is my ‘go-to’ recipe! I love this (I always cut back on the sugar though) recipe and I’ve received compliments from others on it whenever I’ve used it. Need I say more?
kali_tryst

September 28th, 2009 at 2:02 pm

how much does this make? i am making a 3 tier cake with smash cake and want to make sure i make enough!!
peony421

September 30th, 2009 at 5:49 am

I’ve tried quite a few buttercream recipes lately and this is by far the best one! It smooths perfectly and tastes absolutely delicious! This will be my go to recipe from now on.
jeannewade

October 3rd, 2009 at 10:30 pm

I don’t usually use an icing with milk or butter because I wouldn’t want to leave it out at room temperature for long. What is the shelf life on a cake with this icing?
carmenid

October 14th, 2009 at 7:22 am

Really good frosting, I will make it again, again and again…thanks for sharing.

Could I substitute the milk for water? I was also concerned about leaving the cake out for too long since there was milk in the frosting. Anyone?
Anibas

October 14th, 2009 at 8:31 am

Hi.
How much is a stick of butter??
I’am from Denmark
kimbm04r

October 14th, 2009 at 8:53 pm

In the US, a stick of Butter is 1/2 cup. HTH.
carmenid

October 27th, 2009 at 6:15 am

I love this frosting and have made it a couple of time but is this right?
3 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
5-6 tablespoons of milk (cold)
this is too much liquid for this recipe, I have been cutting the milk in half and the consistency of my frosting is still very thin.
**2lb bag of confectioner’s sugar is 4 cups, right?**
JulyMama

October 27th, 2009 at 11:30 am

Tastes fabulous and fantastic to work with. The best icing I’ve made, and will use it from now on! Thanks for the great mistake!
Raenie

October 28th, 2009 at 7:07 am

carmenid .. 1 lb of icing sugar is approx 4 cups
2 lb of icing sugar is approx 8 cups

HTH)
lhayes1976

October 29th, 2009 at 11:50 am

How many cupcakes will this be enough for? I need to make 48, should I double the recipe?
xiswtsawluiix

October 29th, 2009 at 10:15 pm

Is this a crusting bc recipe?
JustToEatCake

November 4th, 2009 at 8:16 pm

I’d also like to know if this is a crusting recipe.
mamabaer

November 12th, 2009 at 5:30 pm

I have used this for 2 years. It is awesome. i have customers who come to me just because they are addicted to this icing! It IS a crusting bc I use sugarshacks tip about doing a double batch to make it go above the beater in your stand mixer and leave it on for 7-10 minutes. This makes it as smooth as silk! I don’t use as much liquid as the recipe calls for much of the time, but depending on the day’s humidity, there have been occassions that I have needed all of it.
maddie90

November 19th, 2009 at 5:50 am

I made this BC last night and my family loved it! I’ve been trying to find just the right one, and this is it! Mamabaer, did you use a 5 QT mixer when doubling your batch? How much liquid do you use?
Shannellr

November 23rd, 2009 at 10:14 am

I made this the other night (made it quite some time back) and remembered why I did not like it for frosting cakes. First I will say it tastes GREAT and is really easy to make! But it’s gritty looking from adding the milk and sometimes looks mildly ‘curdled’. It’s PERFECT for that ‘homemade’ looking icing on cupcakes – but if you want super smooth, stick with heavy shortening based recipes or egg whites and butter. I will use this only for cupcakes.
jesscast

December 6th, 2009 at 3:51 pm

I absolutely LOVE this recipe, but am wanting to make a chocolate bc icing…is that possible? (I’m new to this cake making stuff lol Any help would be appreciated.
joyfarm

December 14th, 2009 at 1:05 pm

Can anyone tell me how this compares sweetness wise to the Wilton standard buttercream recipe? I’m not a fan at all of the taste of the Wilton buttercream – way too sweet – but it is great for decorating with.
patty7276

January 9th, 2010 at 7:06 am

i am getting ready to try this icing for the first time and want to be sure i have the portions correct. is it really 2 lbs of sugar ? seems a little low for the amount of fat and liquid and would like to be sure.

thanks
dosaye

January 25th, 2010 at 2:47 pm

this is a great recipe. I just did a ckae with it & it works very well.
cliriano

February 12th, 2010 at 7:26 pm

I made this for the first time last week and my co-workers and family loved it. I am making a cake for a teenager’s birthday party tomorrow and will be using the recipe again. And it makes alot so I can ice a 10-inch and 8-inch cake with it. Thanks!
Polkadot79

February 19th, 2010 at 7:04 pm

Patty – Yes, 2 lbs of P. Sugar. It’s not as stiff of a buttercream as Wilton. Play around with the milk measurement. Lately, I’ve been using less.
awatterson

March 11th, 2010 at 5:21 am

I just made this and it is AWESOME! It isn’t too sweet. I only used 3TB of milk.
rebekah01

March 19th, 2010 at 4:14 pm

I’ve used this buttercream recipe for about 2 years now… people always go crazy for it. Adults & kids love it! It’s the perfect amount of sweetness & it’s so quick to make. If you want a fluffier icing (for cupcakes) just add more milk. Yummy
nivia91

March 21st, 2010 at 3:22 pm

Is this recipe gritty?
Cricketina

March 24th, 2010 at 10:35 am

I’m sorry some people were not real nice in reviewing your recipe!
It may be something they are doing wrong ? This recipe is one of the top saved recipes on cake central so I applaud you ..((((YAY))))) I cant wait to try it today =o)
ufgirl00

March 28th, 2010 at 10:51 am

i love this frosting!! does anyone know how to make it into a chocolate buttercream?
kdbohm

March 28th, 2010 at 5:27 pm

I thought the taste was more sweet than other recipes I’ve used. I also had issues with the icing and it sliding off the cake when trying to frost it. Difficult to work with.

I was excited to try it and immediately, thought it turned out well.
kgar2121

April 3rd, 2010 at 7:57 pm

Made it tonight for some Easter goodies. Searched high and low for vanilla extract, and found none, so I substituted a little French Vanilla extract. Turned out GREAT!
awatterson

April 14th, 2010 at 3:41 pm

This makes about 8 cups.
mommynana

April 27th, 2010 at 8:32 am

this buttercream got great reveiews im going to try it i could put fondant over it right?
cupcake_cutie

April 29th, 2010 at 10:05 pm

I made it this past evening. It was delicious! I’m going to put it on the cake tomorrow. Hopefully I won’t have any problems.
Rayetta

May 2nd, 2010 at 9:10 am

I have the same question that two other people have asked and I haven’t seen an answer. Can this be made into a chocolate buttercream icing??????
Visnee

May 4th, 2010 at 9:41 pm

I tried this over the weekend – I found it a bit too sweet for my taste as well as my clients. Please note that this IS gritty as well. However – I then turned it into a chocolate buttercream, and it made a huge difference. For choc buttercream I just melted 1-2 cups of semi sweet chocolate, and added to the buttercream in the mixer gradually, to taste. This therefore made it no longer gritty and it tasted a lot less sweet. I will use this recipe to make my chocolate buttercream, but probably not for basic buttercream. Hope that helps.
traci_doodle

May 7th, 2010 at 7:01 am

For those who say this recipe slides (or the cakes slide when using this frosting), I would suggest substituting shortening for some of the butter. Shortening makes for stiffer frosting and butter makes for better tasting frosting.
ktaylor8705

May 7th, 2010 at 10:17 am

Has anyone tried to make any another flavor other than Chocolate with thi?? Like Peanut Butter?? Carmel?? Strawberry?? Anything???? If you have and have been successful will you pleas PM me???
ktaylor8705

May 7th, 2010 at 10:29 am

**I have also been adding 1tsp of butter extract along with the 3tsp of vanilla extract! It cuts down on the sweetness just a tad. I made my mother n law taste it & she hates sweets but loved this.
momto3frogsand1princess

May 13th, 2010 at 6:21 am

I just made this for the first time and love it. Tastes great and wasn’t gritty at all. The only change I made to it was instead of milk I used Heavy Cream and eyeballed the addition to the consistency I needed. Used as filling, crumb coat, and top layer. I give this a A+++. Will definitely be using this from now on. Thank You!!! Cristie
Tor1985

May 13th, 2010 at 12:02 pm

I want to try this recipe it sounds great! Just wanted to know how white the icing is??
ktaylor8705

May 16th, 2010 at 2:09 pm

Tor1985 it is pretty white! Doesn’t look dingy or anything! As long as you use clear extract!
velocity

May 17th, 2010 at 5:30 pm

I loved the taste of this icing but could not get it to smooth well. It was also a little too soft for me to decorate with. Does anyone have any suggestions?
ladyt121

May 25th, 2010 at 12:36 am

what is the shelf life of this frosting want to try for a cake but the party is outside dont want it to slide or be gritty please answer ty
ktaylor8705

May 26th, 2010 at 9:52 pm

Velocity – Try putting less milk & add a couple TBSP of Meringue Powder…HTH
Ladyt121 – 2 weeks in an air tight container in the fridge & make sure you cream it for a LONG time. I had mine in my stand mixer for a total of 30min start to finish! Cream butter & shortening until it’s really creamy & you don’t see any chunks then slowly add the powdered sugar. The first time I made it I was in a rush & it turned out REALLY gritty but when I took my time it was great! & as for it being outside…I just don’t know! SORRY :/
aboud18

May 28th, 2010 at 10:27 am

I’ve added a few tablespoons of coca powder to this to make chocolate buttercream. Makes it a bit stiffer though, so add more milk accordingly. Absolutely LOVE this recipe.
scrappysandi

May 28th, 2010 at 6:06 pm

wow….this is sooooo fluffy! Love the taste. I had to leave to pick up balloons for my daughter’s party (oops, forgot them!) and I just covered it with a warm, damp cloth, refluffed and it was still delightful to ice with. Not one of my best cakes, but considering I was out of time, and I had not practiced in over a year, I was VERY happy this icing went on so nicely.
Thank you for sharing it!
lizabu

May 29th, 2010 at 5:53 pm

I just read the gritty and curdle comments and I know exactly what’s causing that. The butter and shortening need to be creamed really well with the sugar before the cold milk is added. Even then add the cold milk slowly. Butter gets hard when it comes into contact with something cold and then you have lumps. I’ve seen people do this tons of times when making a scratch cake too and adding cold eggs too quickly. If you end up with lumps you can turn your mixer up to full and they will work their way out but it’s just so much easier to take temperatures into account. Any cold liquid when added quickly to butter will cause it to seize up.
girlfromokla

June 4th, 2010 at 9:44 pm

Have been using this recipe for about a year now. LOVE it! It has yet to fail me and I get rave reviews on it!
Viviel

June 8th, 2010 at 3:35 pm

Love the taste and it is smooth as silk. I used high ratio shortening.
MemoryMakersCakes

June 13th, 2010 at 8:05 pm

I agree with Viviel. ALWAYS use high ratio shortening if you want a consistantly creamy icing. The new Crisco will give you grit, I promise you! My hubby usually makes my icing and we use a variation of this recipe and EVERY customer raves about how great it is. Here’s a tip that works for us in our high humidity Texas climate. Even though the recipe says to add milk last, we cream ALL the liquid ingredients, butter, and HRS together for 10-15 minutes before slowly adding the sugar. The resulting icing is always as smooth as silk!
ddaigle

June 16th, 2010 at 9:28 am

Gritty…curdling…sliding….is due to incorrect mixing. I live in Louisiana where it is Africa hot and the humidity is 900%. I have never had any issues with this. It is the smoothest, creamiest icing ever. I mix the butter and shortening FOREVER on 4 of myKA before adding the rest of the ingredients. After everything else is added, I mix on #2 again, forever. Not sure how long “forever” is….but both steps are at least 20 minutes.
ladyt121

June 20th, 2010 at 1:27 am

THANKS KTAYLOR
mookamoo

July 3rd, 2010 at 10:39 pm

I saw this question asked but did not see the answer… (Sorry, I may have missed it in the replies or something :/) But can this buttercream be used under fondant on a cake and the cake not be refrigerated?… I am wondering because I have only used buttercreams with no milk. Thanks
jenncano

July 6th, 2010 at 7:58 am

This is the second time I made this recipe and I still love it soooooo much. It is smooth and creamy and oh yes, delicious. when I make it, I really can’t stop tasting it. I only made half the recipe this time around and I only used lo’l salted butter because I didn’t have unsalted. I it tasted great. I was only using it to crumb crust my cake and as an adhesive for the fondant. Everyone should try this on their cakes. It’s a winner.
July 7th, 2010 at 8:47 am

Wasn’t gritty at all…Best Burrtercream ever! The chocolate version is even better. No other frosting for me!
calicopurr

July 11th, 2010 at 4:33 pm

Does this crust and can it be used to go under fondant? I read that jenncano only uses it as a crumbcoat.
tg1979

July 12th, 2010 at 9:53 am

I used this recipe last night and it was the first time I had ever made buttercream icing. It was very simple to put together and turned out great! We added 2 more tablespoons of milk than what is called for to thin it out to spread on cupcakes. Will make again!
mookamoo

July 24th, 2010 at 4:02 pm

Hey. Can this be left out in room temp for fondant cakes.
lsmithbendor

July 26th, 2010 at 2:12 pm

Thank you….this is now my “holy grail” for buttercream! A delight to work with and after several cakes made with it, everyone raved about it.
kristanashley

July 29th, 2010 at 9:43 am

For people asking if it can be left out, I’ve iced a cake and left it out overnight and decorated the next day. When I’ve made it for birthdays and stuff at my house, we will eat on a cake for a couple of days and I just keep it covered on the counter w/out refrigerating. It still tastes great, it doesn’t go bad, no one has ever gotten sick, so I would say that yes, you can leave it out, however, not for long.
Danikapink

July 30th, 2010 at 5:41 am

Great recipe! Tried it last night, yummy! I used 1 cup less of the powdered sugar and then added some left over ganache and turned it into a chocolate butter cream. EVEN MORE DELICIOUS! It crusts just perfectly too.