Have you ever had to make a layer cake and then wonder which buttercream frosting would work best? Wondering if you should make or buy your own frosting? Here are more than 30 frostings and buttercream recipes to choose from.

Table of Content
- Basic vanilla frosting recipe
- Buttercream Recipes
- Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
- Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe - Just 5 minutes
- Bakery Style Vanilla Frosting
- Bakery Style Chocolate Frosting
- Ermine Frosting - Boiled Milk Frosting
- American Buttercream Frosting
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream SMBC
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream with Meringue Powder
- Italian Meringue Buttercream
- Italian Meringue Buttercream with Meringue Powder
- French Buttercream Recipe
- German Buttercream Recipe
- The Best Stiff Buttercream frosting for Pipping Buttercream Flowers
- Glossy Korean Buttercream Recipe
- Homemade Whipped Cream 4 Methods
- How to Stabilize Whipped Cream 7 Methods
- Cream Cheese Frosting
- No Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
- The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
- Caramel Buttercream Frosting
- Champagne Buttercream
- The Ultimate Coffee Buttercream Frosting
- Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting - 2 Methods
- Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting
- Best Kahlua Buttercream Frosting
- White Chocolate Buttercream Recipe
- Different Buttercream Flavors from One Recipe
- Ganache Frosting
- Chocolate Ganache
- Cake Decorators Chocolate Ganache Recipe
- White Chocolate Ganache
- Cake Decorators White Chocolate Ganache
- How to flavor Ganache aka Ganache Flavor variations
- Cookie Decorating
- Royal Icing Recipe - 5 Recipes
- Royal Icing Recipe with Meringue Powder or Egg White Powder
- Different types of frosting and buttercream recipes?Â
- Which frosting or buttercream recipe to use?Â
- 6 Fondant recipes
- You may also like
- Join the conversation
Did you know that a simple homemade frosting really takes as little as 5 minutes to make? Plus, you don't need any special equipment, all you need is a bowl and whisk (or electric mixer). So, for me, buying frosting has never been an option.
Basic vanilla frosting recipe
Ideally, you can make a basic vanilla buttercream frosting with just 4 simple ingredients. So when you are pressed for time use this simple basic recipe.
You can frost a cake, color it with gel food coloring, put it in a piping bag, and pipe with it. Freeze leftovers in the freezer for months (thaw in the fridge before using).
In a large bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment combine on medium speed until no lumps are visible then whip on high speed all these ingredients until light and fluffy.
- 1 cup (228 g) room temperature unsalted butter,
- 4 cups (500 g) powdered sugar, (confectioners sugar)
- ½ teaspoon or a pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, and
- 2 to 4 tablespoon liquid - a little milk or water.
- Add 4 oz of melted cooled chocolate to make chocolate frosting.
- Replace the liquid with lemon juice to make a lemon flavor frosting

Of course, buttercreams and frostings have come a long way over the years with so many options to choose from. Why make a simple 5 minutes frosting when you can make a rich, velvety meringue frosting that just about 15 minutes?
The truth is there is the right frosting for the right cake and the right frosting for the right time. So choose wisely. I have explained more about it below but have also given detailed instructions in my ultimate guide to Buttercream frosting.
For now, let's drool over these 30-plus buttercream and frosting recipes.
Buttercream Recipes
Best Buttercream Frosting Recipe
Chocolate Buttercream Frosting Recipe - Just 5 minutes
Bakery Style Vanilla Frosting
Bakery Style Chocolate Frosting
Ermine Frosting - Boiled Milk Frosting
American Buttercream Frosting
Swiss Meringue Buttercream SMBC
Swiss Meringue Buttercream with Meringue Powder
Italian Meringue Buttercream
Italian Meringue Buttercream with Meringue Powder
French Buttercream Recipe
German Buttercream Recipe
The Best Stiff Buttercream frosting for Pipping Buttercream Flowers
Glossy Korean Buttercream Recipe
Homemade Whipped Cream 4 Methods
How to Stabilize Whipped Cream 7 Methods
Cream Cheese Frosting
No Butter Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe
The Best Strawberry Buttercream Frosting
Caramel Buttercream Frosting
Champagne Buttercream
The Ultimate Coffee Buttercream Frosting
Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting - 2 Methods
Dark Nutella Buttercream Frosting
Best Kahlua Buttercream Frosting
White Chocolate Buttercream Recipe
Different Buttercream Flavors from One Recipe
Ganache Frosting
Chocolate Ganache
Cake Decorators Chocolate Ganache Recipe
White Chocolate Ganache
Cake Decorators White Chocolate Ganache
How to flavor Ganache aka Ganache Flavor variations
Cookie Decorating
Royal Icing Recipe - 5 Recipes
Royal Icing Recipe with Meringue Powder or Egg White Powder

Icings are those simple glazes you make to pour over a pound cake, pastries. Sometimes made with just powdered sugar (confectioner sugar) and milk and sometimes make with melted chocolate too. The icing is usually pouring consistency while frosting is thick, light, and fluffy that can be spread over a cake or piped over cupcakes.
They are quicker similar and often used interchangeably. The main ingredient in buttercream is of course butter.
All buttercreams are frostings but not all frostings are buttercream recipes. For example, a cream cheese frosting is not a buttercream similarly a buttercream made with vegetable shortening is a frosting.
Cupcakes can be served with any frosting from simple vanilla to cream cheese or meringue. What is important to think through is - how am I going to store these cupcakes and how long are they going to be out?Â
For example, if your cupcakes are going to be sitting out for a long time then cream cheese frosting or perishable frosting is not the way to go. If your cupcakes are going to be out in hot humid conditions then you probably want to avoid meringue or butter-based frostings too.
That's not true. It depends on the project you need to use it. Shortening-based buttercream is considered better only in some conditions. It has a longer shelf life and can be kept out on the counter for days if stored well. Is non-dairy, as well as parve.
Sometimes things can go wrong but most often there are ways to fix buttercream recipes. So, don't make haste to throw the batch just yet. Read my article - Ultimate guide to buttercream recipes to see the troubleshooting and fixing options.
Different types of frosting and buttercream recipes?
Yes, I know that was a long list of buttercream recipes. The number of frosting recipes can be overwhelming and sometimes confusing. In general, we can categorize these asÂ
- Butter-based buttercream - simple all-purpose buttercreams like my velvet American buttercream, Vanilla buttercream (eggless).
- Decorators buttercream - often with all or some vegetable shortening to prevent the frosting from melting easily like my Bakery style frostings - Vanilla and Chocolate frosting as well as flour for stability often called Ermine or boiled flour frosting.
- Cream Cheese based - made with cream cheese, often with or without butter, like my classic cream cheese is made with butter which adds more stability, and my no-butter cream cheese frosting when you want a more luxurious dessert-type frosting.
- Meringue buttercream - made with the addition of whipped egg whites. Less sweet than the classic butter-based buttercream like my Swiss Meringue or Italian Meringue.
- Egg-based buttercream - like French Buttercream and German buttercream made with egg yolks then whipped to make a light and fluffy frosting with the addition of butter.Â
- Whipped Cream Frosting - the lightest of them all is, of course, simple heavy cream. I shared 5 different methods to make whipped cream at home. As well as a whipped cream buttercream frosting.Â
Which frosting or buttercream recipe to use?
There will always be many options to choose from but the only one that's usually just right for you. Here are a few questions to consider. Often you will have to take all four into consideration when making this decision
- What cake flavor do I want?Â
- Where are you going to display the cake - inside vs. outside?
- The inside allows you to use perishable fillings while the outside depends on the weather.Â
- What is the weather like at the time of the event? Is it cold winter or hot humid summer? Hot summers need more caution with perishable frostings.Â
- How far does the cake have to travel? long travels in cold weather are not an issue if you pack things well. Hot summers can be a nightmare, so carry ice packs.
6 Fondant recipes
You may also like
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- Chocolate cakes
- Vanilla cake recipes
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Pauletta
Hi Veena,
What do you do now that there is no trans fats in shortening? I tried the sweetex icing shortening without trans fats and is doesn't taste as good as the old one. I had to add a lot more flavoring. How can I get it to taste better? I really used to like my frosting and now, not so much.
Veena Azmanov
Hey Pauletta. I am an all-butter buttercream person. I never liked frosting with vegetable shortening.
There are very few of my frosting recipes (maybe 2 or 3 our of almost 50 variations) that actually call for vegetable shortening.
As for your question, the only thing possible is to add more flavor as you already do.
Or you can try half butter and half shortening.
Add some pudding mixes - these add a nice flavor and help stabilize the buttercreams.
Use whipping cream (if possible) for the liquid.
Thanks
Pauletta
Thank you for your reply. I may have to try the butter buttercream. Or maybe try mixing butter with the shortening I never thought about adding pudding. That might be good to try too. Thank you again. I can’t wait to try your buttercream icing.
Veena Azmanov
Thank you Pauletta
TRICIA HERGG
HI I LOVE YOUR RECEIPES & TIPS. I HAVE SO MUCH PAPER FROM ALL MY PRINTOUTS. DO YOU HAVE A BOOK WITH YOUR RECEIPES IN ??? IF SO HOW & WHERE CAN I GET IT
THANKS
TRISH
Veena Azmanov
Hey Tricia
Thank you, so happy you are enjoying my recipes and find my tips useful. I don't have an ebook. I use to have an online shop with recipes but now they have all been added to the free section.
You can bookmark these on your browser for future reference that way you will always have them.
Thanks
Helen
Who knew that there were so many different recipes for making frosting!? This is a great list and very helpful for finding the right kind for your needs.
Veena Azmanov
Thanks Helen, yes, so many!!