Easy Almond Buttercream Frosting is a delicious finishing touch for your favorite cakes, cookies, and cupcakes. It’s fluffy, buttery, not too sweet, with light almond flavor — and made with simple ingredients in about 5 minutes.
We love this creamy almond frosting on Thumbprint Cookies with Icing and Lemon Cut Out Cookies.
Cookies, cakes, and cupcakes are really just excuses for frosting, don’t you think? This almond buttercream is a smooth and creamy frosting with a fluffy texture and just enough powdered sugar to make it perfectly pipable—without being overly sweet. With a rich butter base and a light almond flavor, it’s the perfect frosting for a birthday cake, chocolate cupcakes, or Christmas sugar cookies.
If you've never made homemade buttercream frosting before, you might be surprised at just how easy it is. The hardest part is deciding what to put it on! BTW, a spoon is a valid choice.
🧈Ingredients
See recipe card at the bottom of the post for the full list of ingredients and exact amounts.
- Unsalted butter. Use room temperature butter -- which is actually cool to the touch, but leaves an indent when pressed. It isn't soft and squishy.
- Almond extract. For the best flavor, use pure extract. Some types of almond extract can be overpowering, so start with a little bit and add more to suit your taste.
- Salt. Salt doesn't make it salty, but it enhances the nice rich flavor of this vanilla almond buttercream.
- Cinnamon. Cinnamon is totally optional but tastes soooo good! If you plan to tint the frosting with food coloring, you may wish to leave it out.
- Heavy whipping cream or milk: A splash of heavy cream makes this almond buttercream frosting irresistibly silky. It’s also your go-to for achieving the perfect consistency if the frosting feels a bit too stiff.
🥣How to Make Almond Buttercream Frosting
Step 1: Cream butter, vanilla, almond extract, salt, and cinnamon (if using) for 3-5 minutes in a large bowl with a hand mixer or stand mixer. It should be light in color and very light and fluffy.
Step 2: Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, starting at a low speed and increasing speed as it is incorporated into the butter. Add cream or milk, starting with 1 tablespoon, and mix until it reaches the right consistency.
Step 3: Use a spatula or piping bag to frost your favorite layer cake, cookies, or cupcake recipe.
Step 4: As the frosting sets, it will become firm but will not harden completely. Buttercream piped onto cookies in rosettes and other designs may crush if stacked. For stackable cookies, spread the frosting on in a flat, even layer. When refrigerated, the frosting firms up enough to stack.
👉Top Tip: This recipe yields 3 cups of frosting, enough for a 9 x 13 cake, a 2-layer cake, 24 cupcakes, or 4 dozen cookies.
☑️Tips
- Add more cream or milk as necessary if the frosting is too thick or more powdered sugar if it is too thin.
- To color your buttercream frosting, use gel food coloring for the most concentrated color.
- Buttercream’s natural yellow tint can affect food coloring. Use clear vanilla to minimize it. Or try this tip from Taste of Home and add a tiny touch of purple food coloring to brighten the white.
- When stored at room temperature, the frosting will set up firmly but not firm enough to stack if the frosting is piped into rosettes, etc. For stackable cookies, spread the frosting in a flat, even layer.
- When refrigerated, the frosting hardens firmly enough to stack.
🎁Storage
Store leftover frosting in piping bags or an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. Before using, let it sit at room temperature to soften. Rewhip it as necessary to soften.
Freeze buttercream frosting in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator. Before using, bring to room temperature and rewhip.
❓Buttercream FAQs
Yes, buttercream freezes well. Freeze it in a freezer bag, then thaw it in the refrigerator. Rewhip it before use.
Yes, buttercream frosting can be stored in the fridge. Store it in a covered container or ziptop bag to keep it airtight and prevent it from absorbing other food aromas.
Yes, you can make buttercream frosting up to one week ahead of time and store it covered in the refrigerator. Soften it at room temperature, then rewhip before piping or spreading.
Thin buttercream frosting with a little milk or heavy cream. Add a teaspoon at a time until it reaches your desired consistency.
To thicken buttercream frosting, add a little more powdered sugar, one tablespoon at a time. This will also make the frosting sweeter. If the frosting is too thin because the butter was too soft, refrigerate the buttercream until it firms up.
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📖 Recipe
Almond Buttercream
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon pure almond extract adjust to taste
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon cinnamon, optional
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1-3 tablespoons heavy cream or milk
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter, vanilla, almond extract, salt, and cinnamon on medium-high speed for 3-5 minutes until fluffy and very light in color.
- Gradually mix in the powdered sugar, ½ cup at a time. Add the cream or milk, starting with one tablespoon. Add more as needed.
- Spread or pipe the frosting onto cookies, cakes, and cupcakes. As the frosting sets, it will become firm but will not harden completely. Buttercream piped onto cookies in rosettes and other designs may crush if stacked. For stackable cookies, spread the frosting on in a flat, even layer.
Notes
- This recipe yields 3 cups of frosting, enough for a 9 x 13 cake, a 2-layer cake, 24 cupcakes, or 4 dozen cookies.
- Add more cream or milk as necessary if the frosting is too thick or more powdered sugar if it is too thin.
- To color your buttercream frosting, use gel food coloring for the most concentrated color.
- Buttercream’s natural yellow tint can affect food coloring. Use clear vanilla to minimize it. Or try this tip from Taste of Home and add a tiny touch of purple food coloring to brighten the white.
- When stored at room temperature, the frosting will set up firmly but not firm enough to stack if the frosting is piped into rosettes, etc. For stackable cookies, spread the frosting in a flat, even layer.
- When refrigerated, the frosting hardens firmly enough to stack.
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