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35 Comments

Basic Vanilla Buttercream Glaze Recipe

Kathleen

by Kathleen Pope Mar 22, 2023

Jump to Recipe

Long pin images with top image of mixing bowl with fluffy buttercream glaze and bottom image of glaze poured over the top of a chocolate cake.
Pinterest Image for Quick and Easy Best Vanilla Basic Glaze with image of chocolate cake covered in drizzled fingers of vanilla butter glaze
Pinterest Image for Basic Vanilla Butter Glaze, showing pouring of glaze onto chocolate bundt cake

A basic vanilla buttercream glaze recipe is a must for every baker! If you want something a little more than a powdered sugar and water glaze, this is the recipe for you. Creamy, buttery and so very simple!

Whether you are lightly frosting a cake, quick bread, donut, cookies or cinnamon roll glaze, this vanilla glaze is perfect!

Having great frosting, buttercream and glaze recipes in your recipe box is essential, like this brown butter glaze, and our favorite fluffy vanilla buttercream.

Image of chocolate cake topped with vanilla buttercream glaze, sitting on top of a galvanized cake stand
This post may contain affiliate links. Read my disclosure & privacy policy.

4-INGREDIENT BUTTERCREAM GLAZE

Simple ingredients you probably already have in your pantry, gather these and let’s make this simple but amazing vanilla butter glaze:

basic vanilla buttercream glaze ingredients. L-R vanilla extract or paste, powdered sugar, melted butter and heavy cream
  • BUTTER | it wouldn’t be a butter glaze without the butter, I used salted, if you use unsalted, add a pinch of salt.
  • POWDERED SUGAR |that fluffy sweet, white stuff, aka confectioners sugar and icing powder.
  • VANILLA EXTRACT | Real vanilla extract is important here! I also love using vanilla bean paste, or a teaspoon of each.
  • HEAVY CREAM | binds everything together, adding to that creamy texture and taste. If no heavy cream, half and half or whole milk may be used.

HOW TO MAKE VANILLA BUTTER GLAZE

  1. In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add all ingredients, beat on low until combined.
  2. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.
3 images for buttercream glaze. 1. pouring melted butter into powdered sugar. 2. adding vanilla. 3. adding cream

At this point it’s a light, airy, buttercream, which is perfect to ice a cake or quick bread, but keep reading to see how to make this into a pourable icing.

HOW TO MAKE BUTTERCREAM AN ICING GLAZE

  • Simply place buttercream glaze into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, stirring until desired pourable consistency.
two images for buttercream glaze. 1. more buttercream consistency, 2. after microwaving pourable onto a chocolate cake

VARIATIONS FOR BASIC GLAZE RECIPE

Variations are the spice of life!

  • Use a different flavor extract | for instance, you might try Bourbon Vanilla, Lemon Extract, Peppermint extract, Orange Extract, Almond Extract and Maple extract. Substitute teaspoon for teaspoon.
  • ADD ZEST | Zest one lemon or an orange and toss it in during mixing, adds a bright and beautiful zing!
  • ADD COLOR |Add a drop or two of food coloring (I like all natural food colorings)
Pink buttercream glaze on top of a chocolate bundt cake with heart sprinkles on top

TIPS FOR THE BEST VANILLA GLAZE

  • Use immediately! Glazes will harden as they cool. If glaze hardens on you, simply stir in a teaspoon or two more of cream, stir and then microwave until pourable once again.
  • Pour onto COOLED Baked Goods | For a visible glaze or icing on the cake, make sure your baked goods are cooled completely.
  • Soaking a Cake | Some cakes use a glaze on the hot cake (like this Kentucky Butter Cake), the warm buttery glaze soaks into the cake giving it a sweet, slightly crunchy texture.
  • USE REAL BUTTER | In all baking recipes, it is important to use real, creamery butter. If your butter is soft directly out of the fridge it is not real butter, but a blend!
  • Storage | Store leftover icing glaze in the refrigerator in an airtight container, up to 7 days. Warm in microwave and stir well to use.
  • SPRINKLES | I love sprinkles, if using, sprinkle quickly after drizzling as this buttercream glaze will harden rather quickly
landscape image of chocolate bundt cake drizzled with vanilla buttercream glaze on pedestal with gray tea towel

SERVING SUGGESTIONS FOR VANILLA GLAZE

The list is limited only by our imaginations!

  • Slather a little of this vanilla glaze on top of canned or store bought cinnamon rolls to spruce them up.
  • Pour over the top of your favorite quick breads to add a dessert like flare.
  • Drizzle butter glaze on top of your favorite cake or bundt cake recipe, like this Easy Chocolate Cake!

Like this recipe?

Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating and leave a comment below the recipe!

Recipe Card
landscape image of chocolate bundt cake drizzled with vanilla buttercream glaze on pedestal with gray tea towel

Basic Vanilla Buttercream Glaze Recipe

5 from 13 readers
Author: Kathleen Pope
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Total Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 1 Glaze to cover 1 Bundt Cake
Print Pin SaveSaved!
A basic vanilla buttercream glaze recipe is a must for every baker! If you want something a little more than a powdered sugar and water glaze, this is the recipe for you. Creamy, buttery and so very simple!

Equipment

  • 7-Speed Digital Hand Mixer with Turbo Beater II Accessories and Pro Whisk – Contour Silver
  • Silicone Spatula Set – Heat Resistant BPA FREE
  • Anchor Hocking 2 Quart Glass Batter Bowl With Lid 

Ingredients 
US Customary – Metric

  • 6 tablespoons butter melted (salted or unsalted may be used, if using unsalted add a pinch of salt)
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 teaspoons vanilla extract see additional extract suggestions in notes
  • 3-4 tablespoons heavy cream half and half, whole milk may be substituted
Get Recipe Ingredients

Instructions

  • In a large mixing bowl or bowl of a stand mixer, add all ingredients, beat on low until combined. Increase speed to medium-high and beat until smooth.
  • At this point it’s a light, airy, buttercream, which is perfect to ice a cake or quick bread, but keep reading to see how to make this into a pourable icing.
  • Simply place buttercream glaze into a microwave safe bowl and heat for 30 seconds, stirring until desired pourable consistency.
Last step! Leave a RatingRate this recipe here. This helps other readers and helps support this website.

Notes

Icing Variations

  • Use a different flavor extract | for instance, you might try Bourbon Vanilla, Lemon Extract, Peppermint extract, Orange Extract, Almond Extract and Maple extract. Substitute teaspoon for teaspoon.
    ADD ZEST | Zest one lemon or an orange and toss it in during mixing, adds a bright and beautiful zing!
    ADD COLOR |Add a drop or two of food coloring (I like all natural food colorings)

TIPS for the Best Glaze

  • Use immediately! Glazes will harden as they cool. If glaze hardens on you, simply stir in a teaspoon or two more of cream, stir and then microwave until pourable once again.
  • Pour onto COOLED Baked Goods | For a visible glaze or icing on the cake, make sure your baked goods are cooled completely.
  • Soaking a Cake | Some cakes use a glaze on the hot cake (like this Kentucky Butter Cake), the warm buttery glaze soaks into the cake giving it a sweet, slightly crunchy texture.
  • USE REAL BUTTER | In all baking recipes, it is important to use real, creamery butter. If your butter is soft directly out of the fridge it is not real butter, but a blend!
    Storage | Store leftover icing glaze in the refrigerator in an airtight container, up to 7 days. Warm in microwave and stir well to use.
  • SPRINKLES | I love sprinkles, if using, sprinkle quickly after drizzling as this buttercream glaze will harden rather quickly
Serving TIPS
  • Slather a little of this vanilla glaze on top of canned or store bought cinnamon rolls to spruce them up.
  • Pour over the top of your favorite quick breads to add a dessert like flare.
  • Drizzle butter glaze on top of your favorite cake or bundt cake recipe, like this Easy Chocolate Cake!

Nutrition

Serving: 1serving | Calories: 2179kcal | Carbohydrates: 362g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 84g | Saturated Fat: 54g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 22g | Trans Fat: 3g | Cholesterol: 231mg | Sodium: 560mg | Potassium: 82mg | Sugar: 354g | Vitamin A: 2761IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 54mg | Iron: 0.3mg
landscape image of chocolate bundt cake drizzled with vanilla buttercream glaze on pedestal with gray tea towel
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Kathleen Pope

Meet Kathleen

Recipe Innovator | Food Photographer | Food Writer

Hi, Iโ€™m Kathleen Pope. Here at The Fresh Cooky you will find easy, mostly from-scratch, trusted recipes for all occasions. From speedy dinners to tasty desserts, with easy step-by-step instructions. I am here to help teach you how to make mouthwatering recipes without spending hours in the kitchen.

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  1. Mary

    Sat, Mar 22, 2025 at 2:34 pm

    5 stars
    This was exactly what I was looking for! Will definitely try out more flavors of extract in the future, but the texture was perfect! (For the record, it worked totally fine with my “fake” butter. I use Country Crock avocado oil butter that’s dairy free for most things, and it doesn’t make a difference ๐Ÿ˜‰

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Sat, Mar 22, 2025 at 3:49 pm

      That’s so great to know Mary, thank you for taking to time to tell us your twist! SO HAPPY it worked so well for you!

      Reply
  2. Ms C

    Wed, Dec 25, 2024 at 9:13 pm

    5 stars
    This buttercream glaze was just what I needed for my Bundt cake!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Fri, Dec 27, 2024 at 8:33 am

      So happy to hear that, Ms C! Thanks!

      Reply
  3. Free Clarke

    Sun, Dec 22, 2024 at 2:54 pm

    5 stars
    Simply the best! The search is over! This was so easy, and so delicious! Will adapt and use for all of my bakes! Thank you!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Sun, Dec 22, 2024 at 3:21 pm

      Awe thank you so much!!!

      Reply
  4. Jeanne

    Sat, Jun 15, 2024 at 1:54 pm

    5 stars
    This is soooo good! My new go-to glaze recipe!!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Sat, Jun 15, 2024 at 3:26 pm

      Love hearing this Jeanne, thank you so much!

      Reply
  5. Carol Schafer

    Sat, Mar 16, 2024 at 9:58 pm

    5 stars
    Perfect for the vanilla Bundt cake that I made! I didnโ€™t have any lemons, but used bottled lemon juice replacing two tbs of the cream with the juice. Didnโ€™t curdle the cream! Yippee! Iโ€™m not a baker but no complaints from my guests! Thanks for sharing! โ€”- Carol

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Sun, Mar 17, 2024 at 2:07 pm

      YAY!! So glad you loved it and love that you put your twist on it with the lemon juice! Thanks for your kind comment!

      Reply
  6. Debbie

    Thu, Jan 18, 2024 at 11:23 am

    5 stars
    I just found this recipe about 2 weeks ago and Iโ€™ve already made it 2 times. My kids give it 5 stars

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Thu, Jan 18, 2024 at 11:24 am

      That is high praise from kids. Thanks, Debbie!!

      Reply
  7. Jared J Zeiders

    Thu, Oct 19, 2023 at 7:06 pm

    5 stars
    Fantastix recipe. Poured smoothyl in beautiful ribbons on my bubdt cake. Best bundt cake icing i have tried yet. Double the vanilla for heaven!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Thu, Oct 19, 2023 at 8:53 pm

      Yay!! Thanks Jared! Love that you doubled the vanilla!!!

      Reply
  8. Shanna

    Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 6:07 am

    Hi, I wonder if this portable buttercream will work on petite fours? The traditional poured fondant just doesn’t sound very tasty to me.

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Fri, Sep 29, 2023 at 6:55 am

      Hi Shanna, Iโ€™m with you not a fan of fondant. I believe it will work, it will be softer than fondant, but give you the same look. I would suggest putting them in the fridge tho to keep it more firm. Good luck, let me know how it goes!!

      Reply
  9. Blair

    Fri, Mar 24, 2023 at 1:33 pm

    How would you make a chocolate version?

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Fri, Mar 24, 2023 at 3:35 pm

      Hi Blair, I would use my chocolate ganache recipe in place of a glaze honestly. You could try adding about 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, you may need to increase your liquid. Let me know if you try. Hereโ€™s my ganache if you would rather do that. https://www.thefreshcooky.com/easy-chocolate-ganache/

      Reply
  10. luis rosado

    Fri, Jan 6, 2023 at 12:31 pm

    5 stars
    Best ever

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Fri, Jan 6, 2023 at 12:31 pm

      Thank you so much Luis!!

      Reply
  11. Beverly

    Tue, Nov 23, 2021 at 5:12 pm

    Can I add passionfruit puree to the buttercream glaze? Thanks!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Mon, Nov 29, 2021 at 11:53 am

      Yes, I would reduce the amount of liquid you are adding until you have the right texture and consistency! Yummy!

      Reply
  12. Nikki Lee

    Thu, Nov 18, 2021 at 8:34 pm

    This looks like a great staple recipe for so many baked goods!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Tue, Nov 23, 2021 at 12:24 pm

      Thank you Nikki, such a great staple!

      Reply
  13. Julie Menghini

    Thu, Nov 18, 2021 at 2:39 pm

    This is the perfect Buttercream and your tips made for a creamy frosting that went perfectly on our chocolate cake! It’s now our go-to recipe.

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen Pope

      Tue, Nov 23, 2021 at 12:26 pm

      So glad to hear that Julie!

      Reply
  14. Min

    Wed, Nov 17, 2021 at 12:02 am

    5 stars
    My go-to vanilla glaze recipe!! So easy and so yummy. I always use it on my chocolate cake recipe – it was perfection!

    Reply
  15. Sheila Thigpen

    Sun, Nov 14, 2021 at 10:25 pm

    5 stars
    This is the perfect pourable glaze! I use it on everything … quick bread, donuts, and coffee cakes … YUM!

    Reply
  16. Michaela Kenkel

    Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 11:25 am

    Hands down the BEST vanilla buttercream glaze I have ever made!

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 3:45 pm

      Makes me so happy to hear this Michaela! Thank you!

      Reply
  17. Erin

    Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 10:12 am

    Welp, this was absolutely DELICIOUS! I’m obsessed with a good glaze like this, and the fact that the powdered sugar’s sweetness is balanced by the butter and vanilla was wonderful.

    Reply
    • KathleenKathleen

      Tue, Jun 15, 2021 at 3:46 pm

      Thank you so much Erin!

      Reply
  18. Erin

    Mon, Jun 14, 2021 at 4:10 pm

    5 stars
    We used this on a pound cake this weekend. I loved how it wasn’t too sweet!

    Reply
  19. Julie Menghini

    Sun, Jun 13, 2021 at 3:28 pm

    5 stars
    We were looking for a quick and easy glaze for some cake I baked and this one is by far one of the most delicious recipes I’ve made.

    Reply
  20. Sheila Thigpen

    Fri, Jun 11, 2021 at 7:08 pm

    5 stars
    So smooth and buttery, this glaze is now my go-to whenever I need a little something extra on quick breads, muffins, donuts…you name it!

    Reply

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Kathleen Pope

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Hey there! I'm Kathleen Pope, a proud wife, mom of two awesome college boys, and recipe nerd. Welcome to my world of easy recipes with a healthy twist! Join thousands who trust The Fresh Cooky as their go-to recipe source. Let's cook up some magic!

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