Wedding Cake Buttercream Frosting (Great for Cupcakes Too)
Servings: 24 cupcakes (or a two-layer, 8-inch layer cake)
Calories: 262kcal
This wedding cake buttercream frosting is a classic, easy to work with and is perfect for both cakes and cupcakes.
Print Recipe
US Customary - Metric
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature (2 sticks)
- 1 cup vegetable shortening (this is not the same thing as lard - please see the notes section)
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 2-3 tablespoons milk
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice (this is not enough to give it a lemon taste-see notes)
- 2 teaspoons clear vanilla extract
- ¼ teaspoon almond extract (see notes section)
- ½ - 1 teaspoon butter extract (quality butter extract matters; omit if using all butter instead of any shortening-see notes section)
- 6 cups confectioner’s sugar
Instructions
- Add the room-temperature butter and the shortening and salt to a large mixing bowl and mix with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until very smooth.
- Add the lemon juice and the extracts and mix well on medium-high speed.
- Add three cups of confectioner’s sugar, 2 tablespoons of milk and mix on low until combined, then on medium-high until well mixed.
- Add the last three cups of confectioner’s sugar and mix on low until combined, then on medium-high until well mixed.
- Taste it and see if the flavoring needs to be adjusted. If you want it more tart, add another teaspoon of lemon juice. If you want more of that floral/almond flavor, add a bit more almond extract. If you want it a bit more buttery, add a bit more butter flavoring. Make sure to only add in small amounts at a time. Mix and taste it since a little of the extract will go a long way. The goal is to give it a hint of flavoring, not an overpowering flavoring.
- Check the consistency. If it’s too thick, add a teaspoon of milk, mix and check the consistency again. If it's too thin, add a ½ cup of confectioner's sugar, mix and check the consistency again.
- Once the desired consistency is reached, mix on medium-high speed for a couple of minutes to make it fluffy and whiter in color, or mix on low speed to make it smoother.
- Please check out the notes section in this recipe card for other important information about the ingredients.
Notes
How Much Does this Recipe Make: This buttercream makes enough frosting to cover a two-layer, 8-inch cake or 24 cupcakes. If you are using it for a tiered wedding cake, you’ll want to at least double this depending on the size of the wedding cake.
How to Store: Store this buttercream in an airtight container at room temperature for about 4-5 days or in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week.
This frosting is considered a ‘crusting buttercream’ because it includes vegetable shortening. This means it will form a very thin shell-like coating when set out and open to the air. This is perfect for cake decorating, but you’ll want to make sure to cover the bowl of frosting while you’re decorating.
If it forms too much of a crust in the bowl and is then mixed up, it could form crystals within the frosting and potentially make the frosting a little grainy. Just make sure to cover the frosting that’s in the bowl and it will be just fine. About the Flavoring Combination: Please see the post where I explain my thought process behind this combination of flavorings if you’d like more details. In general, it’s been a common practice for bakeries and caterers to use certain flavorings like Creme Bouquet by Magic Line or another similar type of flavoring for wedding cake frosting. I find that flavoring to be very floral and overpowering. The other option is LorAnn Oils, Princess Emulsion, which is good, but a little too lemony for a wedding frosting taste in my opinion. I find that you can control the flavoring much better by mixing different extracts together, which is what this recipe is all about. I prefer the flavoring combo and ratios in this recipe because it reminds me of all the wedding cake I had growing up. (My mom was a wedding caterer.) Feel free to adjust the different extracts to make it to your preference. Don’t be afraid to try out new combinations. That’s the fun part about mixing your own flavorings and not having to depend on pre-made flavor combos. About the Butter Flavoring: The grocery store version of butter extract is not very good. Do yourself a favor and pay a little extra to get a good-tasting butter flavoring. I prefer LorAnn’s butter emulsion. About the Almond Flavoring: Most people will automatically reject using almond flavoring right off without even tasting it. They assume they won’t like it, but as long as you’re not allergic, I really would urge you to try it. It’s only a small amount and does not make the buttercream taste like almonds. Personally, I do not care for almonds at all, but a tiny bit of almond flavoring in white or vanilla cake and frosting is amazing - and I do mean a tiny amount. I rarely go over ¼ teaspoon. Many people say there's just something about my vanilla cakes and buttercream—they can't stop eating them and can’t quite place that hint of flavor. That’s the secret. Most almond flavoring is imitation and does not contain almonds, but you MUST read the label to make sure. I am personally allergic to almonds, but I have not ever had a reaction to the extract because I use imitation. Having said that, you MUST to do your own due diligence and the best option is to steer clear if allergic. About the Vegetable Shortening: In the past, I have received many angry comments about using vegetable shortening in some of my cakes and frostings, so I hope this will help answer questions about it. Yes, this recipe includes vegetable shortening. No, it is not the same as lard. Vegetable shortening is not made from animals. The reason that vegetable shortening is used in this recipe is to get a more stable buttercream, to make it white in color and to get that classic bakery style wedding cake taste. Bakeries, grocery stores and home bakeries all over the U.S. have used vegetable shortening in buttercream since forever and you’ve probably eaten it and didn’t even realize it. I’ve found the the Walmart brand is better for frosting than the name brand and I have no idea why, but it’s my personal shortening choice. Now, if you want to use ‘all’ butter and no shortening, you can absolutely do that. Just replace the shortening with more butter in the same amount. You will not get that classic wedding cake frosting taste though (because part of that is the actual shortening) and it won’t be as white in color, but it’ll still be delicious. If you’d like to see my recipe for ‘all butter’ buttercream, you can get that here: Vanilla Bean Buttercream Make sure to check out the post, which should answer other questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, etc. And you can always reach out to me. I read all of the comments. Nutritional values are an estimate. *This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
If it forms too much of a crust in the bowl and is then mixed up, it could form crystals within the frosting and potentially make the frosting a little grainy. Just make sure to cover the frosting that’s in the bowl and it will be just fine. About the Flavoring Combination: Please see the post where I explain my thought process behind this combination of flavorings if you’d like more details. In general, it’s been a common practice for bakeries and caterers to use certain flavorings like Creme Bouquet by Magic Line or another similar type of flavoring for wedding cake frosting. I find that flavoring to be very floral and overpowering. The other option is LorAnn Oils, Princess Emulsion, which is good, but a little too lemony for a wedding frosting taste in my opinion. I find that you can control the flavoring much better by mixing different extracts together, which is what this recipe is all about. I prefer the flavoring combo and ratios in this recipe because it reminds me of all the wedding cake I had growing up. (My mom was a wedding caterer.) Feel free to adjust the different extracts to make it to your preference. Don’t be afraid to try out new combinations. That’s the fun part about mixing your own flavorings and not having to depend on pre-made flavor combos. About the Butter Flavoring: The grocery store version of butter extract is not very good. Do yourself a favor and pay a little extra to get a good-tasting butter flavoring. I prefer LorAnn’s butter emulsion. About the Almond Flavoring: Most people will automatically reject using almond flavoring right off without even tasting it. They assume they won’t like it, but as long as you’re not allergic, I really would urge you to try it. It’s only a small amount and does not make the buttercream taste like almonds. Personally, I do not care for almonds at all, but a tiny bit of almond flavoring in white or vanilla cake and frosting is amazing - and I do mean a tiny amount. I rarely go over ¼ teaspoon. Many people say there's just something about my vanilla cakes and buttercream—they can't stop eating them and can’t quite place that hint of flavor. That’s the secret. Most almond flavoring is imitation and does not contain almonds, but you MUST read the label to make sure. I am personally allergic to almonds, but I have not ever had a reaction to the extract because I use imitation. Having said that, you MUST to do your own due diligence and the best option is to steer clear if allergic. About the Vegetable Shortening: In the past, I have received many angry comments about using vegetable shortening in some of my cakes and frostings, so I hope this will help answer questions about it. Yes, this recipe includes vegetable shortening. No, it is not the same as lard. Vegetable shortening is not made from animals. The reason that vegetable shortening is used in this recipe is to get a more stable buttercream, to make it white in color and to get that classic bakery style wedding cake taste. Bakeries, grocery stores and home bakeries all over the U.S. have used vegetable shortening in buttercream since forever and you’ve probably eaten it and didn’t even realize it. I’ve found the the Walmart brand is better for frosting than the name brand and I have no idea why, but it’s my personal shortening choice. Now, if you want to use ‘all’ butter and no shortening, you can absolutely do that. Just replace the shortening with more butter in the same amount. You will not get that classic wedding cake frosting taste though (because part of that is the actual shortening) and it won’t be as white in color, but it’ll still be delicious. If you’d like to see my recipe for ‘all butter’ buttercream, you can get that here: Vanilla Bean Buttercream Make sure to check out the post, which should answer other questions you may have about ingredients, substitutions, etc. And you can always reach out to me. I read all of the comments. Nutritional values are an estimate. *This recipe card may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition
Calories: 262kcal | Carbohydrates: 30g | Protein: 0.1g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 6g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 15mg | Potassium: 6mg | Sugar: 29g | Vitamin A: 238IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 4mg | Iron: 0.03mg