17 Essential Frosting Recipes for Cakes, Cookies, and More
From classic chocolate to hazelnut buttercream, these creamy, buttery recipes are ones you'll turn to again and again.
Few things are as simple yet sweet as buttery, creamy frosting. While you can purchase it at the store, there's nothing like homemade frosting — and it couldn't be easier to make. Simple American buttercream comes together in minutes with powdered sugar, softened or melted butter, and milk or cream. We also love tangy, not-too-sweet cream cheese frosting and meringue buttercreams, the latter of which get their light, airy texture from egg whites. No matter what kind of frosting you're making, the flavor possibilities are endless, from classic Chocolate Frosting to Blueberry-Coriander Buttercream. Mix and match the recipes below with your favorite cake and cupcake recipes to create the perfect dessert.
American Buttercream
Pastry chef Paola Velez makes this simple, sweet, and buttery frosting by creaming vegetable shortening and butter before incorporating powdered sugar. You can add lemon zest or vanilla extract for a little more flavor and an optional splash of milk for a smoother consistency.
Chocolate Frosting
Matt Taylor-Gross / Food Styling by Ali Domrongchai and Alexis Camarena-Anderson
Heavy cream is simmered until it reduces slightly, then used to melt unsweetened chocolate and butter and whipped until smooth, yielding this rich, creamy, and buttery frosting. It's a foolproof choice for Chocolate Cupcakes.
Fluffy Cream Cheese Frosting
Kelsey Hansen / Food Styling by Annie Probst / Prop Styling by Sue Mitchell
This easy frosting has just four ingredients: butter, cream cheese, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. A ratio of one part butter to two parts cream cheese helps balance the sweetness and perfectly complements a classic carrot cake.
Italian Buttercream
For this light and fluffy frosting, Velez starts with a thick, glossy meringue made with egg whites and sugar syrup, then gradually incorporates softened butter. Add lemon zest or vanilla extract to boost the flavor.
Chocolate-Cream Cheese Frosting
Tangy cream cheese helps this rich frosting to spread beautifully. Try it on a classic yellow or chocolate cake — you can't go wrong.
Blueberry-Coriander Buttercream Frosting
An earthy and citrusy blueberry coriander jam is incorporated into this light Swiss meringue buttercream. For a shortcut, you can also use a store-bought jam.
Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting
This fluffy, tangy frosting is brightened with lemon zest and juice. Here, it's used to frost a moist, lemony olive oil cake for the ultimate lemon dessert.
Simple Chocolate Frosting
Jordan Provost / Food Styling by Thu Buser
The buttery chocolate frosting for these soft and cakey cookies comes together in minutes with pantry staples. Whisk together butter and vanilla extract until fluffy, then add in powdered sugar and cocoa powder, plus a splash of milk or heavy cream to loosen to consistency so it's spreadable.
Vanilla Frosting
This buttery frosting includes an optional egg yolk for added richness. Simply flavored with a teaspoon of vanilla extract, it's versatile enough to work with a wide range of cake flavors.
White Chocolate Buttercream
Julia Hartbeck
Melted and cooled white chocolate is incorporated into this four-ingredient American-style buttercream. Opt for a high-quality white chocolate that you'd enjoy eating on its own for best results.
Mascarpone Frosting
Mascarpone cheese is blended into this simple vanilla buttercream from Justin Chapple for a lovely tang. It pairs perfectly with a moist, delicately spiced pumpkin sponge.
Rich Chocolate Buttercream
This decadent buttercream recipe is made for those who think frosting usually leans too sweet. Bittersweet dark chocolate gives the silky meringue frosting a deep, rich flavor.
Salted Peanut Butter Frosting
Peanut butter behaves similarly to butter in this frosting from Ann Taylor Pittman, beating to a fluffy consistency for a smooth texture. Pittman uses it to frost a banana-chocolate chip cake for an irresistible salty-sweet combination.
Bourbon-Pecan Frosting
Bourbon gives this frosting a caramel-forward and slightly boozy flavor, while buttery toasted pecans add richness and texture. It's the perfect match for a moist, not-too-sweet spiced sponge cake.
Chile-Chocolate Buttercream
This subtly spicy buttercream is made with melted bittersweet and white chocolate, ancho chile powder, and cayenne pepper. Chef Lisa Ritter pairs it with a cinnamon-spiced sponge cake to evoke the flavors of Mexican hot chocolate.
Matcha Buttercream
Matcha powder gives this classic buttercream recipe from Molly Yeh its lovely green hue and slightly earthy flavor. Double down on matcha with a matcha cake recipe, or use it with a yellow cake for an unexpected riff.
Hazelnut Buttercream
A hazelnut-praline paste adds a rich nuttiness to this luxurious meringue buttercream from chef Tom Douglas. You can also fold in whipped cream for a lighter, airier frosting.
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