This vanilla American style buttercream is the perfect fluffy frosting. It has the perfect vanilla flavor, it is super fluffy, and it is not too sweet. It is the perfect topping for any kind of cupcake, and it is also perfect for frosting cakes. It’s even sturdy enough to make giant layer cakes!

I know it may seem like it took me a very long time to get a vanilla frosting recipe on Eclipse, considering I launched the website a couple months ago, but it took me a while to make this recipe! I have always found vanilla frosting surprisingly hard to make. I find that it is usually too sweet, or not fluffy enough. After a long process of testing and testing more and more versions, I finally achieved the perfect result.

Origins

As I said before, this recipe took a while to make. I have tried dozens of vanilla frosting recipes on the web, and I never found one that was just perfect. Most of them were too sweet, some of them were too dense, and some of them had a very odd consistency.

About two years ago (yes, really), I ventured into making my own recipe. After many, many tries, it turned out pretty good, but never perfect. That is when Silk came out with their latest product, non-dairy heavy whipping cream. This stuff is amazing. It makes the frosting perfectly fluffy and delicious.

Heavy Whipping Cream

I get the Silk non-dairy heavy whipping cream at my local grocery store, Publix, but I am sure that they have it at many other stores. You could also probably order it online if that is more convenient for you.

This heavy cream is great. It whips perfectly and makes frosting very fluffy. I have tried other heavy whipping creams before, but they are hard to find. The main one I have used before I had to drive an hour away to a restaurant supply store to find it! As you can tell, this is much more convenient.

Before I started adding this heavy whipping cream to my frosting, no matter how long or hard I whipped it, it would just never be the right consistency. Now that problem is fixed!

As always, if you can have dairy and would rather not make this non-dairy, then you can use dairy heavy whipping cream as well. I really recommend using this whipping cream though as it is delicious!

Sugar Levels

When I was trying lots of other recipes on the internet, I found that most of them were just too sweet. I quickly found that the trick to making a delicious frosting was the amount of sugar you put in it. Too much, and it would be sickly sweet. Too little, and it would just taste like a big pile of butter. After lots of testing, I finally found the perfect ratio that is right in the middle.

What Can This Frosting Go On?

Almost anything! Since this vanilla is such a versatile flavor that can go with just about anything, this frosting is perfect for all sorts of occasions. Here are two of my favorites to give y’all some ideas.

My one-bowl chocolate cupcakes. This is perfect for chocolate lovers. These cupcakes are one of my all time favorite recipes I have created. They are so moist and fluffy, they make a perfect pairing for this frosting.
My yellow cake. This cake is also delicious. If you want the classic birthday cake, then this is the way to go, vanilla on vanilla. You could also throw some chocolate chips in-between the layers for an extra little surprise.

Making a Layer Cake

This frosting is absolutely perfect for making a layer cake. It is just the right texture for holding the layers together. It is also perfect for piping onto cupcakes. If you want some guidance on making a layer cake, then I highly recommend checking out my how to assemble a layer cake video, which is perfect for helping both beginners and advanced bakers make the perfect layer cake.

For me, the hardest part about making a cake is deciding on a design. If you need some cake decorating ideas, I highly recommend checking out my instagram, where I post all the cakes I make.

Final Tips

Even though this recipe only has a couple ingredients and steps, as always, I have some tips to help you out!

Beat the frosting for a full four minutes. Yes, I know that may sound like a lot but it will make this frosting super fluffy and delicious.
If you are making a layer cake, check out my post on how to assemble a layer cake for some helpful tips.

That is it! Good luck and I hope you enjoy this frosting as much as I do!