Vanilla Cupcake Frosting (5 Ingredients)
The best vanilla frosting made easy with this 5 ingredient recipe that’s the perfect topping for almost any cupcake flavor. With delicious vanilla flavor, this frosting is sure to please any crowd.
Servings: 12 cupcakes (Yields 3 cups of frosting)
Calories: 285kcal
Equipment
- stand mixer or electric mixer
- piping bag
- piping tip
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3 ½ cups confectioners' sugar measured then sifted
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon vanilla bean paste
- ¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
Instructions
- Add butter to a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment. Beat butter on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 2 - 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the mixer as needed.
- Add confectioners' sugar ½ cup at a time to the mixer running on medium-low speed. Allow the confectioners' sugar to fully incorporate before adding in another ½ cup. Repeat until no confectioners' sugar remains. Scrape down the sides and the bottom of the mixing bowl to ensure all the ingredients are fully incorporated.
- Add heavy cream, vanilla bean paste, and fine sea salt to the mixer and beat until combined. Set the mixer to medium-high speed and allow the buttercream to beat for an additional 5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Deflate the buttercream by hand using a silicone spatula. Press the buttercream around the side of the mixer bowl until the frosting has smoothed and large air bubbles have been pushed out. This helps the buttercream pipe smoothly.
- Using a Wilton 1M piping tip, pipe about 4 tablespoons of frosting onto each of the 12 cupcakes. Eat immediately, or store frosted cupcakes in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Allow the frosted cupcakes to come to room temperature before serving.
Notes
Freezer Storage: If you will not be eating the cupcakes for a while, place the frosted cupcakes on a baking sheet in the freezer. Allow the cupcakes to freeze until the frosting is completely frozen.
Next, wrap the frosted cupcakes in plastic wrap and place them in an airtight container. The cupcakes can last like this for up to 2 months in the freezer.
Vanilla buttercream filling can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 1 month, as long as your heavy cream is fresh. Allow the buttercream to come to room temperature before piping on the cupcakes.
In order to achieve a light and pillowy buttercream, beat for a full 5 minutes after all of the ingredients have been incorporated. Don't be tempted to cut this time short.
Nutrition
Serving: 1serving (frosting only) | Calories: 285kcal | Carbohydrates: 36g | Protein: 0.2g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 52mg | Potassium: 8mg | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 509IU | Vitamin C: 0.01mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.03mg
