If you are looking for the best frosting, then this bakery-style vanilla frosting is a must-try. It takes only 5 minutes to whip and has the longest shelf life ever! Also, it's an absolute kids' favorite vanilla or chocolate frosting over any cupcakes, cakes, or cookies.
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Remember those bakery cupcakes that you picked on the way back from school and licked all the way home? Yup, that finger-licking frosting is called bakery-style frosting. It's usually loaded with powdered sugar and that's why it's so popular with kids.
Today, I'm going to share with you both of these recipes and the way I learned to make them from my mom. They are a little different from the bakery frosting out there. And yet, trust me, once you've tried these two recipes you are never going to use any other bakery frosting. So, this post is my vanilla bakery-style frosting. And you can find the chocolate bakery-style frosting here as well.
Why make this frosting?
- First, the one very unique thing about grocery store frosting is that there is no milk or heavy whipping cream. And, by taking this one ingredient out of the recipe the shelf life of your buttercream now is ten times longer.
- It has a large amount of sugar which works as a preservative. This means you can keep that frosted layer cake on the counter for a few days and still enjoy it without the fear of it going bad.
- A typical store-bought frosting has a shelf life of over a year and that's because they use all vegetable shortening. Here we use half butter for that wonderful butter flavor. After all, it's homemade!
- If you like commercial frostings, use this recipe instead. You will get three times the amount for the same amount of money. And as a bonus, you save money and you have fewer preservatives.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter - I prefer unsalted butter so I can add just the right amount of salt to the recipe. If salted butter is all you have, go ahead and use it. And, remember to omit salt from the recipe. Also, if you want you can substitute the butter for more vegetable shortening.
- Vegetable shortening - This is vegetable fat or ghee. Some famous brands would be Crisco, Short bright, Dalda, and Trex. Most important is to make sure you buy one that is high in saturated fat. I know!! And yet, with the amount of sugar that we add to this frosting the high-fat works best.
The low-fat ratio will have extra moisture. This means, your frosting will be way too soft. You want a light and fluffy frosting that will resemble whipped cream consistency. - Powdered sugar - Also known as confectioners sugar or icing sugar.
- Water - The method I use gives a light fluffy and melt-in-mouth kinda texture. Not grainy, almost like heavy cream.
- Cornstarch - This creates a slurry that helps bring all the fats and sugar together without breaking or curdling. Read how to fix a buttercream that's too runny here.
- Vanilla - When it comes to frosting, always use a good quality vanilla extract, homemade or commercial. I love to use vanilla bean paste in my recipe, but it usually has vanilla specks in it.
Bakery-style vanilla frosting
Makes enough to cover 2 x 8-inch cakes or 24 cupcakes
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or hand mixer, cream butter and shortening for about a minute, on medium speed, until light and fluffy.
Pro tip - The color of the butter will get lighter in color and will blend with the shortening completely. - Combine water with cornstarch and vanilla extract. Add it to the creaming mixture and whip until smooth.
Pro tip - Water will create a glue effect with the cornstarch when combined with the fat. It will also take away that starchy taste from the cornstarch - Next, start adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the sugar is in - whip the buttercream for a good three minutes until light and fluffy.
Pro tip - Whipping for no less than 3 minutes will give a light and airy whipped cream frosting consistency. - This buttercream is ready to use. You can use it to frost cakes ad as well as cupcakes.
Pro tip - If you have air pockets while frosting the cake, use a paddle motion with a spatula when frosting. This usually will take care of the air pockets.
What can I do with this frosting?
You can use this vanilla frosting on cakes, cupcakes, and even cookies. For cookies, I usually make a soft consistency of icing. It doesn't dry hard as royal icing but it does crust and gives you a beautiful sweet cookie to eat.
This frosting is light and airy so it does not work for piping things like flowers or used with Russian tips. If you need to pipe flowers please use my stiff buttercream recipe for piping flowers.
Tips
- Ensure the butter is room temperature, not firm, nor melted. Firm butter will make a lumpy frosting and melted butter will not whip too light and fluffy.
- For best results, use vegetable shortening with high-saturated fat.
- The cornstarch in the recipe helps stabilize the buttercream. When combined with the hot water it creates a rue kinda glue that helps combine the vegetable shortening and butter.
- Once all the powdered sugar is in, make sure to whip until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- This frosting has a long shelf life and can stay at room temperature for days but it still has butter so it can melt in hot and humid conditions.
More frosting recipes
- Swiss Meringue Buttercream or Italian Meringue Buttercream
- French Buttercream Recipe or How to make German Buttercream
- American Buttercream Frosting, Vanilla Buttercream Frosting
- Caramel Buttercream Frosting or Butterscotch Buttercream Frosting
- Maple Buttercream Frosting, Eggnog Buttercream Frosting
- Ermine Frosting (Less Sweet)
- 30 + Buttercream Recipes - Frosting
This buttercream is high in sugar and will keep at room temperature for a few days - 3 to 4 days at room temperature. You can keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks or freeze it for up to 2 months.
No. Korean buttercream is a meringue-based buttercream recipe and I have shared the recipe will you using the Swiss meringue method.
Make sure the butter is room temperature not cold. Cold butter does not cream beautifully. The added advantage of creaming room-temperature butter is that it lightens the butter. This works best when you want to add gel-food colors.
You either added too much liquid or the butter was too soft when you started it. Place the butter in the fridge for a few minutes to firm up.
You probably didn't whip long enough. Instead of adding more powdered sugar, try whipping first. Then if necessary add a tablespoon of powdered sugar at a time.
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Printable Recipe
Bakery Style Vanilla Frosting
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Conversions Used
1 lb = 453 grams, 1 cup = 240 ml, 1 stick = 113g, 1 tbsp= 15 ml, 1 tsp= 5 ml,
Ingredients
Makes enough to cover 2 x 8-inch rounds or 24 cupcakes
- 8 oz (226 g) Unsalted butter
- 1 cup (200 g) Vegetable shortening
- 6 cup (720 g) Powdered sugar
- ¼ cup (60 ml) Water
- 2 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 2 teaspoon Vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
Instructions
- In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, or hand mixer, cream butter and shortening for about a minute, on medium speed, until light and fluffy. 8 oz Unsalted butter ¼ teaspoon SaltPro tip - The color of the butter will get lighter in color and will blend with the shortening completely.
- Combine water with cornstarch and vanilla extract. Add it to the creaming mixture and whip until smooth. 2 tablespoon Cornstarch 2 teaspoon Vanilla extractPro tip - Water will create a glue effect with the cornstarch when combined with the fat. It will also take away that starchy taste from the cornstarch.
- Next, start adding the powdered sugar one cup at a time. Once all the sugar is in - whip the buttercream for a good three minutes until light and fluffy. 6 cup Powdered sugarPro tip - Whipping for no less than 3 minutes will give a light and airy whipped cream frosting consistency.
- This buttercream is ready to use. You can use it to frost cakes ad as well as cupcakes. Pro tip - If you have air pockets while frosting the cake, use a paddle motion with a spatula when frosting. This usually will take care of the air pockets.
Recipe Notes & Tips
- Ensure the butter is room temperature, not firm, nor melted. Firm butter will make a lumpy frosting and melted butter will not whip to light and fluffy
- For best results, use vegetable shortening with high-saturated fat.
- The cornstarch in the recipe helps stabilize the buttercream. When combined with the hot water it creates a rue kinda glue that helps combine the vegetable shortening and butter.
- Once all the powdered sugar is in, make sure to whip until the frosting is light and fluffy.
- This frosting has a long shelflife and can stay at room temperature for days but it still has butter so it can melt in hot and humid conditions.
Nutrition Information
The nutrition information and metric conversion are calculated automatically. I cannot guarantee its accuracy. If this data is important to you please verify with your trusted nutrition calculator. Thank you
Janis O'Hara
I made recipe exactly as written and it was very soupy. I gave up and tossed it after adding 14 cups of icing sugar and it still was not stiff enough to ice a cake
Veena Azmanov
14 cups of icing sugar? That does not sound like the right proportion. Also with so much sugar how is it still soupy? There is just 2 - 4 tbsp of water!
Diane
I want to try this recipe, but the ingredient list calls for water. Your comments below it say "hot water". Is the water room temperature or actually hot. And if it's hot, doesn't it affect the butter you've just creamed?
Veena Azmanov
The water is warm almost hot. And yes it does melt the butter and powdered sugar slightly but that's what gives this frosting its creaminess. Half the recipe to see if you like it.
Elizabeth
The ingredient list doesn’t mention butter…. How much for this recipe?
Veena Azmanov
The very first ingredient in the list is butter, Elizabeth. Unsalted butter 8 oz / 226 grams
Angela
Mine tasted like Crisco. I had to throw it all out.
I followed EXACTLY as stated .
I Cup Crisco
2 sticks softened butter
Etc Etc Etc
What did I miss? My husband said it tastes like Wax (before he knew that i used Crisco.
Veena Azmanov
Angela. Butter and vegetable shortening are not the same. Vegetable shortening needs more powdered sugar to make it a frosting. Sounds like you needed more powdered sugar. The best way is to taste it!