This whipped wedding cake frosting recipe has been in my favorites file for probably 20 years. I've used it on every wedding cake I have made and the results are always delicious. It's light and creamy with a delicate almond flavor and it holds up well for decorating, too. You don't have to use it on wedding cakes, of course! It's sure to become a favorite.
I mentioned a couple of weeks ago that I was making a wedding cake and a grooms cake for my eldest daughter's best friend's wedding. I'll be posting that strawberry poundcake recipe soon, I promise, but this wedding cake frosting recipe is one that I think you'll want on file. it's so light and creamy, fluffy and just a touch of almond flavor but it works great for decorating and holds up in transport, warm temperatures, and inquisitive children with grimy fingers.
Not that that has ever happened.
Although the recipe calls for clear vanilla I prefer to use my own homemade vanilla which is certainly not clear. Still, with the amount of frosting the color is white or at the most a very light ivory. Feel free to use what you like.
Now, let's talk sugar. Technically Confectioner's sugar is Confectioner's sugar no matter what brand you use BUT I ALWAYS use Imperial Sugar (nope they didn't pay me) because it is pure cane sugar and not the cheaper, GMO infested beet sugar that other sugars are. If GMOs don't bother you then use whatever you like... if they do then get a sugar that says "pure cane sugar" on the label. Yes, I know that my family ingests some GMOs in the things we eat anyway but I like to cut it back as far as possible and sugar is an easy place to make sure I am getting something I consider to be high quality.
End rant.
If you have leftover frosting then you can keep it tightly covered in the fridge. You can add food coloring to make it any color you like. You can add other flavorings, lemon instead of almond for example. The only thing difficult about this wedding cake frosting recipe is making sure to whip it a full 10 minutes before adding the remaining powdered sugar. You HAVE to do that... do not cut corners!
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Flavorings make all the difference. Use real stuff whenever possible and the highest quality that you can find. Experiment with different brands until you find what you like! Here are the flavorings used in this recipe:
Clear Danncy Pure Mexican Vanilla Extract From Mexico
Simply Organic Almond Extract, Certified Organic, 4-Ounce Container
Watkins All Natural Extracts, Butter, 11 Ounce
📖 Recipe
Whipped Wedding Cake Frosting Recipe
Print Save Recipe Rate RecipeIngredients
- 1 cup Crisco
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt dissolved in 1 teaspoon warm water.
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla, clear keeps the frosting bright white
- ½ teaspoon clear butter flavor
- ½ teaspoon almond extract
- ½ cup water
- 2 pounds Confectioner's sugar, 8 cups
Instructions
- Beat the Crisco, the salt solution, the vanilla, butter flavor, almond extract, water, and 1 pound of the Confectioner's sugar in a mixer at low speed with the whisk attachment until combined.
- Turn the mixer to highest speed and beat the mixture for a full 10 minutes, stopping occasionally to wipe down the side and mix in to the frosting.
- After 10 minutes turn the mixer off.
- Add the remaining Confectioner's sugar.
- Turn the mixer on to low and mix until the sugar is blended in.
- Add a little water if necessary to achieve the texture you want.
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
Kaylee says
Could I use the butter flavored crisco instead of adding the butter flavoring?
Marye says
You could - but your frosting would be yellow and not white.
Kay says
How do you smooth this icing out on a wedding cake? Can you use the paper towel method? Does it crust like an actual butter cream icing?
Marye says
You can use any method you like to smooth it. I prefer a flat spatula. It does crust like regular buttercream. 🙂
Barbara says
I will be making a wedding cake for a vegan couple and am looking at this frosting recipe. Can I use fresh lemon juice for flavoring?
Marye says
sure!
Terry R says
I have a small 3.5 quart mixer. Can I cut this recipe in half and make a few batches of it?
Marye says
Sure that should be fine. You know, if you hover over the serving sizes you can change them higher or lower and the measurements in the recipe will change automatically.
Shirrell says
I made this recipe this weekend for my daughter’s first birthday cake. The frosting wouldn’t stick to the cake. And then the frosting that I tried to pipe onto the cake wouldn’t stick. I tried different amounts of water to change the texture with no luck. I made it work but it didn’t look as nice as I would have liked. The thing is it tasted fantastic.
Marye Audet says
Generally we thin frosting with milk..it sounds like it was just too dry.
Carol says
Very easy and delicious! ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️
Dixie says
Would it be okay to leave out icing for a night on a cake or should I put in fridge?
Marye Audet says
It should be fine as long as your kitchen isn't 90 degrees.
Lori Idol says
Can I make it with vanilla and not almond by using 2 tsp of vanilla and the the butter flavor?
How can I make it with lemon extract?
Marye Audet says
yes, and with the lemon extract just add a little at a time until you like how it tastes
Marye Audet says
I haven't worked with that, Luci - sorry! I really don't know.
Jessica says
Hi! Do you have a wedding cake recipe that you prefer to use to go along with this frosting?
Marye Audet says
Not really. 🙂 I've used many.
Mary says
Used this recipie for our daughters wedding cake. It was the best. Received a lot of wonderful comments on the flavor. Thank you so much for sharing this recipie!
Marye Audet says
that's awesome! Thanks for letting me know!
Martha Marquez says
Must try it! Thank you for sharing!??
Marye Audet says
🙂 let me know what you think!
Alicia says
This is kinda like my grandma's recipe. Hers has a few more ingredients.
Marye Audet says
Yep - it's a pretty basic recipe. 🙂
Sandy Lewis says
I take it Crisco is oil is tht right
Marye Audet says
Crisco is a vegetable shortening. 🙂
Angela says
Would this frosting be ok left out over night?
Marye Audet says
Yes. It's fine for a couple of days. 🙂
april says
Hi Marye I am going to try this i need to make a 50th wedding anniversary cake for tomorrow i also hope it works to use for a little pipping because all has to be white i have been searching for a white icing havent had any luck but yours seems easy and has many good reviews my fingers are crossed that it comes out good ,
thank you for sharing.
April
Marye Audet says
Hi April! Yes it's perfect for piping! You may need to thin it a little for very small decorator tips but I use this for wedding cakes. Please let me know how it works for you - maybe share an image on instagram or the facebook page ... I 'd love to see the final result!
Marye Audet says
I don't like to use it too often because I prefer butter to Crisco but when you need something that will hold up this is it!
Katie @ Recipe for Perfection says
You know, I'm a cane sugar fan too. I didn't know about GMOs, but I do notice a difference in performance. It's subtle, but it's there.
GiGi Eats says
I want 10 spoonfuls if not more of that... In my mouth.
Sabrina @ Dinner, then Dessert says
This looks great! For our wedding cake we didn't use fondant and the bakery made the most gorgeous cake topped with buttercream. It was so smooth it looked like fondant.
Marye Audet says
Yes it can. 🙂