This quick and easy buttercream is made with margarine and shortening, just like the in-store bakeries!
I made the chocolate version that someone posted in their review, replaced one cup confectioner's sugar with one cup cocoa and increased milk 1/4 cup. It tastes awesome and the texture is great! I worked at a bakery for 2 years and this is just like the frosting there, I am going to frost a cake tomorrow.
Read More I know that a lot of reviews wrote that this tasted just like the kind they use in the stores. Somehow, though, I thought they meant the kind a bakery would use! That was NOT the case!! In fact it was the kind that a supermarket would use. You should use this if and only if you like the cakes sold in supermarkets. It wasn't necessarily that this frosting was bad it was just not what I had hoped for.
Read More I made the chocolate version that someone posted in their review, replaced one cup confectioner's sugar with one cup cocoa and increased milk 1/4 cup. It tastes awesome and the texture is great! I worked at a bakery for 2 years and this is just like the frosting there, I am going to frost a cake tomorrow.
This is a simple but perfect, creamy, easily spreadable frosting that is dependable and just plain good. And it pipes well for decorations too! I just used a tad less sugar than called for, and used half and half rather than milk, which were not major alterations. Great frosting!
I know that a lot of reviews wrote that this tasted just like the kind they use in the stores. Somehow, though, I thought they meant the kind a bakery would use! That was NOT the case!! In fact it was the kind that a supermarket would use. You should use this if and only if you like the cakes sold in supermarkets. It wasn't necessarily that this frosting was bad it was just not what I had hoped for.
This recipe is EASY and it's good. It needs NOTHING else. It makes a light, fluffy frosting that's perfect for icing a cake and for doing the decorations. It doesn't run down the side of the cake, or melt. It isn't sickly sweet. It doesn't taste too heavy. It's easy to work with, using a spatula or an icing sleave. It gets 5 stars from me, and those 5 stars are VERY well earned! This recipe is a keeper. THANK YOU KRIS!
This is amazing. Even Ruth Levy Beranbaum's "The Cake Bible" doesn't contain a frosting that rivals this recipe (I use her book as a guide for my cakes). Kris, you are a saint! I've searched and created many a frosting and this one you posted is the most brilliant. What I love most about this frosting is its versitality. I use butter instead of marg, and I only use 3.5 cups of powdered sugar since my people don't like it too sweet. You can drip in more milk to create a fluffy effect or reduce the milk to make a thicker version. Thank you, Kris for posting a frosting that is a perfect compliment to cake. You have changed the face of frosting in my household. I was just about to give up on frosting all together.
When made with butter instead of margarine, this recipe gets 5 stars. Wow! The taste and texture are fabulous. And yes, this really does taste like the kind of frosting on bakery cakes. One hint. If you have some, add about 1/2 to 1 teaspoon of butter extract. Purists might argue against it, but if you're looking for "bakery" taste, the butter extract will take it a step closer. Also, I found that this recipe worked best with my KitchenAid. I whipped the frosting for about 5 minutes. Without the KitchenAid, I might not have had the patience.
I gave this only 4 stars b/c in my opinion butter cream should ONLY contain BUTTER, otherwise it would be called "Margarine and Shortening Frosting". I used 1 c butter, and slowly mixed in the sugar. I really like vanilla so I used 5 tsps. The key to getting the right consistency with any icing is to only add enough milk to reach desired consistency not the WHOLE amount as listed in any recipe. The amount of humidity in the air will affect your icing as sugar is hydroscopic (absorbs water).
Yesterday I made a birthday cake for my sister and this is by far the best frosting I've tried. I substituted butter instead of margarine,added 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla butter & nut flavorings and added 1 Tablespoon of lemon juice ( add according to taste) to mask the sweetness. And whipped the frosting with my KitchenAid for about 5 to 7 minutes. Perfect for frosting and decorating Cakes. Thanks Kris for this great recipe.
This recipe was great but I just had one problem b/c of the humidity the icing kept melting every 5 minutes. I used 4 oz. of cream cheese as a stablizer but it really did not help any. Any ideas that can help me I am new at the decorating?
Great frosting! Smooth, easy to use for decorating. I did not find it too sweet at all. I used butter instead of margarine for flavor. I used it to decorate my hubby's Birthday cake and he raved! Will definately use again!
At the very last minute, I remembered my SIL is pregnant and the buttercream I usually use contains raw egg, so this was the first one I found in my frantic rush that did NOT contain raw egg. I only had butter-flavored Crisco, so I used that and *real* butter instead of margarine. This frosting spread well AND piped well for decoration. Oh yeah, and it tasted great, too. TY for a great eggless butter cream recipe! EDIT: People often ask me which butter cream frosting I prefer and I can never remember (I like all of them that I've tried), but THIS IS my favorite! I live the combo of shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco) AND butter. This is great tasting frosting, similar to DH canned frosting taste, but way better! Another EDIT: I almost never use exactly the same amount of 10X sugar; it depends on conditions and what I'm using it for, so don't be worried if you need a little more or a little less than what's called for (the same holds true for the milk, which I sometimes sub heavy cream for, as well)!
Great recipe for a quick EASY frosting. I doubled it and piped it on 2 dozen cupcakes. Perfect consistency. It's also great to substitue the vanilla extract with almond extract.
I've been using this recipe for years. This is really good on sugar cookies (cut-outs). Everyone raves over the frosting and always asks for the recipe. If you have a lot left over - it freezes very well. I let it thaw in the refrigerator over night, then let it sit out for a few minutes prior to frosting, give it a good beat and it's ready to go.
Makes great icing, pipes well and will hold up to almost any weather. I have been using this on all kinds of cakes from wedding cakes to bithday cakes for 20 years. Great, easy recipe.
Great Frosting! I finally have a frosting that tastes as good as the cake. It is exactly like bakery shop icing! Thank you for the recipe.
And we got a winner!!!! This stuff is great. Its the easiest frosting I've ever made. I used to use the boiled flour/milk type frosting from my grandmother but that is quite time consuming. I was in a rush so threw the ingredients of this recipe into my KitchenAid mixer, creamed shortening/margarine on speed 4 for about five minutes with the flat beater. Then, I changed over to the wire whisk, turned to speed 6 for 8 minutes or so and it turned out superb! I only used 4 cups conf. sugar and a little less than 1/4 cup of milk. With this adjustment, I had MORE than enough for a 9x13 inch red velvet cake. This recipe is a keeper. Can't believe I had overlooked it in the past. This one won't disappoint.
I have quite a sweet tooth, and this icing was too sweet even for me. If I was to make this again, I would probably follow the advice of other reviewers and cut back on the sugar. I also would use a butter and shortening combination. The taste of the margerine takes away from the recipe.
This icing was PERFECT...this icing looks and tastes wonderful! I actually used 1 teas. vanilla and 1/2 teas. almond extract, which seems to give it a little extra flavor. It was light and fluffy, but set very nicely after it had been spread. It is sweet, light, melt-in-your-mouth butter cream, but if not too heavy on the butter taste like many icings. Definately a winner!!
This recipe was great. I cut the recipe down for 10 servings and it turned out just wonderful. It was light and fluffy and perfect for decorateing my cupcakes.Thanx for shareing...
This recipe just goes to show you that not everyone has the same taste-Yuck. Maybe I'm just not a fan of shortning....
I used butter for the margarine & butter flavor Crisco for the shortening. This frosting was soooo good. Funny thing is I really don't like buttercream frosting - Till Now. No more store bought frosting for me. Thanks for the great recipe!
This is the exact same recipe that I have been using all my life. This is my grandmother's recipe and I use it for cakes and cookies! It is yummy! For cookies I may use less milk (couple tablespoons up to a quarter cup) and for cakes I may use more (1/4 to half cup). It all depends on the consistency of frosting that you want to use. I have even added Hershey unsweetened cocoa powder to make chocolate frosting (1/2 cup) and was super chocolaty so I am thinking a 1/3 cup of cocoa powder next time .
The frosting turned out perfect, and frosted a 2-layer cake perfectly. However, I don't think it tasted any better than the stuff you buy from the store. I used 2 sticks of butter rather than shortening, because butter is healthier. I thought it tasted like sugar, butter, and vanilla. It was very sweet. Next time I might omit a cup of sugar and add a cup of cocoa to make chocolate frosting and lessen the sweetness a little. Overall, it was a good frosting, considering I had a hankering to bake a cake from scratch and needed a frosting I could whip up with ingredients I had in the house.
Definitely a keeper. I did like most and used real butter and half&half. I only used 3 cups of powdered sugar and it turned out just fine. Next time I will experiment with using different flavor extracts.
All I could tast was the powder sugar. I added more vanilla and then some butter flavoring. Not what I was wanting.
This frosting is awesome! Although I did have to follow the advice of others and cut the sugar in half. Even with half the sugar this frosting was quite sweet. But, the texture, consistency and flavor are outstanding. Also keep in mind that if you cut the sugar way back it doesn't make nearly as much frosting. I ended up making two batches to frost my three layer cake. And like other reviewers I also feel the key to this frosting is beating it for 4 to 5 minutes. This is how it gets such a wonderful fluffy consistency. This recipe is a real winner!
I guess I was thinking of different kind of flavor. All I tasted was powdered sugar. To sweet.
Fabulous recipe! It is just like mine that I have at home. I use almond extract in place of the vanilla and using whipping cream instead of the milk! I use this for all my birthday cakes! I recommend that you try it. I also use only 4 cups of icing sugar and butter instead of margarine!
It was easy to make and tastes pretty good. I used butter instead of margarine & butter flavored shortening because it is what I had on hand. It seemed gritty at first but I let it mix for a few more minutes and that seemed to help. I couldn't imagine doing it without a stand-alone mixer. I think I should have chilled it for a few before trying to do the decorating, but it worked pretty good.
Excellent recipe! I used this icing on a devil's food cake for a celebration at my University- everyone really liked it! The only changes I made were to use butter instead of margarine and to cut back the sugar to 4 cups.
This was very good and very easy. I did need to add a splash more milk to get the consistancy I wanted, but the flavor was great.
I've been using this recipe for years now, and my Mom has been using it for decades. I love this recipe. The only thing I change is I always use real butter. Just made some today and added cocoa. Perfect!
I love this frosting! This was my first attempt at piping and it was alot of fun. I followed the recipe measurements for ingredients but I used all shortening (no butter) and used half and half instead of milk. I also wanted a very white color and had used and almond flavored cake so I replaced the vanilla with almond extract. Not overly sweet and great consistancy. I will use this again. Thanks for sharing!
I just made this to frost a butter pecan cake, and all that I can say is this: Holy Sweet Tooth, Batman! I followed the recipe to a T, but this frosting is crazy sweet. I LOVE sugar, but this was too much. I don't know how this got such rave reviews - other people must love sugar way more than I do.
Awful. Runny, and it separated shortly after making it. I followed the recipe carefully, not that it was very difficult. Worst frosting I've ever made.
Very good! I used butter and butter flavored shortening instead. It was great for coloring and decorating a birthday cake.
OMG, OMG, OMG, this is just to die for!! I was waffling back and forth between making this and my usual frosting recipe to cover a chocolate sheet cake, and I tried this because it was different and easy. I am thrilled with the results. It's delish with a wonderful texture. The only changes I made were that I used 4 cups of the sugar, and a bit more vanilla (to take the edge off the powdered sugar taste that I was getting). I think that next time I will used butter flavored shortening. YAY!!!
This was simple and good. I enjoyed it and found nothing wrong with it. I have tried other similar recipes on here and was dissapointed, but not with this one. I used butter instead of margarine. Ignore silly negative reviews. Obviously we all have different taste and expectations, have fun and learn.
Very yummy frosting. I used low fat margarine and butter flavored crisco. I halved the recipe and it frosted 3 dozen cookies very nicely. I loved the soft, buttery flavor and will make this frosting often.
A little sweet for my own personal taste, but my cupcake eaters LOVED it. I will keep this in my recipe box for sure.
This is a tasty recipe that makes a LOT of icing. I made 24 cupcakes and should have halved it. It will frost and fill a big cake, but it's too much for small cakes or mix cakes.
Even though I used 5 scant cups of sugar, this was still WAY sweet. I did omit the salt because I used salted butter instead. OK in a pinch, but in my opinion not much better than store bought canned frosting.
I have been using this recipe for months now on many many cakes, and I love the results. I've noticed that many reviewers complained about it being too greasy, something that I havn't noticed at all. Infact I like this recipe because it cuts the strong butter taste I notice in so many other buttercream frostings. I love this one, and will continue to use it. Infact my brothers 25th is tomorrow and I'm off to ice his cake using this recipe! Thanks Kris!
Almost... Just too sweet for me (which I honestly didn't think was possible). The confectioner's sugar brings it over the top; I like to load my icing on there, and it just was too sweet for my method.
I really like this. Usually I use Ricks buttercream frosing recipe on this site- but I did not have whipping cream, so I used this one! Very good. I used 1 cup butter instead of the shortening and marg. I also added 1 tsp salt. Not artificial tasting!
Excellent! This was quick and easy, and I was able to make another small batch without measuring! I added some food coloring and put it in an icing bag and covered a cake! MMMM, it was great! I would suggest this recipe to anyone!
This is an excellent frosting to work with. I used it on my niece's first birthday cake with much success. I was able to smooth it out really well (people asked me if it was fondant!) and also shape it with my hands and pipe it. If you do add the vanilla, it will give the frosting an off-white color. So I would recommend leaving it out or using clear vanilla if you want a whiter frosting. I did not make any changes and it worked wonderfully!
This is the buttercream frosting I've been looking for! It's got the consistency and flavor I've wanted to achieve at home but never quite got it until now. I used a little more margarine/less shortening as others suggested and just drizzled the milk in until I got the consistency I wanted. Thanks! Definitely the frosting I'll make from now on :)
I thought I wouldn't like this since I try not to use Crisco. However, since I was taking this decorated boxed cake to the beach, I figured the Crisco would holed up better than an all butter recipe. I followed the directions exactly, added some coconut since it was a sail boat cake. Well, everyone loved it. There was only 1 small piece left and by the time we cut the cake there were only 10 people left to eat it. Everyone thought the cake was from scratch and asked where I found the time. So I just let them think it was from scratch. I am sure this homemade froshting is what gave the cake that at home taste.
Absolutely wonderful. Made yellow cake cupcakes and put this icing on. 24 cupcakes did not live to see the next day!! I do not recommend halfing this recipe. We did so this evening, and it came out completely different than the first time we tried it. (I doublechecked everything, was perfectly halfed) So make the full batch and get icing!!
Excellent recipe. I added 1tsp of almond extract and 1/2tsp of vanilla for added flavor instead of just the 1 1/2 of vanilla.
Not a big fan of this recipe. It tastes way too sweet, it's like pure sugar. I was going to use this under fondant, but didn't use it, way too much sugar!
Very good. 5 cups was too sweet for us but 3 is perfect. very good for piping also.
I made this frosting last weekend to put on a giant cupcake using the Wilton giant cupcake pan. This frosting was extremely easy to make and I received many compliments on it. I did customize it slightly by adding a little more milk as I felt the consistency was a little too thick. Also, I decreased the vanilla to 1 tsp. and added 1 1/2 tsp of almond extract which gave it a delicious and delicate flavor. I noticed many traditional buttercream recipes do not use almond extract but I would definitely recommend it for anyone wanting to add a little more flavor to their frosting. Over all this recipe is excellent and I would highly recommend it.
My frosting of choice. I have used this on several wedding cakes. It works very well and tastes good too
Awesome and delicious! I made the chocolate version by substituting 1 cup of sugar with 1 cup of cocoa powder and adding an add'l 1/4 cup of milk...this frosting rocks! Totally easy!
I made the chocolate version of this also and WOW! I made it for my nephews birthday cake and it was a hit! Everyone loved it. Thanks for a great recipe and for the chocolate variation of a Buttercream Frosting.
Great basic recipe but I would avoid the shortening as it tends to give it a waxy supermarket cake taste, not to mention the trans fats it contains, I use a full cup margarine and it works great. Kids love it!
Seriously the best frosting I've ever had! I subbed half & half for the milk. Loved it!!
Very easy frosting. I too used all butter and added chocolate. This is a very forgiving recipe. You can add all of the sugar or cut it back depending on how sweet you like your frosting. I used 31/2 c sugar and 1c powdered cocoa. Beat well, 5-8 min. for a smooth frosting.
Love it! This is the best butter cream recipe I've tried and will certainly use again and again. Great flavor and texture (I did use butter instead of margarine) and super easy to work with. Thanks! :)
Very good... I used butter instead of margarine. It's way too sweet for me though, so I'll probably use a lot less sugar next time.
I use this recipe whenever I need to make big batches of icing (basically whenever I make a castle cake for my niece's birthday) and I usually end up adding a bit more milk or icing sugar to get my desired consistency. Great recipe for frosting cakes, and adding little decorations to! Holds in place very nicely. I make mine with all margarine sometimes, or half and half margarine and shortening. Either tastes great!
YUMMMM!! first attempt making my own frosting and this was sooo easy!!! I agree with another review and it does taste like grocery store buttercream, but that's exactly what my husband loves. So easy and so good. I followed the recipe exactly as written.
This is the BEST icing I have ever had! I have looked through our cook books and online and none of them tasted half as good as this one! We didn't have any shortening, so we used Tenderflake instead. THE BEST!!!
This is the best. It's simple,sweet,easy. My 9 year old got second place at the father son cake bake off. One of the judges complimented my son on the frosting. The longer you whip this, the better it gets.
I usually scrape the icing off of my cake because I don't like it, but even I ate this! I used butter-flavored shortening and skim milk (was all I had at home) and was very pleased with the end result. This is a great icing to use for piping and decorating!
I absolutely loved this recipe, and made the changes that others recommended. My family and friends couldn't stop raving about the flavor. My only problem was that it came out an off-white color, so when I added the coloring to it, my colors looked muted. Has anyone else experienced this?
Perfect! I love buttercream frosting and this was just like it should be. I used butter flavored shortening in mine.
Excellent! Super creamy with a very real taste! doesn't taste too sweet or fake. I also subbed in butter and cut the sugar a tad because I ran out Thanks so much!
I sometimes use butter in place of margarine. This is a HIT everytime- and works great for cookies and cakes- super for little ones to spread on cookies.
I usually use a different buttercream recipe but decided to try this one for a change. It's good but I like Grocery Store Frosting better. This one is not as sweet and I'm a fan for almost sickeningly-sweet :) I'm still glad I tried this, though!
I know it's already been said, but this recipe is wonderful. I made 4 dozen sugar cookies and still have at least half of this frosting left over. So, the brilliant idea from those that tried them said "Well, just make more cookies". This frosting is just that good!
I have been searching this site for a chocolate buttercream, and the ones I've found didn't appeal to me...this one sounded good to try and tweak...it turned out AWESOME!! I substituted one of the cups of confectioners sugar for cocoa powder and added 1/4 cup more of milk...it wasn't too sweet, perfect amount of chocolate flavor! I am sure this is great as a white icing too...but for anyone wanting to try it as a chocolate buttercream...it turns out great!!
Store bought is easy, and I'm sure I'll still buy my share, but this is really the way to go when you want goodness. It's far above the almost too sweet store bought. I added cocoa and made a small adjustment in that I used evaporated milk for richness. (I only had skim milk and I wasn't looking to cut calories on this one.) Excellent, thank you!
Very good and easy. Taste and texture was just like a bakery. I used 4 cups powder sugar and fat free half and half.
I made this for my daughter's birthday cupcakes...everyone loved it, including me! I cut down the sugar to 3 and half cups and it was perfect!
Very good frosting! Might add a bit more milk because it was a bit dry and I had a tough time getting the sprinkles to stick. I also used real butter in place of the margarine.
Make it with butter instead of Margarine and shortening. I also like to add a dab of cream cheese.. Absolutely perfect frosting EVERYONE loves this frosting.
This frosting tastes good and was easy to make. The only problem I found is that 1/4 cup of milk was not nearly enough for me, and 5 cups of powdered sugar was too much. It started getting crumbly as I was putting the third cup of sugar in. I ended up using 1/2 cup of milk and 4 cups of sugar. It was spreadable, but still too thick. I managed to get my crumb coating done, but then had to add another tablespoon of milk to my remaining icing to get it to ice properly. HOWEVER, with that said, this is the best any frosting has come out for me. That's why I'm giving it 5 stars.
This is the best frosting recipe ever.. I use it for almost every cake. I make the chocolate kind too. This is really the best frosting ever.. everyone loves it.. even the people who don't like frosting
It had a weird flavor that was due solely to the shortening. I do want to try again. Next time I will use exclusively butter. It's not implausible that my crisco was simply old. With that said, the consistency was odd enough that I don't think the flavor from the crisco was the only issue. Real butter whipped well should provide the consistency most would be looking for in a buttercream frosting. I also think the addition of salt is fantastic. Last but not least, 5 cups of powdered sugar is outrageous. I followed other commenters and used 3.5 cups and it was PLENTY sweet. All told, I can't give this even 3 stars even though I do think its a good starting point. I know I can make a decent buttercream - I just haven't yet....
I made this frosting for my daughter's birthday cake. It came out absolutely delicious! I was very surprised that such simple ingredients could make a wonderful frosting. I'm definitely going to re-use this recipe again and again!
This frosting was WAY too sweet. My 6 year old wouldnt even finish it. 5 cups of sugar way too much. Maybe cream cheesse would have helped...will try that next time.
I love cake and frosting, therefore I am not too picky. I ended up throwing the whole bowl of this stuff in the trash. I was lucky I had some canned frosting on hand. The texture was nice but it really had a flat taste. Just make sure you have a backup handy in case you want to try it for yourself. I don't like to give negative reviews, but I also don't like wasting food.
wow,can't get much better or easier than this.tastes even better the next day.makes alot
