White Chocolate Buttercream
This White Chocolate Buttercream recipe is a family favorite, I’m excited to share it with you. 
White Chocolate Buttercream
For the majority of my early twenties I have been on the hunt, the hunt for the perfect buttercream frosting recipe. I have tried so many, but none of them turned out the way I had hoped. They would melt quickly or just didn’t have enough “body”. Last summer I finally came across a recipe that was almost perfect. It tasted pretty good but I couldn’t decorate with it, my piping wouldn’t stay put. After some tinkering and tweaking, I finally reached the perfect consistency for a heavenly White Chocolate Buttercream frosting.
White Chocolate Frosting
My obsession with buttercream began after my wedding. My wedding cake had a delicious buttercream frosting that I was always on the lookout for a recipe to match the taste. Then I came across this recipe. I use the base of the white chocolate buttercream for all of my frosting recipes (there are links below).
If you like this recipe, you’re going to LOVE my recipe for Baileys Buttercream Frosting. Seriously, you have to check it out and while you’re at it, you may as well see the Peanut Butter Cup Frosting too.
I used the base of the white chocolate buttercream as the frosting for my cousin’s wedding cake (and I made a DIY wedding cake post for you to follow step by step too), I added extra sugar to make it thicker. Frosting can go a long way depending on how much sugar you add. If you want piping with staying power, just add more sugar!
[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id=”uDkThHot” upload-date=”2017-11-22T13:51:59.000Z” name=”Rainbow Buttercream Frosting” description=”How to create a rainbow swirl tye dye effect with buttercream frosting” player-type=”default” override-embed=”default”]
Supplies needed:
Affiliate links are included for your convenience.
- Piping Bags
- Decorating Tip
- My favorite is the 1m tip by Wilton
- Stand Mixer
White Chocolate Buttercream Recipe
White Chocolate Buttercream
White Chocolate Buttercream recipe - Looking for frosting recipes? This makes for an amazing dessert! Pairs well with chocolate cakes, yum!
Servings 24 cupcakes
Calories 173kcal
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter unsalted and softened (if you're a beginner - margarine is not the same. It WILL NOT hold, in fact it will just be gross).
- 3 cups powdered sugar depending on the humidity/heat that day sometimes I have to add about 1/2 cup more, play around with it until you reach the consistency you desire
- 1/4 cup whipping cream
- 1 tsp vanilla extract (my favorite is Neilsen-Massey which is found at Amazon.com
- 6 oz white chocolate chips or Bakers Chocolate
Instructions
- First things first: melt the chocolate. I prefer to pour the white chocolate chips in a glass bowl and place it over a pot of boiling water (double boiling), stirring constantly. If you are using Baker's Chocolate, chop it up first. The microwave is another option, but keep your eye on it and do 30 seconds at a time. Let cool to room temperature.
- Place softened butter in a bowl and sift the powdered sugar over top. Starting slow, mix until incorporated and then beat until fluffy (about a minute or two).
- After you have scraped the bowl, add the cream and vanilla. At this point you can now stir in the melted, cooled chocolate.
- Turn your mixer to medium-high and beat for 3-4 minutes.
Nutrition
Serving: 1g | Calories: 173kcal | Carbohydrates: 19g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 75mg | Potassium: 25mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 19g | Vitamin A: 275IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 18mg | Iron: 1mg
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Do you have a favorite buttercream recipe? Share it in the comments, I love to hear what people prefer!
If you like this recipe then you will LOVE this White Chocolate Strawberry Buttercream:
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this looks delicious! I would love to try to make this.
You’ll love it. It’s a great base recipe as well without the chocolate.
This looks and sounds delicious! I have only attempted to make my own icing once or twice. Will have to try this!
sounds yummy, we just finished up birthdays here but I will pin for next year!
Yum these look so good i need to make then as soon as possible.
OMG Randa… that sounds and looks D.E.L.I.C.I.O.U.S. I’m sending post to my daughter (the one that loves to bake)….
I’m glad you think so 🙂 It’s sooo good.
I’m so not a buttercream fan…and yet, I want to lick the screen. Yum!
This sounds amazing…can’t wait to try it! 🙂
Can I admit something here: I’ve never made homemade icing in my life! It always seemed far too intimidating and way harder than the actual baking. But, my mouth is just watering looking at your recipe!
Ooh this looks amazing! Love the idea of incorporating white chocolate into the buttercream!
that sounds absolutely delicious!
This looks delicious and a little too easy to make 🙂 Will try and hold off until the next special occasion to try this recipe out!
This is the most incredible looking frosting. I never thought of adding whipping cream or making a white chocolate frosting. So yummy!!
Thanks so much. Every frosting I have ever tried uses whipping cream, but it wasn’t until this one where I beat it forever. I think it makes a huge difference.
Sounds yummy! I’ll have to try it!
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Ooooh! This looks delicious, I’ve made some cupcakes for valentine’s day and I think this frosting would be perfect! Yum 🙂
Hi… I’m going to make this for a bridal shower cake! But was wondering if u knew about how long of a shelf life it will have in the fridge? I wanna know if I can make it before hand and how long with will last once on the cake! Thank you
I am making this recipe for my son’s birthday cake on Saturday 🙂 I will be making it on Friday, but I think it should be fine two days before. I do that because my cakes will last for about 3 days after. I wouldn’t go more then 5 days.
Ok thank you!!
Hello there. I think this recipe is brilliant and I’m going to be trying it out today for my mother’s birtgday cake. However I do have a question, hopefully someone will reply soon. Am I supposed to use my mixer throughout the whole recipe, or just for the last step? This is my first attempt at making buttercream, so any suggestions and tips are appreciated! I’ll reply again later lett you know how much everyone loved it. Thanks!!
I use my mixer the whole time. I just made a batch of it this morning.
About how much does a batch make?
Cup wise, im not sure I never measured. But one batch does a one cake recipe.
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Made this to go with some red velvet cupcakes for my husband’s birthday today. YUM! I only made 1/2 of the recipe and it was more than enough to frost 12 cupcakes!
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Is this recipe stiff enough to be used for cake boarders, writing, flowers etc?
I usually just add more sugar until I get the constancy I want. I made these flowers with this recipe: thebewitchinkitchen.com/2013/03/my-martha-moment-wordless-wednesday-wlinky.html/
Wondering….what your take is on the consistency. I am doing a wedding cake and I am planning on “rose frosting” it. Do you think that this recipe has the right consistency to hold the rose shape?????
When I did my roses for my toddler smash cake, I added more sugar until it was just right. It was super sweet though.
This will be perfect for my daughters birthday cake. She loves chocolate! Two questions: is this enough to frost a 3 tier round cake? And could I add some hot pink food coloring?
Hi Jill, I would make a little more buttercream. Maybe double the recipe? The only downside is that there could be too much, but that just means some extra to frost cookies with 😉
Yes you could, add a bit at a time so it doesn’t taste so “color-ish”. I recommend the Wilton Gels (some say no taste).
Will the cake need to be refrigerated after frosting or will the frosting hold its shape for several hours unrefrigerated?
I always stick it in the fridge 🙂 It will harden so take it out a half hour before serving (as long as it’s not too hot inside your home).
MMM! I need this in my life or my bed on a spoon right now! I will have to pin this for next time I am in a baking mood!
This looks yummy, I was looking for something different than basic buttercream. So this does hold up well for piping and decorating? I would like to try it for my daughter’s Frozen theme cake but don’t want the icing to be too soft.
When I used it for decorating I just added more sugar until I got the consistency I wanted. It will be really sweet, just to warn you.
I wonder if butter flavored shortening instead of some butter would work so its not too sweet by adding more sugar. That’s what my old recipe called for to give it a harder consistency.
MMM some people find white chocolate too sweet but that phrase doesn’t exist to me! This would be a great recipe for vanilla cupcakes!
It’s good right out of the bowl 😉
Can this icing be colored?
You bet. I have done it a few times, but you will have the colouring taste added to the mix.
I am an old bachelor who seldom bakes but this recipe not only looks delicious, but seems easy to make…thank you
This looks and sounds delicious! I have never made my own before but am ready for the challenge. I do have a question though. Does my final product have to refrigerated? Yep, I am a newbie. 🙂
I put it in the fridge because of the dairy. It will get hard, so let it sit on the counter for 20(ish) minutes before serving.
YUM! What a awesome buttercream! Would be perfect on some strawberry flavored cup cakes or a cake. White chocolate anything is hard to resist.
Oh My God!!!! I just made this frosting and while I used the entire 11 oz bag instead of 6 oz, it tastes PHENOMINAL!! HOLY COW!!!! I could eat the whole batch!!
That is so awesome to hear Casey! There is no much thing as too much white chocolate 😉 hahaha.
Is this recipe enough to frost 24 cupcakes?
If you’re just slapping it on with a knife, yes. If piping it and using a lot – I would probably double it.
Thank you soo much 🙂
Is this good for decorating cakes with?
It’s what I’ve used, you may have to add a little more sugar depending what you’re doing with the cake.
I made this buttercream tonight to top white cake/almond “Wedding Cake” cupcakes and it is incredibly light and fluffy. If decorating with this frosting, you’ll want to add a little bit more powdered sugar to stiffen for creating flowers. This will be my “Go To” frosting for buttercream from now on.
Completely agree! I load in the sugar when I do “fancy” things (the one time I year I do it ;))! I’m so glad you liked it. Have a great week Sheila.
Hi
This frosting looks fantastic. Nice web layout, beautiful pictures. The only this missing is a print button. Or am I just not seeing it? I hate to be nit picky on a beautiful site, but a print button would be awfully handy.
Thank you so much for your compliments! I usually do have a print button on a few recipe forms I use, but I see for this particular recipe I didn’t use the form 🙂 I’ll put it on my list of recipes to convert 😀 Thanks for the reminder!
This is great! Can’t wait to try it! Also love the beginners commentary haha.
Hello, im really new to this but this buttercream seems great! I have a couple of questions here, could I make this frosting ahead from the previous day for example? Could i preserve it in the fridge and for how long?
thnx in advance!
Hi Maria,
I have made it in advance but it gets rock hard. You will have to take it out about 30 minutes before you need to use it and give it a good stir, re whipping it is the best idea. Happy baking!
I would like to frost a sheet cake with this recipe. Would this be enough frosting? My sheet is a typical jelly roll pan…. I think 11×17?
I can’t say yes for sure…but yes? lol It depends on how thick you want the frosting. Give it a go, if all else fails whip up an additional half batch.
Hi Randa,
I love this recipe! Can you tell me how many cups it makes? I’m making my own cupcakes for my wedding, but need a massive grocery list first. Thanks!
Hey Brittney! I’m not sure how many cups but when I made my cousin’s wedding cake last summer I did about 3 batches (if I remember right). Also you may need to add more sugar than the recipe says depending on the top of frosting you’re doing. Just add until its the consistency you want.
I recently did 23/24 cupcakes with this recipe (minus the white chocolate and a little more sugar) and here is how much I frosted on top: https://www.thebewitchinkitchen.com/rainbow-swirl-buttercream-frosting/
If you’re doing 50 definitely double the recipe, 100 4x it.
Here is the wedding cake if you wanted to see: https://www.thebewitchinkitchen.com/diy-wedding-cake/
Also if you want the frosting to be white – remember to get clear vanilla extract 🙂 I hope this helps!
Hi 🙂 I am wondering if I could use White Chocolate Apeel’s?
Hey April, I’m sorry I have no idea what White Chocolate Apeels is.
Hi! I want to make this for a cake but its 2 days away. How long will it last? Will it crust over? and how should I store it? (on the cake)
Hey Lisa. Yes, the frosting will crust over but it softens up. If you seal up the cake nice – it will keep the actual cake moist and beautiful. I made this for a wedding cake a day and a half (maybe two days) in advance and it worked out well!
Is it Ok to use gourmet white chocolate such as (Valhrona?) and contains cocoa butter.
Hey Nancy! You bet, it will only taste better 😀 To my knowledge, all white chocolate has cocoa butter in it. Enjoy!
This is my first time making any sort of buttercream. I ran into some texture issues where the frosting wasn’t coming together but I just put it over a pot of warm water and beat it on high and it came back together. I ended up adding 1/2 cup of whipping cream and 1/3 cup of milk. It turned out very well! Is this frosting freezable? I am making this 3 days ahead of the cake. Will I have to re make it?
Hi Shirley,
Oh that’s so strange, I never had texture issues before and I make it often (well, as often as I can 😉 ) but thank you for the tip! I have never froze it before, so I can’t give you that advice. I would think if it froze and defrost it may have texture issues, but i think you could probably whip it back up and it be fine. That’s a guess though!
Can anyone tell me how much this will make? Thx
Hey Tammi, I’m asked that often but I have never measured it out.
I frost pretty heavily and am able to do 22-24 cupcakes.
Try using flavored coffee creamer instead of the whipping cream for an instant infusion of flavor. I use creamer for all my frostings
I did that a few weeks ago, so yummy! Baileys is also good 😉
Thank you for this great recipe. I was wondering if you have tried this icing under fondant. Does it hold well and does it harden for those extra sharp corners (much like ganache but with a lighter consistency)?
Hi Letii,
Under fondant, I’ve used it without the white chocolate. Just the buttercream portion 🙂
Randa
Hi! Curious if you can color this without it seizing up? Thanks!
I’ve colored it with the Wilton Gel’s and it worked fine 🙂
I read that previous comment after I sent the question But thank you! Looking forward to trying this out tonight for the anniversary party cake and cupcakes I have to make!
Enjoy!!
Hi! So I’d like some feedback. I tried this recipe with both white chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips. I melted both separately in a double boiler and them it cool. I creamed my butter and sugar together, sifting the sugar like it says. It was very light and fluffy. I tried the white chocolate frosting first. I added in my vanilla, heavy cream, and white chocolate and set it to beat. Almost immediately I could seem little lumps. I stopped it and tried some, and sure enough there were little chunks of white chocolate everywhere! I moved onto the milk chocolate frosting, as I had already creamed sugar and butter for it. This one I added in the vanilla and heavy cream first, beat that until incorporated, then added in the chocolate. Ta da! Like magic, the chocolate beat in and made a beautifully smooth and definitely not chunky frosting. I had enough to try the milk again, so this time I microwaved the chocolate, let it cool, then after creaming sugar and butter, beat in the heavy cream and vanilla like I did with the milk chocolate frosting. Added in the white chocolate and again instant chunks 🙁 Does anyone have any idea why this happened? I was using Nestle white chocolate chips… and they were not only a better brand but newer than my milk chocolate chips (Raleys generic brand). I’m just so lost! Thanks!!
Couple of quick errors! I meant *let them cool (not them it cool), and I tried the white chocolate again, not the milk chocolate again.
Hmmm. You know Nicole, I’m not totally sure. I have only ever done this with Baker’s White Chocolate and have never had an issue with it.
Now, I know the quality of white chocolate varies with how much cocoa butter is used (white chocolate has more cocoa butter) maybe it has something to do with that?
I’m intrigued with this, I’ll have to try it next time with a different brand of white chocolate, or white chocolate chips and see what happens.
When I originally commented I clicked the -Notify me when new comments are added- checkbox and now each time a comment is added I get four emails with the same comment. Is there any way you can remove me from that service? Thanks!
Oh no! I don’t see anything on my end, is there an option when you come back to the comment or when you get the emails?
Just made this for baby shower cupcakes. Awesome recipe. I tasted it before I added the melted chocolate and that part was good on its own. But the chocolate took it over the top. My husband used the leftovers to go between some sugar cookies
I made too. Thanks for a simple and delicious frosting!! This one’s a keeper.
Woohoo! Thanks so much, Michelle and I am so glad you guys liked them! I hope the baby shower was a blast!
Lovely buttercream, light like a cloud and tastes super amazing!
Could you make this same recipe but with dark chocolate??
This was divine. I didn’t use all the white chocolate it called for because it was rich enough.