Easy White Frosting Recipe

Let them eat cake! As long as it’s slathered in this Easy White Frosting!

Deciding what to use to frost your cakes or top your cupcakes can be daunting–should you use icing or buttercream or ganache or glaze? So many choices, often so little time. That’s why this Easy White Frosting is a lifesaver–and a cake saver!–because it’s made from just a few ingredients (that you probably already have), is ready in minutes, looks beautiful, and tastes divine.

I used to rely on homemade whipped cream when I wanted a pristine white filling and frosting for my layer cakes, but it was never sturdy enough and sometimes even melted before I was ready to serve. But now I am in love with this Easy White Frosting, which has just the right amount of vanilla-infused sweetness and a perfectly creamy texture that adds a dreaminess to so many cake flavors. You’ll love it with deep chocolate cakes like Devil’s Food or Red Velvet, but it is also delicious on white or yellow cakes, doubling the vanilla punch with its rich yet airy cloud-like fluffiness.

One of the things you want to do with White Frosting is keep it white, and that can be tricky because one of the main ingredients is butter and butter is…yellow! So look for the most pale butter you can find, like Land O Lakes brand. And then there’s the potential problem of vanilla…which is usually brown! But you can get clear Vanilla extract so, obviously, I recommend that. And then there’s this, which is hard to believe but it works: you can add a tiny drop of Violet or Purple food coloring, which balances out the yellow. Who knew?

Ingredients

1½ cups (3 sticks unsalted butter), softened to room temperature
6 cups powdered sugar sifted
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 to 4 tablespoons whole milk or heavy cream

How to Make White Frosting

Step 1: Begin with the Base: Start by placing the softened butter in a large mixing bowl. If you’re using a stand mixer, fit it with the paddle attachment. Beat the butter on medium speed until it’s creamy and lightened in color, about 2 minutes.

Step 2: Incorporate the Sweetness: Gradually add the powdered sugar to the creamed butter. It’s best to add about half a cup at a time, beating well after each addition. This method prevents the sugar from flying everywhere and helps it incorporate evenly into the butter.

Step 3: Enhance the Flavor: Once all the sugar is mixed in, drizzle in the vanilla extract.

Step 4: Adjust the Consistency: Check the consistency of your frosting after you’ve added the initial 2 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream. If it’s too thick, add more liquid, one tablespoon at a time, until smooth. If you’re planning to pipe the frosting, you might want it a bit stiffer, whereas a thinner consistency works better for spreading with a knife.

Top Tips For a Perfect White Frosting

To get the perfectly creamy and spreadable consistency, make sure your butter is at room temperature before you begin.
And speaking of your butter, beat it by itself in the bowl until it is very smooth before adding your sugar.
And speaking of your sugar, you want to add it gradually–1/2 cup at a time, as the recipe says–to the butter so that it gets fully incorporated.

FAQs

Can I make this frosting in other flavors?

Of course! You can add some sifted cocoa powder for a chocolate frosting (though taste it to make sure it’s sweet enough–you might need to add a bit more sugar, as cocoa powder is unsweetened), or other flavors of extracts. One thing I love to do is use coconut extract, especially when I’m making coconut cake. Lemon works great, too.

Is it possible to substitute vegetable shortening for the butter?

Sure, and it’s white! Your frosting will come out fine with this switch, but it won’t taste exactly the same since vegetable shortening has no flavor and butter is the flavor bomb!

Can I use my piping bag with this frosting?

You can, and it will make stunning rosettes or stars or any shape you like. You might need to adjust the frosting’s consistency by adding a bit more liquid or a bit more sugar, depending on how thick you like your frosting to be for piping.

Serving Suggestions

I’ve already suggested using this Easy White Frosting on many different kinds of cakes (it’s particularly dramatic on dark cakes like chocolate), and I can’t recommend enough flavoring this frosting with coconut for a Coconut Cake (obviously, because I’ve said it twice!). But why stop there? If you’re a sweet ‘n salty person like me, dipping pretzels into this frosting is sublime! I’ve also thinned it out a bit and used it as a dip for fruit–fresh or dry. And if you flavor the frosting with coconut and serve it as a dip with pineapple spears, it will taste like a Pina Colada!

How to Store White Frosting

Next time you make Easy White Frosting, make a double batch because it stores easily and then you’ll always have it on hand (I mean, you never know when you might want to impulsively make a cake!). It will keep in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week; just bring it to room temperature and rewhip to return it to its spreadable texture. You can also freeze this frosting–in an airtight container–for up to 3 months; if you can plan ahead, thaw it overnight in the refrigerator and then bring it to room temperature before whipping.