What is American Buttercream?

American Buttercream (ABC) is a classic frosting made with butter, powdered sugar, vanilla, and milk or cream. It’s rich, sweet, and easy to work with, making it a fantastic option for beginners and pros alike.

It is the easiest buttercream frosting to make and requires just a few simple ingredients. It’s perfect for frosting cakes, cupcakes, and cookies and can be easily flavored or colored for any occasion.

You’ll see many recipes out there and there’s practically no difference between them. So, here you’ll find:

Single Batch ABC Recipe
Double Batch ABC Recipe
Video Tutorial
Best Tips for Making ABC

There’s one thing I want you to keep in mind when you’re making this buttercream:

You don’t always have to follow the recipe EXACTLY how it’s written.

What do I mean by that? Meaning, use the recipe as a guide. In my experience, adjusting the recipe so the buttercream turns out the way I prefer is best.

Some may tell you to add more heavy cream or less; some may tell you to add more powdered sugar or less.

Here are the best tips I can give you so that you’re able to find your preferred consistency and flavor. Keep these tips in mind when adjusting your recipe to your liking:

✔️ The more heavy cream you use, the thinner your consistency will be and will give you a buttercream that is more on the “loose” side. Typically, this consistency won’t pipe out designs well because it can’t hold shape.

Thin consistency is great for crumb coating, piping on writing, or creating lines.

✔️ The best and most versatile consistency is medium. This consistency is a good balance between thin and thick and allows you pipe designs and frost your entire cake.

✔️ The more powdered sugar, the thicker your consistency will be. thicker buttercream is great for creating piping designs like flowers or petals.

When adding more heavy cream to adjust, it will thin out the buttercream

When adding more powdered sugar, it will thicken the buttercream

The Best American Buttercream Recipe

This is often referred to as a “fool proof buttercream” because there’s virtually no way to mess it up. This type of buttercream can be adjusted to fit your preference.

SINGLE BATCH RECIPE:

DOUBLE BATCH RECIPE:

How to Customize American Buttercream

How to Make Chocolate Buttercream

Add ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder to the powdered sugar. Increase cream/milk to 3-4 tablespoons for the perfect consistency!

How to Make Oreo Buttercream

Add ½ cup unsweetened Oreo crumbs to the powdered sugar. Increase cream/milk to 3-4 tablespoons for the perfect consistency.

How to Make Buttercream Less Sweet

American Buttercream can be very sweet, but here’s how to tone it down:
✔️ Add a pinch of salt – Balances the sweetness.
✔️ Use heavy cream instead of milk – It makes the frosting richer and smoother.
✔️ Beat longer – Whipping more air into the frosting makes it lighter and less overpowering.

How to Color Buttercream

✔️ Use gel food coloring for the best results. Liquid food coloring can thin the frosting.
✔️ For vibrant colors, make the frosting a few hours ahead—the color deepens over time.

How to Use American Buttercream

American Buttercream is super versatile! Here’s how you can use it:

✔️ Cupcakes: Pipe beautiful swirls using a piping bag and large star tip.
✔️ Cakes: Frost smooth buttercream cakes or create textured designs with an offset spatula.
✔️ Cookies: Spread onto sugar cookies for a homemade treat.

Buttercream Troubleshooting Tips

❌ Buttercream is too thick?
✅ Add 1 tablespoon of cream at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.

❌ Buttercream is too thin?
✅ Add ¼ cup more powdered sugar and beat until thicker.

❌ Buttercream is grainy or lumpy?
✅ Use sifted powdered sugar and beat longer to smooth it out.

❌ Buttercream has air bubbles?
✅ Mix on low speed for 30 seconds after whipping to remove excess air.

How to Store Buttercream Frosting

Buttercream stores well, making it a great time saver!

✔️ Room Temp: 2 days (covered).
✔️ Fridge: 1 week (airtight container). Let it come to room temp before rewhipping.
✔️ Freezer: Up to 3 months! Thaw in the fridge overnight and rewhip before using.

American Buttercream Tutorial & Top Tips

Grab the tutorial & tips here: HOW TO MAKE AMERICAN BUTTERCREAM

Easy American Buttercream: Best for Beginners