Not Too Sweet Buttercream Frosting

Everyone loves buttercream.

It’s sweet, it’s simple to throw together and it’s kid-friendly.

I don’t love buttercream.

More often than not, it’s cloyingly sweet and doesn’t have much flavor. I appreciate that it’s the backbone of church picnics and is the glue that holds up gigantic wedding cakes when suddenly everyone you’ve ever met wants to make a toast, but American buttercream has never thrilled me.

And so I’ve searched and searched for a way to make buttercream both easy and delicious. And here it is: the American buttercream that can support your cake layers, frost your sugar cookies and taste great right off of the spatula!

The key for flavor in this recipe is using enough great quality vanilla to cut down on the sheer amount of powdered sugar and give this frosting depth. I also like to add an additional extract, primarily almond extract for that warm flavor that isn’t overpowering. You can also use coconut, orange, peppermint during the winter months, or omit entirely.

Small kitchen helpers may want to dump in all of the 10x sugar at once, but it’s easy to get lumpy frosting with so many unincorporated pockets of sugar. Take your time and add the sugar in two steps so that the butter is able to really adhere to the fluffy sugar and give you a smooth and creamy frosting.

All frostings get that ‘crispy’ top when exposed to oxygen- don’t worry, just keep your confections in an airtight container and know that the crispy layer is just on the very top. If you are making this frosting a day or two in advance, you may want to fluffy it back up with a big stir before decorating. When prepping ahead of time, I make a big batch of frosting, dye the various colors and then spoon into piping bags secured with rubber bands before storing in the refrigerator. Take them out about 10-20 minutes before decorating so that the frosting is pliable. On hot days, stiffening up your frosting in the refrigerator can also be your saving grace when the sun is hot and the frosting feels too thin.

Buttercream is just that: butter and creamed sugar. But with a little air whipped in and a healthy taste test or two, it can add flavor, creamy texture and novelty to your favorite cookies, cakes and just-dip-the-spoon-in midnight treats.

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Not-too-sweet Buttercream Frosting

1 cup butter, softened (two sticks)

4 cups powdered sugar, divided in half

6 tablespoons cream, divided into thirds

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 teaspoons vanilla

An additional teaspoon of either almond or coconut extract

Gel food coloring

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Using your stand mixer and whisk attachment, beat the softened butter for 2-3 minutes until fluffy, stopping midway to scrape down the sides of your bowl to free up any cold bits of butter that still need to be incorporated.

Add half of the powdered sugar and 2 tablespoons of your cream. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds until your sugar begins to become incorporated into your butter, then mix on medium speed until you can no longer see the separation between the butter and the sugar. Scrape the sides and bottom of your bowl to make sure that you do not have any remaining pockets of sugar. Add the last 2 cups of your powdered sugar and 2 more tablespoons of cream, making sure to scrape your bowl so that your mixture is smooth and consistent.

Add your salt, vanilla and any additional extracts you are using. Beat well. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl. Add remaining 1-2 tablespoons of cream if you want your buttercream to be slightly less thick.

If you are dying your entire batch of frosting in one color: Add your food coloring to your mixing bowl for the fastest and most consistent mixing. Scrape down your bowl after about 1 minute to ensure that all of your frosting has been evenly dyed.

If you are dying your frosting with multiple colors: Divide your frosting into large bowls about 2-3 times larger than the amount of frosting you are dying so that you have ample room to incorporate your color.

TSP: Don’t forget to set aside a bowl of undyed frosting if you want a white/cream color!