Not-Too-Sweet Buttercream Powdered Sugar Frosting
on Nov 19, 2023
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Here is my foolproof buttercream frosting made with powdered sugar. It’s NOT too sweet, but still fluffy, creamy, and holds its shape well. Made with only 4 simple ingredients, this icing has the most delicious taste and is easy to be piped or spread onto cakes and cupcakes.
Buttercream Powerded Sugar Icing Recipe Video
If you don’t like overly sweet frosting, this is THE recipe for you 😋. The ingredients and cooking process are ALMOST like your traditional buttercream but with some small tweaks!
Not-too-sweet powdered sugar frosting – what to expect
- Not overly sweet as the American-style buttercream frosting
- Smoother texture but tastes slightly more buttery
Other than that, it’s very similar to the classic buttercream with a beautiful BRIGHT white color. It’s also very stable and EASY to be piped with a piping tip!
What goes into this frosting to make it less sweet but still stable
- Powdered Sugar: Sometimes it’s labeled icing sugar or confectioner’s sugar. Compared to the traditional buttercream recipe, you’ll need much less for this one! If you don’t have powdered sugar, you can still make a fantastic frosting with this recipe.
- Unsalted Butter: Use room-temperature butter that’s soft enough for your spatula to cut through easily, but it’s still firm enough to hold the shape.
- Heavy Cream: It’s very important to bring your heavy cream to room temperature. You’ll need a cream with a fat content of about 35%. As we use less powdered sugar, it’s key to use high-fat cream to make your frosting stable. Avoid using regular milk for this recipe.
- Vanilla Extract: You can use clear vanilla extract for an even whiter color. You can also add additional flavor to your frosting with chocolate, coffee, or citrus zest.
Why is this frosting less sweet than American-style frosting? We use less powdered sugar and more butter and cream than the traditional recipe. As the powdered sugar acts as a stabilizer and provides the structure for your frosting, we use high-fat cream to help further stabilize the frosting.
You can find the detailed measurements at the end of this post. By the way, it’s very easy to scale up or down the recipe.
Let’s make this not-to-sweet frosting!
This recipe is very EASY, but I want to set you up for success by giving you a few important tips:
1️⃣ Start by bringing butter to room temperature: This is the MOST important step for the perfect frosting. Depending on the temperature of your kitchen and how cold your butter is, it can take anywhere from 2 to 3 hours for it to be fully ready (when your spatula can cut through the butter easily)!
Soften it quickly with this trick: Cut your butter into smaller pieces and microwave them on a flat plate at 50% power with 5-second intervals. Check them each time until they are nice and soft. It will take less than 30 seconds in total. How cool is that! 😎
2️⃣ Cream the butter: Add softened butter to a big bowl. Whip it with a hand mixer or stand mixture on the lowest speed for 1 minute. Here we’ll simply cream it, making it easier to mix with the powdered sugar.
Tip: Some recipes instruct you to add all ingredients, but I find creaming the butter on its own BEFORE adding the powdered helps to create a smoother and fluffy base.
3️⃣ Gradually add powdered sugar: Add powdered sugar (sifted) gradually to the bowl. Start with the lowest speed until it’s combined. Scape down the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed in nicely. Don’t worry if the color of your mixture looks yellow at this point. It will become whiter as you mix.
4️⃣ Add heavy cream – watch the magic!
- Add the room temperature heavy cream. Turn up the speed to a medium-high and mix for about 10 minutes. Watch the color of your mixture change like magic! (Tip: It’s VERY important to add room temperature heavy cream, as the COLD temperature will change the consistency of your frosting.)
- Add vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and mix for 1 minute. This is to get rid of the large air bubbles. You can add gel food coloring at this point.
Tip: If the frosting is too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream and stir. Continue to add one tablespoon at a time until it reaches the desired consistency.
Troubleshooting air bubbles in your frosting
This is because either your butter or heavy cream is a little cold before mixing.
How to fix: Place the bowl in the microwave and microwave at 5-second intervals. Mix after each interval and repeat the process until the bubbles mostly disappear. Don’t microwave for more than 5 seconds at a time, or your frosting can become too runny.
How to pipe frosting onto cupcakes
For frosting my cupcakes, I used Wilton Decorating Tip 4B (see photos above). I also like Wilton 8B or Atecp 849 for piping frosting. This is a basic piping tip that’s easy to work with.
- Before frosting, make sure your cupcakes are completely cooled. Otherwise, they’ll melt your frosting.
- Then place the tip into the piping bag, and place the bag into a large glass. Add your room-temperature frosting into the bag.
- Seal the top of your piping bag with a rubber band. This will prevent the frosting from seeping out of the bag when piping.
- Squeeze the bag gently. Start from the center of the cupcake, and move in a circular motion outward.
Can I use this frosting to ice cookies? Yes, let your cookies cool to room temperature and slowly spread the frosting with a small spatula. Start from the center and slowly work your way towards the edges. Add sprinkles for a fun touch! Note that this frosting won’t harden as the royal icing.
Storage
According to guidelines from Wilton, buttercream can be stored at room temperature for 2-3 days. Store your frosting in an airtight container or cover it with plastic wrap. This will prevent it from drying out. If it’s longer than that, store it in the fridge and bring it to room temperature before using.
- Make it ahead: You can make this in advance for up to 1 week. Give it a quick mix before using it.
- Freeze it: Store it in a freezer-friendly bag and freeze for up to 1 month. Let it thaw in the fridge overnight.
If you tried this recipe, let me know how your buttercream frosting turns out in the comments below!
Easy Buttercream Icing (Not-Too-Sweet)
Equipment
Ingredients
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1½ cups unsalted butter*, room temperature, soft enough for a spatula to cut through easily
- ½ cup heavy cream**, room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Sift the powdered sugar and set aside.
- Add room-temperature butter to a big bowl. Beat with a hand mixer or stand mixture on the lowest speed for 1 minute.
- Add powdered sugar gradually to the bowl. Start with a low speed to incorporate the sugar into the butter. This will prevent sugar dust from flying around and reduce the risk of lumps.
- Scape down the bowl to make sure everything gets mixed in nicely. Don’t worry if the color of your mixture looks yellow at this point. It will become whiter as you mix.
- Add the room temperature heavy cream. Turn up the speed to a medium high and mix for about 10 minutes. This will give it a fluffy texture and get rid of the grainy texture from the sugar.
- Add vanilla extract. Reduce the speed to low and mix for 1 minute. This is to get rid of the large air bubbles. You can add gel food coloring at this point.
Notes
- *You can use salted butter for this recipe and it will taste slightly salty.
- To soften butter quickly: Cut the butter into ¼-inch slices and place them on a flat plate in one single layer. Microwave them at 50% power at 5-second intervals. Check after every 5 seconds until they are nice and soft. It usually takes less than 30 seconds in total. To check whether the butter is ready: if a spatula can cut through the butter easily, your butter is ready
- **Your cream should have about 35% fat content. As we use less powdered sugar in this recipe, we’ll need high-fat cream to stabilize the frosting.
- If you want to add food coloring. I recommend adding gel food coloring after the frosting is ready. Gently mix in the coloring until combined. Avoid liquid coloring as the extra moisture can change the consistency of your frosting.
- If your frosting becomes too soft (or too thin), simply refrigerate it briefly to firm it up before use. If it’s too firm (or too thick), give it a quick whip to soften it up!
Nutrition
Nutrition information provided is an estimate only and will vary based on ingredient brands and cooking methods used.
