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 the kids.
Today, I'm going to share with you both of these recipes 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 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 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.
Please note this forsting is sweeter than regular frosting. If you don't want sweet frosting try my other frosting recipes like velvet American buttercream or Buttercream recipe for piping flowers, as well as Meringue buttercreams, like Swiss or Italian. And if you love flavors you must try my caramel, butterscotch, coffee, or Pink Champagne.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Butter - I prefer unsalted butter so I can add just the right amount of salt in 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, 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 which 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 whipped 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.
Step by step instructions
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 minutes, 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 consistency frosting. - 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 use 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 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.
Frequently asked questions
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 fridge 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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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 minutes, 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 consistency frosting.
- 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
- 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
Shelley Finke
Week 2 Day 3 done (vanilla)
sireesha
hi veen,
your recipe is good, but i had few queries as can i use margarine and powdered sugar made at home,cornflour mixed with hot water and ghee made at home.i hope you will reply me.
and i need colour combinations from powdered food colour which are cheap and easily available.
i try to make but my buttermargarine gets melted every time,i wanted to keep it outside like bakery even for 4days.
hope u will suggest me via email.
thanks
sireesha
Veena Azmanov
Sireesha. You can use margarine and ghee for this. Not sure about homemade. If it is stiff consistency it should be ok. You can keep this frosting out for 4 days.
Margarine is made with vegetable shortening it usually is very greasy.
I do not know any homemade powdered food colors or combinations. Sorry.
Hope this helps.
Janelle
Can I add gel colours to this?
Veena Azmanov
Yes, Janelle. I only use gel food colors for frostig. Thanks
Lilian
Can I use this bakery style vanilla frosting under fondant?
Veena Azmanov
Yes, you can. Chill the cake before you cover it with fondant.
Fernando
Hello, is the cornflour mixed with hot water? If so, does it need to be cooled down prior being added to the butter? Thanks
Veena Azmanov
Yes, Fernando. You can use hot or cold water. I prefer hot water and no I don't cool it.
Fernando
Hello, can i mix dulce de leche caramel (can caramel) with this buttercream recipe? If so, would you know how much caramel for 1 buttercream recipe? Thank you so much, you are an absolute star ⭐️
Veena Azmanov
Fernando. It really depends on the consistency of the buttercream. If you buttercream is a stiff consistency you can add up to 2 cups but if the consistency is soft then barely 1/2 cup.