This Wedding Cupcake Buttercream recipe has been featured in an extensive how-to post on The Recipe Girl blog: How to Make Wedding Cupcakes.
This Wedding Cupcake Buttercream recipe was first featured here on RecipeGirl many years ago when I baked cupcakes for my son’s kindergarten teacher’s wedding. She wanted cupcakes and had heard that I might be able to do them for her. I worked for a catering company in college, but this was a little outside my comfort zone and expertise! She loved my blog, and she begged me to help. How could I resist?
I ended up taking on the project, and it was so much fun. Her wedding wasn’t terribly big, but I was tasked with making about 125 cupcakes. My kitchen was covered in cupcakes! It was a lot of work, but it was terribly satisfying to know that I was helping out this sweet teacher.
The wedding cupcakes were a huge hit at her wedding, and everyone specifically noted how much they loved the frosting. This is the frosting recipe! It’s so delicious, and it’s now a big-time favorite for a lot of people.
If you have questions about this icing and wedding cupcakes… it may be helpful to read through the comments/questions/answers below the recipe- many of your questions may be answered there! Also visit this post: How to Make Wedding Cupcakes for all of the details on when to make the cupcakes and how to store and transport them to the wedding.
This Wedding Cupcake Buttercream is my go-to recipe for icing basic cupcakes and wedding cake. Every time I share the recipe on Facebook, I hear from other people who say it’s their go-to recipe too. It turns out perfect every time. It’s so easy to make, and it works through a piping bag well. The recipe will frost 12 cupcakes with a generous swirl. Double, triple, or quadruple the recipe to frost more cupcakes!
Note that this recipe also works wonderfully for layer cakes. It spreads on smoothly, and you can pipe on decorations too. I use it for everything. It has been my go-to frosting recipe for so many years!
A simple swirl on cupcakes creates a beautiful dessert for weddings with little candy pearls sprinkled on top.
This Wedding Cupcake Buttercream is a very popular buttercream recipe- made by thousands who sing this recipe’s praises. I have used this very recipe for all of my cupcakes for so many years now. It’s a keeper recipe!
It does work beautifully for weddings, but it’s not limited to just weddings! This buttercream is a nice one to use for all sorts of occasions. I call it Wedding Cupcake Buttercream because of my original story in using for the first time for the wedding.
There are a few questions that people tend to ask related to this recipe, so I’ll go ahead and address them here.
Do you use salted or unsalted butter?
I like to use salted butter for just about everything, but I definitely use salted butter for this recipe. The salt will tend to cut down on the sweetness a bit. That’s a good thing!
How far in advance should I frost the cupcakes? And should I refrigerate them?
When I make these, I like to frost them the same day if at all possible. If you’d like to frost them the night before, that’s ok too. After adding the frosting, I like to put them in cupcake boxes and refrigerate them until they are ready to serve (overnight is fine). Once you put them out on display, they will defrost nicely and taste just as good as if you’ve made them the same day.
What should I do with leftover Wedding Cupcakes?
Keep leftover cupcakes in a covered container in your refrigerator for a few days. I’ve also frozen them in a covered container and they thaw nicely and taste pretty good that way too!
If you’re looking for more frosting recipes you might also enjoy my Creamy Peanut Butter Frosting or Cookies and Cream Frosting. My Chocolate Buttercream Frosting is another favorite for topping wedding cupcakes. Swiss Meringue Buttercream is a beauty as well.
Wedding Cupcake Buttercream
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup (2 sticks) butter, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (use clear extract, if you really want it white)
- 1 to 2 tablespoons heavy or regular whipping cream
Instructions
- In a large bowl, with a hand or stand mixer, cream together sugar and butter on low speed. Mix until well blended. Increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.
- Add vanilla and 1 tablespoon of cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more. Add more cream if needed for desired spreading/piping consistency.
- Scoop into a piping bag and pipe decoratively onto cupcakes, or spread onto cupcakes as desired.
Notes
- *This recipe doubles or triples well.
- *There is no need to sift the powdered sugar, unless you're worried that your sugar is quite lumpy.
- *Do not try to replace the butter with margarine or shortening- it won't work out well.
- *Add in color, if desired. I like to use colored gel paste instead of liquid food coloring- then you're not messing with adding additional liquid to the perfect consistency of the frosting. Gel paste is sold at craft stores and baking supply shops.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I just made a test batch of this buttercream (testing recipes for my daughter’s birthday here in a few week) and it’s fabulous! I didn’t have whipping cream on hand so I used 1 Tbs of 2% milk and it worked just fine. I will use the whipping cream for her birthday though. Just thought people should know it will turn out with milk!
Thanks for the recipe!
Lori, if I use stock butter, how many sticks of butter are equivalent to 1 cup of butter? Thanks!! 🙂
I’m not sure what “stock butter” is, but two 4-ounce sticks = one cup of butter.
these are so cute! my daughter doesn’t want bright white icing but ivory instead what is the best way to achive this…drop of yellow or brown coloring?
Use regular vanilla instead of clear- should turn out ivory instead of bright white.
I am looking for a new buttercream recipe. I am making a children’s cake and will be putting a design on it. Does this buttercream work well smoothing? Does it “crust”? Should I make any alterations for framing work on the cake? I know most buttercreams you need to thin out with corn syrup for writing and details. Any suggestions will help. I have been using wilton’s buttercream but looking for something different.
Hi Heather, I think you’d have to play with it and find out if it works for what you need. I’ve used it to frost layer cakes before, but I don’t know about using it for writing & details. Test it out!
I’ve made a lot of cupcakes, usually my own creations or ones you might not see as cupcakes..so it’s always disappointing when some one requests a plain white, yellow or brown cupcake..sheesh, no creativity there but…I make cupcakes to make people be happy and if plain white cheers them up, I’ll do it! Was lucky enough to be reading your blog and saw something about the wedding cupcakes and wedding buttercream. the bridal shower is Friday so I made a tester batch today and can only describe them with one word, AWESOME! best cupcake and frosting hands down…I could even use both of the recipes when I tweak my flavor. Read and followed all the directions and had no issue but, will mention none of the white cake mixes are 18.25 oz anymore… BC is 16.25 and pillsbury and DH Are both 15.25 but I just bought two of the pillsbury and determined 3 oz is very close to ONE THIRD CUP (actually 2.6 oz) so guesstimated that last .40 oz and got around that roadblock (: fabulous with the white buttercream you have posted with this…LOVR YOUR BLOG & RECIPES
This is very helpful information for others… just buy an extra cake mix and add roughly 1/3 cup to the one you’re using to create the old 18.25-ounce version again. Thank you!
Hi how much more ingredients would I need for 40 cupcakes?
Thanks
Sounds like you’ll need to quadruple the recipe, and then you might have a little frosting left over. Maybe X3 and see if you can stretch it out.
I have a frosting recipe that people have loved and requested the most over the years. Never thought I could find one that makes choosing one as the best so difficult. Your recipe is a true knockout. I used your wedding cupcake recipe and this frosting – what a winning combination. Thank you so much for sharing this heavenly recipe.
Hi,
How does your butter cream frosting stay white with that much butter?
Thanks, cathy
If you use a better brand of butter, it is usually not so yellow- plus use clear vanilla extract found at a baking supply store.
Just made this… turned out fantastic! Tinted beautifully, piped lovely, tasted great. This is definitely a keeper. Thanks so much!
Just a suggestion–adding a dash of whiskey cuts the sweetness of any buttercream frosting and makes it taste all the more fancy–but no one can isolate the flavor. I add 1/2 Tbsp or just a touch more…I just make icing to taste and if it’s too sweet, I add a touch more whiskey. Sounds odd–but very good trick. I don’t even drink–but have had the same big bottle of Jack Daniels for 10 years to use just for buttercreams! I think this would work for the person who had written in that she added too much vanilla and needed something to counterbalance it. Good luck. Also, for those that say that the icing is too wet–your butter may be too soft from over mixing or the temp of your kitchen. Don’t be afraid to add more powdered sugar to help firm it up–just 1/4 cup or so at a time. And I agree, whipping cream/heavy whipping cream is a standard grocery item….in a tiny milk carton on the milk aisle. I would think you could use half and half (which is half whole milk and half cream) if need be though or even whole milk really–but it’s not cool whip or already whipped cream. I think that may be throwing off some people here. And finally, i always use salted butter. Good Luck!
Thanks for the tips!