Perfect Piping Buttercream is the absolute best recipe for frosting cakes and cookies with a great consistency just right for piping your beautiful designs. This luscious buttercream frosting is light and airy with added flavor from vanilla and almond extract.
Perfect Piping Buttercream Recipe
Frosting cookies for holidays is both my favorite and most dreaded activity. I LOVE frosting the first couple dozen cookies with beautifully ornate piped designs. I am alone in this process though because no one else in my family is willing to help. They claim they “can’t do it as well” and therefore are unwilling to even try. Total cop out!
So 5-6 dozen cookies and hours later I am completely burnt out. The cookies are beautiful and taste amazing, but man oh man are my hands tired and eyes weary. Frosting cookies should totally be a family affair and it would be much more fun. When I have children, I will happily let them slather on the frosting in the ugliest of designs, mostly because that means I won’t have to frost as many cookies! 😉
Over the years my mother and I have perfected the recipe for frosting. We were looking for a balance of taste and how it piped. We used to use a royal icing, but it didn’t taste as good. We later moved to buttercream for flavor but our original recipe was too thick to get nice piping shapes from. We altered that recipe over the years and finally landed upon this recipe that is absolutely perfect. It is our go-to frosting for everything from cookies to cupcakes!
I could pretty much lick a bowl of this buttercream and be one happy woman. The addition of vanilla AND almond extract gives it a great flavor that we all love.
It is important to only use gel or paste food dye
I separate my batch of buttercream into 5 or 6 bowls and dye each bowl of frosting to my desired consistency. I have never found a dye that will get me a true red, so if you have any secrets for a rich Christmas red, I would love to hear them!
Grab your piping bags
Perfect Piping Buttercream Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 c. shortening butter flavored
- 1 c. butter
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 7 1/2 c. powdered sugar
- 1/3 c. heavy whipping cream
- gel or paste icing dyes
Instructions
- In a large bowl, beat the shortening and butter until smooth and fluffy. Add the vanilla, almond extract and cream and mix until smooth.
- Add the powdered sugar 1-2 cups at a time, mixing well between each addition. Beat the frosting for an additional 4-5 minutes until light and fluffy.
- Using a toothpick, add the tiniest amount of dye at a time to the bowl of frosting to control your color. These dyes will color the frosting quickly, so there is no need to add too much.
Old Fashion Sour Cream Cut-Out Cookies
ARE THESE COOKIES SHELF STABLE OR DO THEY NEED TO BE REFRIDGERATED? DUE TO THE CREAM IN THE FROSTING…ALSO DO THE FROSTING CRUST..MEANING CAN THE COOKIES BE STACKED FOR PACKING AS GIFTS LIKE ROYAL FROSTING
Hi Joy, we have always stored these cookies at room temperature in an air-tight container with no problems. They don’t tend to last more than a few days though. 🙂 The colder you store them the longer they will stay fresh though.
As for stacking them, we always store them in a single layer, because the frosting will get a bit smudged if you stack them on top of one another.
Please can you explain what “shortening butter flavoured”is all we seem to use in England is butter and is there a difference ??
So shortening is a butter like product, but different. The “butter flavor” is just a type of shortening. You should be able to use all butter and be just fine. It may just not hold it’s shape quite as well.
Danielle, although I would prefer all butter, I am very interest in trying your recipe. Are you able to recommend a couple of brands of butter flavored shortnings?
I always use Crisco!
Ah! TY! I do recall seeing butter flavored Crisco. And I believe I’ve seen it in stick form as well.
Pat, in the England Trex, Flora White or Cookeen would be the equivalent of shortening. I believe you can find it at Tesco. You just need to find one of those with a butter flavoring. Good luck
They do not have to be refrigerated. They are really works of art to be displayed as shown but they absolutely cannot be stacked. This is a buttercream and it does not harden. As for me I would only use this for sandwich type cookies and for decorating cakes. Oh and don’t leave out the almond extract. For some reason it makes the icing even fluffier. I use it in all of my frostings. And also you can use milk instead of heavy cream. I just add it in by tablespoons to the consistency I need.
Do you need to refrigerate this frosting? I am making it for a bake sale at school. I would make it up and decorate the night before. Then refrigerate overnight. Baked goods are supposed to be dropped off at 9 am. Bake sale isn’t until 6:00-9:00 pm. Is it safe to keep this frosting out for that long.
I have always kept this buttercream at room temperature for days without any issues! The large amounts of sugar allows it to sit at room temp for a few days without issue.
Hi there, you want to have a deeper red? Try adding the tiniest bit of yellow to your red mix, it will make the red pop!
Good to know, I will definitely try that next time!!!
you said a cup of butter is that real butter or margaine if real butter is it salted or unsalted, making this tomorrow,
Real butter and I use salted butter.
In Perú we dont have shortening, can I replace it with something else?
You can substitute butter for the shortening, it will just have a very slightly different consistency and flavor.
Not sure if you have sorted out your red but if you colour the icing yellow and then red and keep in mind it darkens over time you. Anger a good Christmas red. You need time and even overnight though to start off a light red and let it darken to see if it goes dark enough or needs more. The key though is yellow first.
to get a good red you add a tiny bit of black to your red while you are mixing your colors. you wont need very much of each color, it also cuts the nasty taste of the red. Also use butter flavoring instead of butter because the butter color will alter the coloring.
I have been using a similar recipe for years, I use milk instead if the whipping cream, and a couple tablespoons of lemon juice instead of almond flavor. I use to make wedding cakes and everyone loved it.
How much lemon do you use?
how s it piping flowers ?
Do you soften your butter before you mix it?
I use room temperture butter. Better hard than too soft though!
Have you ever used AmeriColor food coloring? I prefer that over the Wilton colorings. you get a much brighter color with less product.
This is a really great recipe. I made a test batch using all butter and then butter and shortening. It was a resounding success with all butter. I’ve also only tried it with both vanilla and almond as well as just vanilla extract. The success came with all vanilla. This is a great starter recipe and very easy to manipulate as far as flavor. Thanks so much!
Hi Katherine, if you use all vanilla instead of vanilla & almost extract, are you still using total of 2 tsp or just the 1 1/2 vanilla as per the recipe?
Can i ues this for cake and cupcakes?
ABSOLUTELY! I use it for cupcakes all the time. 🙂
How does it stand up on cakes though? Is the frosting stout enough to not loose it’s shape and drip down the cake?
I don’t make cakes, so I haven’t used it on a cake, but you can see from the tall buttercream on these cupcakes that it holds it’s shape very well! https://www.thecreativebite.com/best-birthday-cupcakes/
Made this frosting for the first time to put on a retirement cake and got RAVE reviews. It will be my go to frosting from now on. Thanks for sharing.
You! So glad to hear everyone loved it. 🙂
Hi Danielle this seems wonderful! Everything with almond extract sounds delicious! I want to do them but I am from Brazil and we don’t have this buttered flavor shortening, can I use the regular one?! Will it still taste good?! Thanks
As a previous commenter stated you could use all butter instead on shortening. I wouldn’t recommend using shortening that doesn’t have butter flavor because it will change the flavor of the frosting quite a bit. Best of luck!
First off, I make royal icing a lot, not so much buttercream. But would thinkyou could use the same process I use to make red or deep black. I make a paste of cocoa powder and water, to a gel food color consistancy. And add it to red (or black) frosting a bit at a time. I tend to use less red and black food color that way and get the perfect color.
I have never heard of this technique before but it sounds really smart! I will definitely have to try this. Thanks so much for the advice!
Hi!! I was wondering if you sift the powdered sugar before you measure or if you just measure straight from the bag
I measure straight from the bag.
I’ve heard that if it’s freshly opened for the batch you’re making, there is no need to sift. If it’s previously opened, sift.
hello I want to use this recipe but I’m only using it for about 18 cupcakes! would you be able to tell me what this recipe would reduce to for that?
Hi Claire, if you pipe a generous amount of icing on each cupcake I would make a half batch. If you just spread it on with a knife I would make a 1/3 batch.
For a true red, get the Wilton “No Taste” Red in the jar that you have shown in pic. Thanks for sharing your recipe. I started using almond years ago, but I like the idea of mixing both vanilla and almond.
For true red I’ve found if you’re using Wilton, go half Christmas red, and half red red, for a batch I usually use about 1 container of each but I get a true red.
Does the icing keep its shape at room temp? I’m making my daughters cake and I’d like to have it on display during her party but I’m worried the icing will melt.
Hi Faye, the icing definitely keeps it shape at room temp. We store all our cookies and cupcakes that we decorate at room temp. It will however start to wilt if it is in heat for any extended period of time. If you are taking the cake outside for any reason, I would recommend taking it outside at the last minute. I hope your cake turns out beautiful and delicious!
Hey is this the icing that will have a little bit of a crust on the outside and within be creamy and fluffy on the inside.
Yes, this is exactly that!
Wilton colors will give you the bright red you need
How many traditional size cupcakes will this batch frost? I am making a large number and I am trying to figure out how to multiply it.
A batch of this frosting will frost around 3 dozen cupcakes if you pipe the frosting on generously (like the photo of the cupcake above). If you just spread the frosting on thinly with a knife, you will get 4-5 dozen from a batch.
Hi Danielle, if I am to make a 6 inch cake, would this recipe of frosting be enough to cover it??
A half batch would probably be the best bet for a small 6″ cake.
Can I make this frosting and store it until it is ready to be used? (5 days)
Yes, it should be fine refrigerated for 5 days. Just allow it to come to room temperature before decorating with it, or it will be too stiff.
Are you able to freeze any leftover icing with this recipe?
I have tried freezing it and quite frankly I was very unhappy with the consistency after it thawed so I wouldn’t recommend it.
Hi there! About how much icing does this recipe make? Or approximately how many cupcakes does this ice?
If you use a generous amount like pictured above on that cupcake, it would cover about 3 dozen. If you use a more conservative amount of buttercream on each cupcake, it would cover about 4 dozen.
Can i use this kind of icing for BARBIE DOLL CAKE?
Yes, this will work perfectly for that type of cake!
What flavor of cake is best for buttercream icing?
I honestly think buttercream goes well with just about everything! You can’t go wrong with a good vanilla cake though.
Hi Danielle, Is it possible to make this into chocolate buttercream? If so, could you please advise me on how to do so? Thanx!
Chocolate buttercream is something very different, so I recommend finding a different recipe for that.
Hi
I have been using a similar recipe with all butter as well. If I want to change to chocholate, I add 2 heaped table spoons of cacao (the powder type) to each 500g of powdered sugar (you will have to sift these though). Just add little bit of milk to get perfect consistancy. If you like a more “dark” chocolate taste add extra cocao. One can play around to get the right taste and colour.
Hi! Can I use 25% cream instead of heavy whipping cream?because in may country is the best thing I can find
Absolutely! I have even used milk when I didn’t have any cream and it still turns out great!
what will be the best measurement if i’m going to use a whipped cream or milk in replacement of heavy whipping cream. TIA
You can keep it the same. I have done so with milk and it still turns out great.
Hey I would like to try this recipe, but I am only making two Dozen c\ppcakes. How can I alter the recipe?
Yes, you can easily just cut the recipe in half!
I’m glad to see some others like it best with all butter too. I don’t care for the mouth feel of it with shortening but was hesitant to change it if everyone else liked it with shortening. Just a personal choice but either way it’s a winner recipe.
I’m glad you could make the recipe work for your personal preference!
Used this frosting recipe to decorate our sugar cookies last night. It’s delicious AND looks great!
How long will this keep?
This will keep refrigerated for at least a week.
I am new to piping and am starting with cupcakes. I have done a couple ‘practice runs’….some more successful than others….but the common trend is I need to make my own icing. I have been searching for the best recipe and this appears to be it!!! My ‘debute’ will be our annual HUGE Super Bowl party this Sunday. What is your recommendation…..make the cupcakes and icing Saturday or Sunday? I’m leaning toward Saturday because my husband takes over the kitchen Sunday making a HUGE homemade chicken and sausage gumbo. What is your recommendation? If I make everything Saturday should I refrigerate the cupcakes and icing then decorate Sunday? Any other tips or Wise words of wisdom??
Thanks!!!
The icing can easily be stored in the refrigerator for a few days before. Just make sure to bring it to room temp before pipping. As for the cupcakes, they are always best made the same day, but they will still be very good made the day before. Don’t refrigerate the cupcakes or they will dry out! Simply store them in an airtight container. The frosting doesn’t technically need to be stored refrigerated, because the high sugar content preserves the butter and cream for a couple of days.
If I want to substitute the heavy whipping cream, how much milk should I use?
Use the same amount!
I have been baking for many years & this frosting is without a doubt the very best frosting recipe that I have ever used! I made Valentine cookie cut-outs a few days ago & was planning on frosting them the next day. I made up the frosting & then I had a family emergency, so I covered the bowl & put it in the fridge. I wasn’t able to get back to it for a couple of days, but when I did, the frosting was still great! I had so much frosting left over that I made Red Velvet cupcakes today & used the rest of the frosting on them. Yummy! Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe with everyone!
Thanks for the great compliment Rachel!
Hi Danielle, does the powdered sugar need to be sifted before using in this recipe?
I don’t sift it at all Melanie.
Okay. Thank you.
Wow, I can’t wait to try this recipe. So many other’s that I have tried is no way pipable. What is funny is ..My Mother was a Professional Cake baker, decorator thanks to the Wilton Cake classes years ago. She doesn’t live close to me so we talk a ton about what I do wrong. LOL Having just purchased some Russian extra large Piping tips off Amazon, I will try this recipe for cupcakes, and try the New Piping Tips. I have the most trouble with the consistency being stout enough in most recipes, then I add more P Sugar then more extract…etc to try to get something pipaable. I then give up the piping part and spread it on. My Mom just laughs at me…I keep plugging on…maybe taking the Wilton Classes is in my future.
Haha, that sounds like a lot of pressure to live up to! I hope this recipe does the trick for you. 🙂
Hi Danielle.. I’m thinking of making this frosting for my son’s birthday.. Just had a quick question.. I live in Australia.. By powdered sugar do you mean icing sugar? We get only vegetable shortening block called Copha here so I’m gonna give the all butter one a try.. Thanks
Hi.. Do you mean icing sugar by powdered sugar?
I’m guessing that is the same thing. It is also called confectioners sugar here.
Do you think the all butter version will hold up at room temp as well as the one that’s part shortening?? I have had a problem with butter cream frostings melting and flowers not holding their shape in past
I would imagine so seeing shortening is much firmer at room temperature than butter.
Hi Danielle, I love this frosting have used it 7 times for cupcakes, I now need to decorate a large tiered cake and was wondering if I can just us additional heavy cream to thin for my crumb coat? Thanks so much for the great recipe!
Hi Susan, I am happy to hear you have enjoyed the recipe! I don’t actually decorate cakes and do crumb coats, so unfortunately I am not much help in that department.
Thank you and this does work just great.
Made this today. DELISH!!
I used this recipe and LOVE it! How long can it keep in the fridge?
You can refrigerate it up to a week, but just be sure to bring it to room temperature before using it or it will be entirely too stiff.
I like a true red too and have discovered Aztec powder colors to be incredibly vibrant. I can even get a true black for fondant using the powder, as opposed to gel, version. I tried to give this recipe five stars, but my browser wouldn’t let me. Anyway, great recipe! It’s been perfect for intricate flower piping.
Happy to hear it worked great for you!
Hola!! Tengo duda, que quiere decir la C, por ejemplo en la receta dice 1c? Y donde dice mantequilla de sabo es manteca?
Gracias!!
Hi Adela, 1c. means 1 cup, which is a typical American measurement. I am not sure which savory butter you are referring to, but the butter is just plain butter. Good luck!
Is this stiff enough to use for making roses that have a crisp edge and holds their shape? I came to this recipe from a google search and the recipe states its a “piping” recipe, but everyone seems to be only using it as a frosting and no piping. Thanks for your help.
Hey Pam, I think most people use it for frosting just because piping is much more involved. I use it for piping all the time and have done roses in the past, which came out great!
Can you substitute Coconut Oil for the shortening and/or butter? It is supposed to be quite healthy for you and they claim you can substitute Coconut Oil in the same amount as butter or shortening. (I suspect it wouldn’t be as firm if you did).
I swap out coconut oil in my cooking all the time, but in this particular recipe I don’t think it would work well. It would really alter the flavor and texture.
I start with pink, never heard of adding yellow. Also as a few said, make the red a little ahead, longer it sits, the darker it gets.
Hi. Does anyone have any substitutions for the heavy whipping cream?
Milk works fine too!
Should I use whole milk or would 1% work as well???
Any milk would work fine. It is just to thin the mixture to the right consistency.
Nice texture!! I piped 35 ice cream cake cones with this recipe…perfect piping consistently!
Once I pipe this icing on a cake do I need to keep it in the refrigerator?
Nope! The high sugar content preserves it and makes it fine at room temperature for a few days.
Exactly what is the right room temperature for frosting because I have tried your recipe but my flowers are sagging and the frosting with the borders, can you explain why this is happening
I don’t often do flowers, but when I did, I would do them in the walk-in refrigerator during the hot summers where I worked! Icing gets warm fast from our body heat holding the bag and it is important to work in a cool environment or at least transfer them to a cool environment quickly! Another thing is being sure to whip the mixture for a long time. This really makes it light and fluffy and not so heavy.
I want to thank you for such a great recipe. This frosting tastes exactly like my mothets, brings back fantastic childhood me!pried watching my Mom decorate and sneaking some of the frosting.
That’s so nice to hear Michalene. There’s nothing quite like our mother’s recipes are there!
Had to thin with milk extensively otherwise it looked like play dough. Adding a note to recipe will help.
That’s odd. I had to add 1 1/2 cups of powdered sugar to make it thicker!
Had to add milk extensively to make it look less like play dough. Adding a note to do this in the recipe would be helpful..
That is odd, I have never had that issue with this recipe. Even if you didn’t beat it for the 5 minutes it calls for, which is very important, it should be nowhere near the consistency of play dough.
I am finally learning to do this which excites me to find your recipe as I could never find a good one that wasnt like (liquid) and end up always dipping my cupcakes and ending with boring flat cerfaces. Excited to give this one a try next week even more with all these great reviews maybe I’ll be back to comment with how it turned out!(please note i will be moving by end of month so maybe these cupcakes will have to wait until I unpack from the move lol) thank you for sharing:)
Hi
Will this icing stack and stay, I have to make beehive cupcakes for a babyshower for sat
Thank you
Sherry
I’m guessing you are wanting to do something similar to these cupcakes? If so, I used this buttercream to create the swirl tops!
https://www.thecreativebite.com/best-birthday-cupcakes/
Hi Danielle, I have been decorating Birthday cakes and wedding cakes for my kids and grandchildren for about 45 years now and and have always used this recipe with a little variance. Mainly milk rather than the whipping cream. It has always worked well and tasted great. I’ve used the almond or lemon flavors most of the time. I also add vanilla along with them some times to give it a little more mellow taste. I also have used the Carmel flavoring they use for coffee lattes and have had a good response to it.
Hi Danielle,
I’ve never used shortening flavored may I ask what do you use for this recipe?
You can use all butter instead of shortening if you don’t have access to shortening. It just may have a slightly looser consistency.
Cornstarch is is something I add to my buttercream , it helps to hold the gel colors and will also help your pink and purple from changing ,
I’ve made this recipe several times and it just isn’t as firm as I thought it would be. I’ll have to try the cornstarch.
I wouldn’t use cornstarch. Instead I would just add a little more powdered sugar.
My normal cookie icing is great for outlining and flooding, and any small standard tip. But not so much for other tips, such as to make teddy bears furry. This icing is just what I needed for that.
I can say that shortening is a big no-no in my kitchen, so I just used 2 cups of butter, and it turned out fine. They are out on the counter drying now.
Also, I know you told another reader you use salted butter, but I read on another cookie blog that unsalted is better because the salt content (how much of which we don’t know) can alter the flavor of the cookies and icing. I’m not sure by how much, because I haven’t done a side by side comparison, but it seemed logical enough to me to switch to unsalted. Just food for thought 🙂
Next batch I’m going to try cononut oil in place of the shortening and see how it holds up.
Thanks for the recipe! Cheers!
I personally love salted sweets, so I opt for the salted. Some people are more conservative with salt and unsalted is perfectly fine in that case. Happy to hear this worked well for you!
Thank you for sharing this awesome recipe. I am new to pipping and this is a huge help.
To get a true red (or even black or rich brown), you can use powdered food coloring. I have always gotten them at a cake decorating supply, but you might be able to find on amazon.
This is the best buttercream frosting I’ve ever made and it pipes flowers, decorations perfectly. The mix of almond and heavy cream must help kill the shortening taste that usually turns me off to buttercream frostings. And the kids all noted the same! They usually don’t like buttercream but everyone enjoyed a couple bites of this one. Thank you for sharing!!
I would like to know if this frosting hardens like royal icing?
No, not like royal icing. It does get a slight crust on the outside when piping designs that helps keep them intact, but definitely not hard like royal icing. This is a light and airy frosting.
I made this buttercream and it tasted so good, the buttercream really is perfect for piping
7 cups of sugar?!
Isn’t it too sweet?
Nope, this makes a big batch though.
How much buttercream of this make? I need to Frost a two layer cake plus make rosettes around the sides of the entire cake.
This makes quite a bit of buttercream, around 6 cups. It should be enough for the project you are talking about.
To get the Christmas shade of red I use Wilson food coloring, it comes in a little jar and you can get it at Walmart in the cake decorating section.
Hi Daniell, I was wondering if you can use powder color with the same result?
Thank you for your he recipe
Sande
I’ve never used powder dyes but they should work they same because the pastes don’t add any liquid to the mixture.
I was wanting to be sure if the butter should be at room temperature before mixing?
Yes, it’s best at room temperature!
Hello, I would like to know what kind of ingredient is “shortening” and what kind of cream is “heavy shipping cream”?
Thank you 🙂
Natasa
Shortening is a vegetable fat used in baking. Heavy whipping cream is cream with a milk fat content of between 36 and 40 percent.
Hi! My dad has a nut allergy so I wanted to leave out the almond extract. Should I sub with additional vanilla? Thanks!!
Yes, that’s what I would do.
Thanks!! I made it with all butter and just the vanilla and it tastes great! I haven’t started cake decorating yet, was making in advance.
2 follow up questions –
1) should i re-whip the icing out of the fridge or just let it warm up a little before icing the cake?
2) similar question, but regarding coloring it – I’m going to ice the cake white then want to color remaining icing to decorate… should i just fold the color in with a spoon or is it okay to re-whip?
Thanks! Rating a 5 as far as taste goes for now 🙂
I would re-whip it for the best result. As for the coloring, I often whip it in and it works great.
Hi, I am going to give this a try. I noticed that someone else from Australia mentioned Copha – this is something used to make chocolate crackles and it does hold the rice bubbles together, does this sound like the shortening you mention?
I googled Copha and it looks like that is the same as shortening!
do I let the shortening and the butter set to room temp.
The butter needs to be room temp or atleast pliable. Shortening is stored at room temp so that is ready to go.
I thought it was very good, except I didn’t like it for roses
Danielle, I need to make a dark chocolate buttercream. Have you done so with this recipe? Any suggestions?
Hi Cynthia, the frosting from this dark chocolate cake recipe is amazing! https://www.thecreativebite.com/triple-chocolate-cake/
HI, Can I make flowers from the above buttercream recipe and put it in freezer to use later? if yes will the colour fade?
I have never tried freezing this, so I can’t say whether or not it will. Sorry I’m not more help!
Just made this frosting…been icing cookies and cakes for 50+years…and this was the BEST!!!! Everything came out PERFECT!!! Thanks so much….yum
I really like this recipe and am going to try it today.
I have a concern. I do not have butter flavored Crisco, but plain. I have butter extract, but I am concerned about adding liquid and have no idea how much to use. What do you recommend?
Thanks
I would make the frosting up with the plain Crisco before adding the butter extract. It might taste perfectly good without it, but if it does need it, I don’t think a few drops should hurt.
Thanks so much for taking the time to reply! ❤️
Perfect piping frosting! However, the butter Crisco flavor overpowered the taste, and I had to add more vanilla and almond flavoring to mask it. I recommend using plain Crisco instead to avoid this.