The Best Whipped Vanilla Frosting
Light and fluffy and chock full of Vanilla flavor, our The Best Whipped Vanilla Frosting tastes like Whipped Cream but spreads like buttercream. Easy and delicious!
A combination of our Buttercream Frosting recipe and our Whipped Cream Frosting recipe, this light and lovely The Best Whipped Vanilla Frosting is our go-to homemade frosting for cookies, cinnamon rolls, and any other baked good that needs a fresh and light frosting that is chock full of vanilla flavor. Easy to make and even yummier to eat! We hope you love it as much as we do!
How to Make
Step 1: Remove your butter from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you start making the frosting. You want it to be slightly softened (somewhere between straight out of the refrigerator and fully room temperature.) If the butter is too cold it will be hard to mix with the vanilla. If it is too soft, it will start melting during the mixing process and your frosting consistency will be off. Add the slightly softened butter and the vanilla to a mixing bowl.
Step 2: Mix the butter and the vanilla together on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.) You really want the vanilla to meld with the butter to enhance the flavor of the frosting.
Step 3: Use a spatula to scrape the butter and vanilla mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.
Step 4: Measure your Powdered Sugar. We use a food scale to measure the Powdered Sugar, you will need 1 pound. (If you don’t have a food scale, the equivalent would be 4 cups.) You can sift the powdered sugar if it is really lumpy. We rarely do that. We rely on our mixer to break up any lumps during the mixing process.
Step 5: Add the Powdered Sugar to the bowl with the butter and vanilla mixture.
Step 6: Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Two Sisters Tip: place a clean dishtowel around your mixer to keep the sugar from flying out. Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Kick your mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy.
Step 7: Taste your frosting. You are trying to determine if the consistency is correct or if it needs more milk or maybe a little more vanilla extract. If it tastes great, test the consistency. Too thick? Add some milk and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency. The amount of milk to use depends on the state of your frosting and sometimes the time of year (if it is a hot humid day, you might not need to add any milk.) A good rule of thumb is to add the milk a teaspoon at a time.
Step 8: Now it is time to get that light and lovely whipped consistency. On the mixer, switch out the paddle attachment with the Whisk attachment and whip the frosting on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.
Step 9: The buttercream frosting will be filled with air and will be light and fluffy and delicious just like Whipped Cream. So yummy!
How to Serve
How much frosting will you need? That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough Whipped Vanilla Buttercream to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag as we have done here, you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl.
Expert Tips and FAQ’s
Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be good for up to a week. If you carefully wrap the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should be fine in the freezer for 3-4 months. Re-whip the frosting with the Whisk Attachment before using.
No, the frosting does not need to be refrigerated. For example, brownies frosted with this Vanilla Icing would be fine left out on the counter for 2-3 days if the pan was tightly covered with aluminum foil. That said, we usually refrigerate our frosted desserts to keep the baked good from going stale even if the frosting would be fine. We think frosting tastes best at room temperature so we will then remove the item from the refrigerator a couple of hours before we will serve them.
Add another teaspoon of milk and mix again. Continue to add the milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it
Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better.
Yes. You can use Half n’ Half or Whipping Cream or even almond milk or another milk substitute.
Other Frosting Recipes You Will Love
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The Best Whipped Vanilla Frosting
Light and fluffy and chock full of Vanilla flavor, this homemade Whipped Vanilla Frosting tastes like Whipped Cream but spreads like buttercream. Easy and delicious!
Ingredients
- 1 cup Butter, slightly softened (We use Salted Sweet Cream Butter)
- 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
- 1 pound Powdered Sugar (or 4 cups)
- 1-2 tablespoons Milk (as needed)
Instructions
- Remove your butter from the refrigerator about 30 minutes before you start making the frosting. You want it to be slightly softened (somewhere between straight out of the refrigerator and fully room temperature.) If the butter is too cold it will be hard to mix with the vanilla. If it is too soft, it will start melting during the mixing process and your frosting consistency will be off. Add the slightly softened butter and the vanilla to a mixing bowl.
- Mix the butter and the vanilla together on medium speed until thoroughly combined (about 2 minutes.) You really want the vanilla to meld with the butter to enhance the flavor of the frosting.
- Use a spatula to scrape the butter and vanilla mixture down from the sides of the bowl before moving on to the next step.
- Measure your Powdered Sugar. We use a food scale to measure the Powdered Sugar, you will need 1 pound. (If you don’t have a food scale, the equivalent would be 4 cups.) You can sift the powdered sugar if it is really lumpy. We rarely do that. We rely on our mixer to break up any lumps during the mixing process.
- Add the Powdered Sugar to the bowl with the butter and vanilla mixture.
- Start your mixer (or electric beater) on the lowest setting. Two Sisters Tip: place a clean dishtowel around your mixer to keep the sugar from flying out. Keep on low until the butter and sugar are incorporated (about 30 seconds), remove the dishtowel, and scrape down the sides of the bowl. Kick your mixer up to medium-high speed and mix for 30-45 more seconds until the frosting starts to be light and fluffy.
- Taste your frosting. You are trying to determine if the consistency is correct or if it needs more milk or maybe a little more vanilla extract. If it tastes great, test the consistency. Too thick? Add some milk and mix again to check to see if it is now the right consistency. The amount of milk to use depends on the state of your frosting and sometimes the time of year (if it is a hot humid day, you might not need to add any milk.) A good rule of thumb is to add the milk a teaspoon at a time.
- Now it is time to get that light and lovely whipped consistency. On the mixer, switch out the paddle attachment with the Whisk attachment and whip the frosting on medium-high for 2-3 minutes.
- The buttercream frosting will be filled with air and will be light and fluffy and delicious just like Whipped Cream. So yummy!
Did you Make this Recipe? Leave a review below, then snap a picture and tag @twosisterscrafting on Instagram so we can see it!
