Try this whipped vanilla buttercream recipe, or contribute your own.
- pinch salt
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter softened
- 2 teaspoons mccormickâ® pure vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon mccormickâ® pure almond extract
- 32 ounces (8 cups) confectioners sugar sifted*
- 2 tablespoons whole milk (you can use up to 1/2 cup if you need creamy consistency)
- *you can use as little as 4 cups if you want to de
- Carbohydrate 0.1362 g
- Cholesterol 488.05 mg
- Fat 184.1197 g
- Fiber 0 g
- Protein 1.9295 g
- Saturated Fat 116.60536 g
- Serving Size 1 1 recipe (1135g)
- Sodium 180.002 mg
- Sugar 0.1362 g
- Trans Fat 12.88906 g
- Calories 1628 calories
Step-by-step
- Beat butter in bowl of stand mixer with whisk attachment on medium-high speed until light and fluffy. (about 3 minutes)
- Add vanilla and almond extract.
- With the mixer on low, slowly add in confectioners sugar , milk, and salt; frequently scrape sides and bottom of the bowl.
- Once incorporated, whip frosting for at least 3 minutes on medium high to high. (My mixer went for 7 minutes)
- If frosting is too thick to spread, gradually beat in additional milk.
- Store in refrigerator up to 2 weeks. Rewhip before using.
A list of quantities cannot reveal the physical transformation that occurs inside the mixer bowl. Butter is an emulsion of water droplets dispersed in solid fat. Whipping butter with a whisk attachment mechanically forces air cells into this fat matrix. Beating the butter alone for three minutes builds a structural foam before any sugar enters the bowl. Confectioners' sugar contains cornstarch to prevent caking, which acts as a stabilizer within the emulsion. Sifting that sugar removes dense agglomerates that would otherwise puncture the newly formed air pockets and deflate the volume. Incorporating extracts and milk requires low speed to prevent liquid from destabilizing the fat-air suspension. Once the solids are fully moistened, transitioning back to medium-high speed stretches the fat crystals around the trapped air bubbles. The resulting texture depends entirely on this sustained agitation, which can require up to seven minutes of continuous whipping. Butter contains roughly twenty percent water, meaning temperature control dictates success. Butter kept at 65 to 68 degrees Fahrenheit holds air efficiently; butter that approaches 72 degrees melts and releases moisture, causing the emulsion to break. Stand mixers with whisk attachments provide optimal leverage for incorporating air into dense fats, though a hand mixer operated at maximum speed can achieve similar results if moved continuously through the bowl. Storing the finished frosting in the refrigerator for up to two weeks solidifies the fats completely, requiring a secondary whipping phase at room temperature to restore the original spreadable consistency.
