White American Buttercream with Food Gel
Creamy American buttercream made by beating room-temperature salted butter until light, then combining with sifted icing sugar, milk, and vanilla. Purple food gel neutralizes yellow tones while edible whitener brightens the final frosting for pristine white decoration on cakes and cupcakes.
Ingredients
- 1 ¾ cups powdered sugar, siftedpowdered sugar1:1regional alternativeFull guide →
- 12 tbsp salted butter, room temperature
- 1 ½ tbsp milk
- 1 tbsp vanilla flavouring, clear preferredalmond flavouring1:1flavoradds tree_nuts
- purple food gel(optional)
- 1 tbsp edible food whitener(optional)
Instructions
- 1
Add butter to mixing bowl and beat on high speed for around 15 minutes until lightened
- 2
Sift in powdered sugar to remove lumps
- 3
Add milk and flavouring, mix on low speed until ingredients begin to combine
- 4
Increase mixer speed to medium-high and mix for at least 5 minutes until smooth and creamy
- 5
Add a tiny amount of purple food gel to neutralize yellow tones
- 6
Add edible whitener and mix through until fully incorporated
Tips
Use clear vanilla flavouring to maintain white color; colored extracts may tint the buttercream
Room-temperature butter is essential for proper whipping and light texture
Add food gel and whitener gradually to avoid over-coloring
Good to Know
Refrigerate in airtight container up to 2 weeks; bring to room temperature before use
Prepare buttercream up to 2 days in advance
Use immediately to decorate cakes and cupcakes, or store until needed
Common Mistakes
Do not skip the initial 15-minute butter beating to avoid dense, grainy frosting
Do not add icing sugar without sifting to avoid lumps in final texture
Do not add food gel or whitener in large amounts to avoid dark coloring