The Best White Chocolate Buttercream

You guys, this white chocolate buttercream is seriously THE BEST! It has a classic white chocolate taste without being sickly sweet. It is easy to put together and is the perfect topping for cakes and cupcakes such as my Fresh Raspberry Cupcakes.

Tips for making the best white chocolate buttercream

1. Use a good quality salted butter. Salted butter helps to cut the sweetness of the white chocolate. High quality butters also have lower water content making for a creamy buttercream. I love Kerry Gold Irish butter for this recipe.
2. Use a high quality white chocolate bakers bar or white chocolate chips. Lower quality white chocolate chips tend to not melt as smoothly as high quality chips. This may lead to a lumpy buttercream. I use Ghirardelli white chocolate chips for this recipe.
3. Let the melted white chocolate mixture cool before adding to the butter! This is SUPER important. If you skip this step and add the white chocolate to the butter while it is still too hot you will end up with a greasy mess.
4. Beat the buttercream for 1-3 minutes once all ingredients have been added. This will help make the white chocolate buttercream nice and creamy.

Step by step instructions

Making this white chocolate buttercream is super easy. Start by adding the white chocolate chips to a microwave safe bowl and pour over two tablespoons of heavy cream. Next microwave the white chocolate on high for 30 seconds. Leave the mixture to rest for 30 seconds before stirring until smooth. If the mixture still has some lumps of chocolate (which it shouldn’t) microwave again for 10-15 seconds.

Set the white chocolate aside to cool for 10-15 minutes. DO NOT skip this step. Once the white chocolate has cooled beat the room temperature butter with a stand or hand mixer until light and creamy. With the mixer running on the lowest speed slowly add the melted white chocolate and vanilla to the butter and stir until well combined.

Add the powdered sugar to the butter/white chocolate mixture one cup at a time until well combined. Finally add the last tablespoon of heavy cream and beat for 1-3 minutes until creamy.

If you plan to pipe your buttercream you will want a slightly stiffer buttercream, like the picture above. If you are planning on using a spatula to apply the buttercream you will want it a little softer. Is your buttercream is too loose? Add more powdered sugar. Buttercream too stiff? Add more heavy cream one teaspoon at a time.

Looking for an easy way to fill a piping bag? Check out my tips in my Simple Cream Cheese Frosting post.

Print Recipe

The Best White Chocolate Buttercream

Author: Mandy

Difficulty: Beginner Prep Time 10 min Rest Time 10 min Total Time 20 mins Servings: 12

Description

The best white chocolate frosting. Creamy, easy to make and not too sweet. It is the perfect topping for cakes and cupcakes.

Ingredients

Servings

• 4 ounces high quality white chocolate
• 3 tablespoons heavy cream (divided)
• 6 ounces salted butter (3/4 cup, room temperature)
• ¹⁄₂ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 3 cups powdered sugar

Instructions

1. 1. In a microwave safe bowl pour 2 tablespoons of heavy cream over the white chocolate chips
   2. Microwave white chocolate and heavy cream for 30 seconds on high
   3. Set mixture aside for 30 seconds for chocolate to continue to melt then stir to combine until smooth. If lumps of chocolate still appear in the mixture microwave again for 15 seconds
   4. Leave the white chocolate mixture to cool (approximately 10-15minutes) before moving on to the next steps
   5. In a large bowl beat the butter with a stand or hand mixer until light and fluffy
   6. With the mixer running on the lowest setting slowly pour in the white chocolate mixture and vanilla until well combined
   7. With the mixer still running on low add the powdered sugar 1 cup at a time followed by the final tablespoon of heavy cream
   8. Beat on high for 1-3 minutes until light and fluffy
   9. Frost your baked goods and enjoy

Notes

This recipe makes enough frosting for 12 cupcakes or a 9" cake

Ensure the white chocolate mixture is cooler before adding to the butter or you will end up with a greasy mess

A high quality salted butter is recommended for this recipe, however if you use unsalted butter you will want to add a 1/4 teaspoon of salt to the recipe to help cut the sweetness

If you plan to use this recipe for cupcakes I recommend beating the buttercream a little longer than if you are using it for a cake

Keywords: White Chocolate Buttercream, White Chocolate Frosting, Buttercream, White Chocolate