This Wedding Cupcake Buttercream recipe has been featured in an extensive how-to post on The Recipe Girl blog: How to Make Wedding Cupcakes.

wedding cupcakes with white buttercream and pink pearls on a white cake platter

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.

wedding cupcakes with white frosting displayed on a white cake platter

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!

overhead shot of white frosted cupcakes on a white cake platter

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.

wedding cupcakes in assorted colors on a baking sheet

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 cupcakes with white buttercream and pink pearls on a white cake platter
4.76 from 53 votes

Wedding Cupcake Buttercream

This is my go-to frosting recipe for all cakes and cupcakes.  It turns out perfect every time!
Prep: 10 minutes
Servings: 12 servings
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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.
For the cupcakes in the photograph above, I used a 1G Tip by Bakery Crafts to pipe the frosting. The Wilton 1M tip works perfectly for these too.

Nutrition

Calories: 257kcal, Carbohydrates: 30g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 42mg, Sodium: 136mg, Potassium: 4mg, Sugar: 29g, Vitamin A: 490IU, Calcium: 5mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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4.76 from 53 votes (10 ratings without comment)

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556 Comments

  1. 3-Oaks says:

    I’ve uses whole, 1% or skim milk, half& half and cream….depending on what I have in the fridge. This is my go-to recipe for buttercream. Oh, and I always use salted butter.

  2. Abbey K says:

    Do you think this recipe will still work if I halve it? When I make a batch of cupcake I usually do half buttercream, half chocolate buttercream because my boyfriend loves cupcakes but will only eat chocolate frosting. I, however, really love traditional buttercream. Thanks!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      should be fine!

  3. Deloris Sutton says:

    I used this to frost 200 cupcakes for a wedding and they turned out great. Lots of compliments for the “not so sweet” flavor. Using the large tip to decorate with made it go so quickly that I was done in no time.

  4. Kristin says:

    This is a silly question… but an important one I need clarified. Is this recipe using whipping cream- as in the liquid or as in the stuff found in a tub?
    Thanks!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      whipping cream is liquid (next to half and half and milk)

  5. Starr says:

    I am making wedding cupcakes for my best friend. I have made one batch of this frosting to color it royal purple. That was tricky but I was able to achieve the color.

    Her wedding is on the 11th (of this Month). How far in advance can I make the frosting and what should I store it in?

    I will have the cupcakes frozen before frosting. Could I frost and refrigerate the night before?

    I am trying to cut down on time and amount of work being done days before the wedding, since I am also in the wedding 🙂

    Thanks!

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I’ve never made the frosting ahead. If at all possible, make the frosting when you’re ready to frost them. You can definitely frost and refrigerate them the night before- just need to store them in cupcake boxes or some kind of covered container.

  6. Heather says:

    I made this frosting to practice making cupcakes for a baby shower. However, I found this recipe to be way too sweet. Everyone is saying about how fantastic it is, but I found it to be the opposite. I am wondering though if this is an error on my part. I did not have any salted butter so I used unsalted and intended to add a pinch of salt, but forgot. I also used heavy whilpping cream. Could these two substitutions be the reason why mine was so sweet? I loved the consistency and how easy it is to work with and was bummed with the flavor. Any suggestions to cut down on the sweetness?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Salt definitely cuts some of that sweetness! The cream shouldn’t make a difference though. Buttercream in general is very, very sweet and rich.

  7. Swirls Cup-Cakes says:

    [@karenyanda@comcast.n replied: — February 13th, 2011 @ 3:04 PM
    @RecipeGirl, horrible recipe. It separated. Was a total mess.]

    This happens when you microwave your butter to bring it to room temperature!! The butter should be taken out of the refrigerator a min. of 3 hrs before you intend to use it. It then helps to add the butter in pieces (a 1/4 stick at time) until you get the consistency you want.

    Lori, I was wondering why you say not to substitute shortening for butter? I’m asking because I live in Texas and it gets really warm and humid here at times! I’ve found the only way to insure my buttercream holds it’s peak in warm weather is to use both Crisco and butter. Just wondering :o) Thanks~

    1. Lori Lange says:

      I just don’t care for shortening in my frosting at all. Don’t like the way it makes it taste. Sounds like you’re more experienced than I am- so a combination is probably a good idea for warm weather!

  8. jackie2830 says:

    Lori….just also want to thank you for the great recipe. The BEST flavor on earth is good wedding cake! I have not made yet, and did notice the recipe makes 36 cupcakes, however the buttercream only covers 12. I don’t want to double or triple the icing [as you suggested] since this will be a confection for home indulgers, not a wedding or celebration. I will take your advise and bake as a cake in a 9×13 and believe the icing should cover it if I don’t get fancy…..just frost…..I’m aiming for the taste sensation, rather than the decorative effect.
    Also want to thank you…….for answering a cojillion questions WHICH YOU ALREADY ANSWERED LIKE 20 TIMES BEFORE!!!! DON’T PEOPLE ACTUALLY READ ALL THE COMMENTS PRIOR TO ASKING THE SAME QUESTION OVER AND OVER AGAIN??????
    You are indeed a good soul Lori! Sweet just like your recipe ?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      You’re welcome. Yes, I try to be patient with the questions 🙂

  9. Michelle says:

    Will this recipe stand up for icing and decorating a cake?

    1. Lori Lange says:

      Definitely!

  10. Laura says:

    Just wanted to say that I have just discovered this recipe and it is awesome. They are so good and so far, everyone who has had one has wanted the recipe. I enjoy cake decorating but hated the wilton buttercream recipe (way too sweet) and other buttercream recipes were too soft. This recipe pipes excellent and tastes perfect. Very light and not too sweet so you can keep eating and eating… 🙂 Thank you for this recipe!