Name: American Buttercream Frosting
Prep time: 10 min
Total time: 10 min
Yield: 3 cups (enough for a 2-layer 8-inch cake)
Cuisine: American
Ingredients: 8 oz (2 sticks / 227 g) unsalted butter, room temperature; 8.5-17 oz (2-4 cups / 240-480 g) powdered sugar, to taste; 1-2 tsp vanilla extract or flavoring of choice; 1-2 big pinches salt; 1-3 tbsp milk or cream, if needed to thin

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American buttercream frosting swirl on a cupcake

If you've ever wondered how to make buttercream frosting without a candy thermometer, a double boiler, or a single dramatic moment — this is it. American buttercream is just butter and powdered sugar, beaten together. That's genuinely most of it.

It's the frosting I recommend to anyone touching a piping bag for the first time. It holds its shape almost immediately, it's cheap to make in batches while you practice, and it forms a light crust on the surface once it's piped — which sounds like a downside, but it's actually why it's the go-to for decorated cookies and shapes that need to hold still.

What makes it different from the other buttercreams

Every other buttercream on this site — Swiss, Italian, French, German, Russian — starts by cooking eggs into the mix in some form. American buttercream skips that step entirely, which is exactly why it's sweeter and thicker than the rest, and why it's the fastest to get right. The tradeoff is that it doesn't smooth onto a cake quite as silkily as a meringue-based buttercream, because of that light crust. For a naked cake or a mirror-smooth finish, I'd reach for Swiss meringue buttercream instead. For cookies, borders, and shapes that need to hold up while you work — this is the one.

Consistency tip: this recipe is a range on purpose. Start with the lower amount of powdered sugar, taste and check texture, then add more only if you want it sweeter or stiffer. Every brand of butter holds a slightly different amount of water, so "the right amount" is really a feel, not a fixed number.

American Buttercream

10 minPrep time

3 cupsYield

EasyDifficulty

Fridge, 1 weekStorage

Ingredients

8 oz / 2 sticks unsalted butter, room temp (227 g)
8.5–17 oz powdered sugar (2–4 cups / 240–480 g)
1–2 tsp vanilla extract
1–2 pinches salt
1–3 tbsp milk or cream, if needed

Method

Beat the butter with the paddle attachment for about 30 seconds, until creamy.
Add 2 cups (8.5 oz / 240 g) of powdered sugar and beat it in.
Add vanilla and a pinch or two of salt. Scrape down the bowl.
Add more powdered sugar, up to 2 more cups, until it's as sweet and stiff as you want.
If it's too thick to pipe, add milk or cream a tablespoon at a time until it loosens up.

Notes: Stays lightly pale yellow and develops a thin crust once piped — great for cookies and shapes that need to hold their edges, trickier for a perfectly smooth cake finish. Keeps at room temperature for 2 days, or refrigerated up to a week — bring back to room temp and re-whip before using.

Tools that make this easier

You genuinely just need a stand or hand mixer and a spatula for this one. If you're building out a decorating kit, my tools page has the exact turntable and piping tips I use on camera.

American Buttercream Frosting

What makes it different from the other buttercreams

American Buttercream

Ingredients

Method

Tools that make this easier

More from the buttercream family

Swiss Meringue Buttercream

Italian Meringue Buttercream

6 Types of Buttercream, Compared

See this buttercream piped on camera