This bakery-style "house" vanilla buttercream frosting was one of the most requested Amycakes Bakery recipes. It's creamy and light with a delicious vanilla flavor without being overly-sweet. A 1x batch will frost and fill one 6" three-layer cake or about 14 cupcakes generously, and a 2x batch will frost and fill one 8" three-layer cake or about 28 cupcakes generously.
Servings 3cups, approximately
Prep Time 10 minutesmins
Total Time 10 minutesmins
Ingredients
4ouncesCream Cheese
1 ½ sticks (6ounces)Salted Butterat room temperature
48 grams (¼ cup)butter flavored shorteningor use regular shortening
(optional) 1Tablespooninstant clearjelYou can add this if you would like a thicker, more stabilized frosting. See notes section
Instructions
Make Vanilla Buttercream
Whisk the powdered sugar and Instant Clearjel (if using)together until well-blended. Set aside.
Using a stand mixer (preferred) or handheld mixer and a large bowl, beat the cream cheese until broken up and softened.
Add the room temperature salted butter and continue to beat until there are no lumps, scraping the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the shortening and beat and scrape the sides until the mixture is smooth without lumps.
While the mixer is on low, slowly add the powdered sugar mixture. The mixture will be thick, but continue to slowly beat on low until it is fully incorporated.
Add the pure vanilla. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Then beat the buttercream on high for two-three minutes. This important step will add air into the buttercream and make it light and fluffy. The Instant Clearjel will cause the buttercream to thicken slightly during the next 10 minutes as it sits.
This buttercream is best served at room temperature. If you aren't serving it within 24 hours, refrigerate it, but remove it from the fridge a couple of hours before using so that it may come back to room temperature before frosting cakes, cupcakes, or serving.
Notes
Read my article Instant Clearjel: a Magical Little-Known Bakery Ingredient to see why I think this ingredient is worth having in your pantry. Instant Clearjel must always be whisked thoroughly with other dry ingredients before being added to wet ingredients to avoid clumping. If you don’t have Instant Clearjel you can simply leave it out completely, this frosting is delicious without it. If you need a thicker frosting, you can add a little bit more powdered sugar.
This recipe was adapted slightly on 12-9-21. Contact Amy if you have any questions.