I have this friend who is a total chocolate lover. When I asked her what she wanted for her birthday cake, she said, “milk chocolate, white chocolate, any kind of chocolate.” So I decided to make her the ultimate chocolate lover’s birthday cake: layers of my favorite chocolate cake recipe frosted with a flavor ombre that went from chocolate buttercream to white chocolate buttercream. It was to die for.
After sharing it on Instagram, I got so many requests for my white chocolate buttercream recipe that I just have to share it here. It’s made with melted white chocolate chips (I use Hershey’s, but feel free to use any brand) to give it a really authentic, decadent flavor. And best of all, it pipes and frosts like a dream, so whether you’re piping it onto cupcakes or looking for a smooth buttercream cake finish, this recipe has you covered.
This white chocolate buttercream recipe pairs well with so many flavors. You can make it ultra decadent by topping a chocolate cake or pair it with some fruity flavors to add a little richness. I’ve even paired it with pumpkin cake in the Fall and the flavor palette was so dreamy! It’s versatile, not too sweet, and the perfect amount of silky smooth.
Here’s a quick video that shows how easy it is to whip up this white chocolate buttercream:
PS: If you’re into recipe videos like this one, be sure to check out my YouTube Channel! You’ll find more of my favorite recipes, cake decorating tutorials, and so much more. Click the Subscribe button while you’re there so you never miss a new video!
White Chocolate Buttercream
Ingredients
- 6 oz (170g) white chocolate chips
- 1 Cup (226g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- 1 1/2 Cups (180g) powdered sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/4 tsp kosher salt
Instructions
- Melt the white chocolate chips in the microwave or a double boiler, stirring until there are no lumps. Set aside to cool slightly.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter on high until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Turn the mixer to low, add the powdered sugar, and mix until well combined. Scrape down the bowl and paddle, give the melted white chocolate a few stirs and make sure it’s not hot enough to melt the butter (if it is still too hot, wait a few minutes before adding!), then add it in. Turn the mixer to medium speed and beat for 2 minutes, until the mixture is smooth. Add the vanilla and salt and mix on low for another minute, until fully combined.
Notes
- Frost 12-15 cupcakes with a piping bag
- Fill and crumb coat a three-layer 6-inch cake or two-layer 8-inch cake. To have enough for frosting and decorating as well, double the recipe.
Did you make this recipe? I want to know how it went! Let me know in the comments below or tag me on Instagram so I can see what you’re caking. I love to see your creations!
Hi Whitney ! I was wondering if this beautiful white chocolate bc recipe be used with Italian Merengue bc as well. Thank you !
Hi Adriana! The process for making Italian Meringue buttercream is quite a bit different than making the above recipe (American Buttercream). I’ve never made it before but I’m sure there are recipes for white chocolate Italian Meringue Buttercream out there from other bakers!
I made a triple chocolate fudge cake for my husband’s birthday but needed to have a white outer frosting to decorate it the way I wanted. So, I decided adding another chocolate flavor was best. This recipe was perfect. Amazing flavor and the perfect consistency. My only issue was that the white icing started separating and sliding away from from the other chocolate frosting as the cake warmed up! 🙂 It was all delicious, though!
Hi Rachel! That sounds delicious! I’ve paired this white chocolate buttercream with chocolate cake before and it’s so, so tasty. Glad you and your husband loved the recipe and sorry to hear about the cake getting too warm!
Question, I’m making a chocolate cake for my husbands nephew. Found your recipe and was wondering if it was “food color” safe? I didn’t want to put vanilla or just regular buttercream frosting on a chocolate cake and wanted to incorporate a chocolate buttercream frosting but wasn’t sure if food color would work to make the cake colorful like he wants.
Hi Jamie! This buttercream is food color safe. Go ahead and make it colorful!
Thank you so much. I will try with a little bit and see how it goes.
Hi! I’ve just discovered your blog and is in baking heaven. I can’t wait to try your recipes and tips and tricks. I want to try and make this buttercream but would like to use food colouring. I know food colour and chocolate doesn’t go well together unless it’s oil-based, will it affect my buttercream if I don’t have oil-based food gel? Thank you.
Hi Reena! I’ve actually never tried coloring this buttercream before, but I did see someone on Instagram color this recipe with a vibrant pink Americolor gel. It seems to work fine with water-based food coloring, so I’d say go for it!
Love this and can’t wait to try it out! I’m just wondering how you decide on whether to use a buttercream or cream cheese frosting on cake! I’m just learning as I go and just don’t know how to decide which is best to use!!
Thanks so much, Nicole! The only deciding factor for me on which buttercream to use is the flavor of the cake. If I think it’ll pair better with cream cheese buttercream (lemon cake, carrot cake, pumpkin cake etc) I’ll use that. If not, I’ll choose a buttercream flavor based on what I think would taste better. Hope that helps!
How do you do the colour in the middle? It is a mix of both buttercream or is the same as white chocolate but with milk chocolate? Thanks from Spain!
Hi Sonia! The flavor ombre was created using white chocolate buttercream on the top, chocolate buttercream on the bottom, and a mix of both in the middle. Here is the chocolate buttercream recipe: https://sugarandsparrow.com/chocolate-buttercream-recipe/
Hi Whitney,
Can I use this recipe with Striped Buttercream Circus Animals Party Cake? I am afraid it could be a little stiff for it, if this is the case, how can I make it thinner?
Thanks for sharing your recipes with us, love your creativity!!!
Hi Rosana! You can totally use this buttercream with the Striped Buttercream Circus Animals Party Cake tutorial as-is! The consistency should be just right for making stripes. If you feel like you need to thin it out more you can always add another tsp or two of whole milk at the end.
Hi Whitney, do you think we can add color to this buttercream? Thanks!
Hi Mariana! You absolutely can add color 🙂
Hi Whitney! I’m loving the taste of this recipe…do you have any articles on the consistency and thickness of frosting to get that smooth finish? I’m thinking my batch is too smooth and runny, but maybe it should be?
Thanks for the help and great recipe!
Hi Laura, I do have a bit of info on buttercream consistency after the recipe in this post: https://sugarandsparrow.com/vanilla-buttercream-recipe/
I like a thin consistency for frosting a smooth buttercream finish but if your buttercream is too runny, you can always add another 1/2 cup of powdered sugar to thicken it up + a pinch of salt to make sure it doesn’t end up too sweet. Hope that helps!
Hi Whitney!
I tried this recipe and it tastes amazing, but when I poured the white chocolate into the mixer it hardened and I got little chunks of white chocolate throughout the frosting. I tried it a couple times and the same thing kept happening. Do you have any tips or suggestions? I love the taste so I really want to get it right! Thank you so much!
Annie
Hi Annie! That’s so interesting, I haven’t heard of that happening before. The only things I can think of is either 1) the white chocolate was cooled too much before adding it in (it can be warm, just not too hot to melt the butter), or 2) the white chocolate wasn’t completely melted to start with. Let me know if either of those things changes the outcome next time.
Thank you so much for responding! I think you were right and my chocolate was too cool. Third time was the charm, it came out perfect!
Thank you thank you!
Yay!! I am so happy to hear that it worked perfectly 🙂 Glad you’re loving this recipe!
I have the same issue – can I fix it? Or do I need to bin it and start again?
Hi Becky! If the white chocolate was too cool before adding it to the buttercream, it will result in little lumps of chocolate in the buttercream. There isn’t a way to fix it once you’ve added it. Next time, make sure that the white chocolate is still a little warm, just not too hot to melt the buttercream, before adding it in.
Hi Whitney ! I would like to know if this recipe works with Italian Merengue Buttercream ¿? Sounds delicious!!
I had a snafu with white chocolate ganache last night–I didn’t pay very close attention to the recipe OR to what I was grabbing at the store and ended up with half-and-half. My WCG would not whip. I added meringue powder and powdered sugar, but it only thickened up slightly. Do you think I could cream butter and add some of the WC/half-and-half mixture and get the same or at least similar results as this frosting? I refuse to throw away the mixture–it’s so tasty!
Hi Kimber! I think you could totally substitute the melted white chocolate in this recipe with your ganache mixture! If the ganache super sweet, maybe decrease the amount of powdered sugar by 1/2 cup and see how the consistency of the buttercream is. You can always add that 1/2 cup of powdered sugar back in at the end of the recipe if you need it to be thicker. Let me know how it goes!
Delicious! Made enough for 24 smallish cupcakes.
So happy you love this recipe, Karen! Thanks for taking the time to let me know!
What size cake will it frost.
Hi Demetria! This is enough buttercream to fill and frost a three-layer 4-inch cake. I would double it for a three-layer 6-inch cake or a two-layer 8 or 9 inch cake. Hope that helps!
Would it be possible to use shortening instead of butter to increase the heat stability of the icing?
Hi MC! I have never tried that before but I have a hunch it would work.
that looks pretty yummi… Can I substitute the white for dark chocolate?
Hi Camila! You can certainly substitute dark chocolate in this recipe. Let me know if you try it!
Sure I will!!!
Thank you for dis recepie. Will try it soon. Can we pipe flowers using dis cream?
Hi Femida! This buttercream will work for flowers. If you like it to be stiffer for more intricate flowers, I would add up to 1 cup of extra powdered sugar to stiffen up the consistency.