Learn how to make sweet and creamy white chocolate buttercream frosting with this easy recipe. Although it looks plain, the frosting is made with melted white chocolate, so there’s extra flavor hiding in each creamy swirl. The frosting is very rich and wonderfully thick, so it holds beautiful shape when piped. Try it on vanilla cupcakes with raspberry filling!
One reader, Amy, commented: “I don’t usually write reviews on any recipe that I’ve tried, but todayโyes. This is the best buttercream icing ever. I’ve tried so many different ones and they just fall short. Today was differentโthis one was all that and then some… I’m still licking my fingers. โ โ โ โ โ ”
One reader, Fred, commented: “This is the perfect frosting for pretty much anything. I used it on my first ever wedding cake for our granddaughter. It frosts so smoothly and pipes exquisitely… โ โ โ โ โ “
Move aside, vanilla buttercream and cream cheese frosting, and make way for the new white frosting in town. (I still love you both, though. There is room in my heartโand my kitchenโfor all the frostings.)
But maybe you’re tired of the same ol’ vanilla frosting. And while I love cream cheese frosting, I know a lot of people in other countries have trouble making it, because it’s not always easy to find brick-style cream cheese outside the U.S. So I wanted to publish another option for a delicious white frosting that tastes good on a variety of desserts.
Why You’ll Love This White Chocolate Buttercream
- Extra creamy and rich from melted white chocolate
- Holds shape when piped
- Spreads easily onto baked goods
- Can tint it a color (see it colored on top of these white chocolate peppermint cupcakes)
- White chocolate tastes great with so many different flavors
If you love white chocolate, youโll enjoy these white chocolate strawberry cupcakes too. I add freeze-dried strawberries to make a delicious strawberry white chocolate frosting on those!
Grab These 6 Ingredients
- White Chocolate: For the best flavor and texture, we need real white chocolate. Do not use white chocolate morsels or candy melts hereโget the real-deal bars of white chocolate.
- Unsalted Butter: Start with room temperature butter. Room temperature butter is cooler than you think. If the butter is too warm, the frosting will be thin and taste greasy.
- Confectioners’ Sugar: We’re using less confectioners’ sugar in this frosting than we do in vanilla buttercream, because the white chocolate is already sweet.
- Heavy Cream or Half-and-Half: Liquid thins out and adds even more creaminess to the frosting. You can use heavy cream or half-and-half. Milk works in a pinch.
- Vanilla Extract: Vanilla extract adds incredible flavor.
- Salt: A pinch of salt offsets all the sweetness.
Best White Chocolate to Use in Frosting
The best white chocolate frosting starts with real white chocolate. Do not use white chocolate morsels because they contain stabilizers preventing them from melting into the correct consistency. You need the bars of โbaking chocolateโ found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips. I like Baker’s and Ghirardelli brands, which come in 4-ounce bars. You need 6 ounces of white chocolate for this recipe, so you’ll use 1 and 1/2 bars.
Start by chopping up the white chocolate and placing it in a microwave-safe bowl. (I usually use a glass liquid measuring cup.) Microwave it in 20-second increments, stopping and stirring after each increment. The short bursts of heat allow the white chocolate to melt without burning. Once it’s completely smooth, set it aside to let it cool at room temperature for about 20 minutes.
The rest of the recipe is similar to making regular vanilla buttercream or strawberry buttercream, and you’ll add the cooled melted white chocolate during the process. You’ll need a handheld or stand mixer.
It looks like vanilla buttercream, but it’s silkier, smoother, and has an extra-rich flavor. You’ll love it.
What Tastes Best With White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting?
White chocolate pairs beautifully with so many flavors, like chocolate, raspberry, lemon… the list goes on and on! This recipe makes enough for 12โ16 cupcakes, a 3-layer 6-inch cake, or a 9×13-inch quarter vanilla sheet cake. I recommend you 1.5x the recipe for a 2-layer cake.
Try this white chocolate frosting on:
- Lemon Cupcakes or Lemon Blueberry Cupcakes
- Strawberry Cupcakes
- Banana Cake
- Vanilla Sheet Cake or Spice Cake
- Vanilla Cupcakes filled with Raspberry Filling
- Confetti Sprinkle Cupcakes
- Red Velvet Cake Roll or Red Velvet Cupcakes
- Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Cupcakes, or use as the filling in these Cream-Filled Chocolate Cupcakes
- Peppermint Mocha Cupcakes
- Homemade Brownies (yum!)
- Carrot Cake Cupcakes
- Pumpkin Cupcakes or Pumpkin Cake
- Gingerbread Cupcakes or Gingerbread Cake
- Chocolate White Chocolate Cupcakes
- White Chocolate Brownies
Really, it’s great on pretty much anything you might typically top with vanilla buttercream or cream cheese frosting!
It also makes for a wonderful cupcake filling. See my post on How to Fill Cupcakes for how to do so and for recipe pairing inspiration.
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 0 minutes
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: 2.5 cups
- Category: Frosting
- Method: Mixing
- Cuisine: American
Description
Learn how to make sweet and creamy white chocolate buttercream frosting with this easy recipe. Although it looks plain, the frosting is made with melted white chocolate, so there’s extra flavor hiding in each creamy swirl. Be sure to use real white chocolate, and not white chocolate morsels. See recipe Notes.
Ingredients
- 6 ounces (170g) white chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (16 Tbsp; 226g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 2 cups (240g) confectionersโ sugar
- 1/4 cup (60ml) heavy cream or half-and-half*
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/8 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt the white chocolate: Chop the white chocolate, then melt in a double boiler on the stove, or simply use the microwave: Place chopped white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl (I usually use a glass liquid measuring cup), and microwave in 20-second increments, stirring after every 20 seconds until completely smooth. Set it aside to cool at room temperature for 20 minutes. (Be sure the melted white chocolate has cooled for 20 minutes, so it’s still melted but not scorching hot, which would melt the butter.)
- In a medium bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on medium speed for 1 minute. Switch the mixer to low speed and slowly add the confectionersโ sugar.
- Stir the cooled white chocolate so that it is smooth, and then add it to the butter/sugar mixture. Switch the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes until combined and creamy.
- Add the cream, vanilla extract, and salt. Beat for 1 minute until combined. Taste. Add 1 more Tablespoon of heavy cream/milk if needed to thin out, if desired. Add another pinch of salt if frosting is too sweet.
- Use immediately or cover tightly and store for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 3 months in the freezer. After freezing, thaw in the refrigerator, then beat the frosting on medium speed for a few seconds so itโs creamy again. After thawing or refrigerating, beating in a splash of heavy cream or milk will help thin the frosting out again, if needed. (It stiffens in the refrigerator.)
Notes
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Glass Liquid Measuring Cup or Double Boiler |ย Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand Mixer)
- White Chocolate: Do NOT use white chocolate morsels in this frosting. Use pure white chocolate, which typically comes in 4-ounce bars, and can be found in the baking aisle near the chocolate chips. I like Baker’s or Ghirardelli brands.
- Cream: For the frosting, milk is OK to use instead of heavy cream or half-and-half. However, cream is preferred for creamiest texture.
- Quantity: This recipe is enough to frost 12โ16 cupcakes, a 3-layer 6-inch cake, or a thin layer on a 9×13-inch quarter sheet cake. 1.5x the recipe for a 2-layer cake. (Doubling the recipe would be far too much.)
- Decorating Tips: Be sure to check out my post on how to use piping tipsย (with video tutorial!), and my recommendations for essential cake baking & decorating tools.
Reader Comments and Reviews
hey sally! would it be possible to substitute milk for heavy cream in this recipe?
Hi Katie, milk is OK to use instead of heavy cream or half-and-half. However, cream is preferred for creamiest texture.
Is there a way to make this dairy free? I’m cottage food certified & cant use the heavy cream (ive got the butter sorted already)
Hi Kristen, you can use a non-dairy milk in a pinch. The frosting may not be quite as creamy.
I used your recipe as a base for a wedding cake I am making. I made four times the recipe, but I also added two 8 ounce blocks of cream cheese. I adjusted my confection sugar to 13 cups and instead of using melted white chocolate, I actually used white chocolate, flavored coffee, creamer, and place of my heavy cream. Iโve been playing around with flavored coffee creamers, instead of using heavy creams and milks in my recipes and it really expands your options when baking! Itโs been fun to try and test new things! This icing turned out amazing. I just wanted to share!
Hello Sally, Iโm planning to make this as a filling and crumb coat then cover the cake with your SMBC, will this be okay or?
Thank you
Should work beautifully! Let us know how it goes ๐
Hello, I’ve made this frosting before for a pistachio cake and it was delicious!
I wondered how much you would advise using to cover a 3 tier wedding cake 6,9,12 inch rounds all about 4-5 inches tall?
Thank you!
Hi Clare! We’re unsure of the exact amount needed, but you can use the details in the recipe Notes to help get you closer. We would think somewhere around 4x this recipe. You can always make more batches as needed!
Would I be able to use Ghiradelli powdered white chocolate for this if i whip it with the heavy whipping cream, or could that change the texture?
Hi Serenity, we don’t recommend powdered white chocolate here, but you could try using it instead of the cocoa in this chocolate buttercream. Let us know if you try it!
Hi Sally, Iโm planning on using this white chocolate buttercream to cover top & sides of your moist chocolate cake recipe. Then Iโm covering with fondant. Will this be ok?
Hi Sharon, Yes this buttercream should be fine under fondant. Enjoy!
Hi! I’m planning on doubling this recipe for 2 dozen cupcakes in a pull-apart cake for my husband’s birthday and, since he loves cream cheese frosting, I’m wondering if I can replace one of the cups of butter I’ll be using with a cup of cream cheese?
Hi LeAnn, We havenโt tested it ourselves, but you could try swapping some (not all) of the butter with some cream cheese. You may need to tinker with the confectionersโ sugar bit since cream cheese will make the frosting softer. Let us know what you try!
So I doubled the recipe and used half the butter and subbed in 8 ozs of cream cheese and my husband said its “the best frosting of all time”. I didn’t need any cream to thin it out (it was really easy to work with on frozen cupcakes) – slathering it on liberally, I still ended up with an extra cup of frosting. So it does what it says and is as yummy as advertised!
Can I use gel food colouring to colour this like a usual buttercream?
You bet!
Hi, I am planning to use this to fill and cover a 4 layer 10 inch round cake (it will however have fondant on top so the frosting layer on the top and sides would only be relatively thin) – would it be best to do 2x the recipe or would that be too much?
Hi Lucy, it will depend on how much frosting you use between the layers as well, but we would double the recipe to be safe.