This makes about 7 cups of buttercream. It is enough to cover 48 cupcakes or an 8 inch round cake + 10 inch round.
Jodi’s Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- 1 cup butter flavored shortening (room temperature)
- 1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- 2 lbs powdered sugar, or about 8 cups (sifted for best results)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 oz heavy whipping cream
Directions
- In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a bit between each addition. When adding sugar, you will want to start the mixer slowly so it doesn’t explode everywhere. Continue creaming until well blended.
- Add salt, vanilla, and 6 ounces whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened. Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
Some have asked about substituting butter for shortening. That would be fine. I like adding the shortening because it adds stability, but it will still work for butter. Here is a great post that explains shortening a bit more.
Today I made some cupcakes with my little man. I often let the little ones help in the kitchen. Yes, it can be a bit more challenging. Especially when you have a 17 month old helping you while you are trying to take pictures. Tricky? Yes. Do-able? Sure. He really enjoys dumping the ingredients and feeling a part of the process.
I just did my favorite chocolate cake recipe. I can’t help but mention my favorite white velvet cake too, just in case you are looking for a white cake to make with this recipe. Then, I did my favorite buttercream recipe. It’s a simple buttercream, but I have found that I like the texture and consistency for the kind of cakes I do. It has a good stiffness to it. It compliments cake well too.
Jodi's Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter flavored shortening room temperature
- 1 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 2 lbs powdered sugar or about 8 cups (sifted for best results)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 6 oz heavy whipping cream
Instructions
- In a mixing bowl, cream shortening and butter until fluffy.
- Add sugar, one cup at a time, mixing a bit between each addition. When adding sugar, you will want to start the mixer slowly so it doesn't explode everywhere.
- Continue creaming until well blended.
- Add salt, vanilla, and 6 ounces whipping cream. Blend on low speed until moistened.
- Beat at high speed until frosting is fluffy, 1-2 minutes.
Here’s the cupcakes I made the day of the post:
A helpful tip is to transfer your batter to a measuring cup so that it’s easier to pour.
Good morning. Just a quick question how do you think a cream cheese butter cream would taste? I love butter cream but my favorite would be cream cheese icing. Thanks
I really need to take better pictures, but here’s a link to my favorite cream cheese frosting recipe. I think it might be just what you are looking for. Enjoy! https://meaningfulmama.com/2012/10/cream-cheese-frosting.html
Great recipe! I used yours because of your name. My daughter has the same name spelled the same way! My Jodi turned 13 today. She wanted a rice Krispy cake so I used your recipe wih it. Thanks again for the recipe.
That’s fabulous. I love how you chose what frosting to use. Tell Jodi I say Happy Birthday! 🙂
Just made this recipe to frost Easter cupcakes that I made tonight. OMG! This is seriously the BEST frosting ever! Thanks so much for sharing it.
Yay! Thanks so much for reporting back about your success. It is so helpful for other readers. Have a fabulous Easter, and enjoy those cupcakes!
Hi is this a crusting butter cream?
No, it’s not. I hope that helps.
Love this recipe…it’s now my go to frosting. Can I just add melted chocolate to make it chocolate buttercream?
I’m not sure melted chocolate would work because chocolate is so sensitive and reacts weird in melted form. I would say cocoa powder would be a better solution. I need to just experiment with it and perfect it with recipe. Thanks for the inspiration.
I’m going to try this on a wedding cake this weekend…. but I need it to be white, white like our snow outside! Lol, anyway, was thinking… regular Crisco and butter flavoring? Please give me your thoughts!
The regular Crisco would definitely be better in terms of getting a more white product. You might compromise a little on taste. The biggest tip I can give you is to buy clear vanilla. Again, I think it compromises a bit on the more pure vanilla, but if white is your goal then it is a must. I believe you can buy it at Michael’s, but I will also provide an affiliate link here: https://goo.gl/w0UJNB I hope that helps. Sorry it took me a couple days to get back to you.
How did it work on the wedding cake.
It works really well! Enjoy!
I made this recipe for my daughters cake and everyone loved it. I had people asking for the recipe. I added the powder sugar 1/2 cup slowly at a time. I used my kitchenaid and it was so smooth. Sweet but smooth.
Thanks so much for reporting back. I’m so glad it was a hit, and I appreciate you passing along my site to your friends that asked!
I’ve tried SO many buttercream recipes and this one tops them all. Not too sickeningly sweet and so creamy. I will never use another recipe again. Thanks Jodi!!!
I have never been a cake lover, but had to change my mind after indulging in Jodi’s cakes, specifically made with her “Best Buttercream Recipe.” Thank you, Jodi for helping me branch out. Your frosting is declicious.
So glad you love it! Thanks for the great compliment.
Good on everything, my go to recipe!
Thanks so much. Glad you like it!
Yum! I love buttercream frosting – great recipe!
Thanks so much! I appreciate it!
Thanks so much for commenting. It’s my favorite part too, but I love a good balance between the frosting and cake.
Hello, how many cups of icing does this make? I’m frosting 250 cupcakes so I want to make enough.
Thanks
Sorry it’s taken me a while to write back. I’ve been in Israel with no access to my site. This recipe makes 48 cupcakes, so you will need to make 6 times the recipe to make sure all of them get covered. If you save this recipe for another time and need to remember, you can scroll to the recipe card, and it provides the serving size, calorie count, prep time, etc. Thanks so much. Enjoy!
I absolutely love this recipe. However, the last few times I’ve made it, it has a coconut taste to it. The only thing I can come up with is the butter flavored Crisco has palm oil in it. I also use imitation vanilla extract & don’t add salt because I use salted butter. Can you tell me how to overpower the coconut taste?
Thanks so much for commenting and asking. My mother-in-law contacted Crisco because her pie crusts weren’t turning out the same and didn’t taste like they used to. Crisco has changed their recipe, so people are experiencing different outcomes in loved recipes. It’s super frustrating. My best advice is to go 100% butter instead of Crisco. Really, it’s probably the better option to have the more natural butter. The only reason why the Crisco is nice is because it creates a bit more stability to the buttercream. Other than that, I can say that I use salted butter and salt in the recipe. I like that little kick of salt at the end…those chocolate salted caramels from Costco…don’t get me started. To leave the pallet with a little salt is a yes please for me. You could try adding the salt in. I also am picky about the quality of my vanilla. If you smell the imitation vanilla extract from say Costco or what most would typically buy of the shelf at a grocery story vs. a high quality vanilla – you will be shocked. I’ll add an affiliate link to the brand I purchase on Amazon. I really feel like quality vanilla makes a huge difference in all baked goods. Here’s the link: https://amzn.to/2ukhXCb Hope that helps!
Hi Jodi, I just started using your Buttercream frosting and love it. My question is, is it ok to add more sugar to make it stiffer? and after frosting the cake do you think it make a 6 hr drive. Just want to be sure it will stay in place on the cake. I thought of using ice bags around the cake box to keep it cool. I dont have time to do it where Im going. The event is the next day. Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Thanks so much. So glad you enjoy this recipe. I use it all the time also. I’m sorry it took me a few days to get back to you. You definitely can add more sugar to make it stiffer. I think the cake will be fine, depending on temperature in the car. If it’s cooler, I wouldn’t see a need to transport with ice bags. However, it wouldn’t hurt either, so for both peace of mind and assurance, I say go for it. The best methods I have found for transporting cakes, especially ones with fondant on the top as well is to acclimate it slowly. So, I like to cover mine (put it a box or container) inside the refrigerator. Then, I take the box out of the fridge without opening it at all. Keep it in the box until reaching your destination. This prevents it from sweating too quickly. Hope that helps!
Thank you for the reply. I will definitely do that, using box and ice. I just felt if it is stiffer it will stay on the cake and not slide or bulge in the middle. I will still use crisco and butter plus I have a really good vanilla, not extract but straight from the bean.I have two cakes to transfer in car ride. Yikes : ) Thanks for the advice.