Mary Berry Vanilla Buttercream Recipe: Easy & Delicious
Mary Berry Vanilla Buttercream Recipe is a classic British baking favorite, known for its light texture and perfect sweetness. This easy vanilla buttercream icing is ideal for cakes, cupcakes, and traditional British desserts.
This blog provides a comprehensive guide to her fool-proof recipe with expert detail, style, tricks for getting the perfect texture, and adaptable ideas to make your baking life fancy but doable.
Whether you’re frosting a traditional Victoria sponge, icing the next batch of cupcakes, or making a light scone-based treat like Mary Berry style cheese scones, this is the buttercream you will always go back to.
About Mary Berry and Her Baking Legacy
Mary Berry is one of Britain’s most beloved bakers, renowned for her reliable and delicious recipes. Her vanilla buttercream recipe exemplifies classic British baking — simple, perfectly balanced, and easy to recreate at home.
Key features of her style:
- Ease of use ratios: Always in proportion for even textures.
- Smoothness first: Acknowledging the importance of the creaming method and soft butter
- Classic British flavor balance: Well balanced; not sweet, not too heavy.
Mary Berry Vanilla Buttercream Recipe Ingredients – Only 4 Basics
Mary Berry’s vanilla buttercream is made using the traditional British method of icing sugar and butter ratio of 2:1, with a little milk and vanilla added for extra creaminess and aroma.
- 250g unsalted butter, softened (approx 1 cup or two sticks)
- 500g icing sugar (confectioners’ sugar) sifted (4 cups)
- 2-3 tbsp milk (preferably whole milk)
- 1½ tsp vanilla extract (preferably pure vanilla
Method:
Beat butter until pale and creamy.
Gradually add sifted icing sugar, mix well.
Add vanilla extract and milk to loosen.
Beat until smooth, fluffy, and spreadable.
Tips:
Adjust milk for consistency. Use pure vanilla for best flavor. Store in airtight container.
Tools Required for Mary Berry's Vanilla Buttercream
Electric handheld mixer or stand mixer (paddle attachment or whisk attachment)
- Mixing bowl
- Sieve (for icing sugar)
- Rubber spatula
- Measuring spoons
- Small jug for milk
Optional: Piping bag/spout, palette knife to spread
Step by Step: Mary Berry's Vanilla Buttercream
Step 1: Soften the Butter well
Use room temperature butter, soft enough to push with your finger but not melted.
Mary’s Tip: Always beat your butter first before adding sugar to ensure you have a light, fluffy start.
Step 2: Beat Butter to Pale & Creamy
Beat the softened unsalted butter using a mixer on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until pale and creamy. This step aerates the butter, essential for smooth vanilla buttercream icing with the perfect spreadable texture.
This next step is very important; you need to aerate the butter so you can properly incorporate the icing sugar.
Step 3: Gradually add the Icing Sugar
Always sift your icing sugar before adding it gradually to avoid grainy vanilla buttercream frosting. Adding too much at once can create a heavy texture, so add in batches and mix well.
Do not rush this step. Adding too much icing sugar at one time will create a grainy and heavy frosting.
Step 4: Add Vanilla & Milk to Loosen
When the sugar has been fully incorporated, add the pure vanilla extract and 1 tbsp of milk. Continue to beat at high speed for another minute.
If your icing is too thick, add more milk, 1 tsp at a time, to loosen it to your desired consistency.
Step 5: Beat it to Add Even More Whip
Once all the ingredients have been added, beat your buttercream for another 2-3 minutes to achieve that smooth and whipped finish that only Mary Berry can create.
Step 6: Check Consistency
Your buttercream should:
- Hold its shape, but not be as firm as a block.
- Be easily spreadable or pipeable.
- It looks pale and shiny.
- If it’s too thick, add milk. If it’s too runny, sift in more icing sugar.
How Much Frosting Does This Make?
You will have enough buttercream to sandwich and cover a 2 x 20cm (8in) two-layer cake or ice 12–16 cupcakes generously with a medium swirl of icing. You might like to have a little more to play with, just in case you want to make a three-layer cake, or big swirls on your cupcakes. I recommend you batch up a batch to 1.5×.
Variations for Mary Berry's Vanilla Buttercream
While Mary Berry’s vanilla base is deliberately simple, you can easily convert the same recipe into other interesting variations:
Chocolate Buttercream
Using a random example, in your vanilla base, replace 50g of icing sugar with cocoa powder, and increase your milk to 3 tbsp.
Strawberry Buttercream
Add 2 tbsp freeze-dried strawberry powder and a drop of pink gel color.
Lemon Buttercream
Replace the vanilla extract with lemon extract by adding one teaspoon of lemon zest.
Coffee Buttercream
Dissolve one tablespoon of instant coffee in 1 tablespoon of hot water and add in place of the vanilla.
What Cakes Go Best with Mary Berry’s Buttercream
This buttercream is very versatile, and here’s where it does very well:
- Victoria sponge – spread between layers and on top
- Vanilla cupcakes – piped with a star nozzle
- Chocolate traybakes – spread on in a thick, smooth layer like in Mary Berry Malteser tray bake
- Birthday layer cakes – great for crumb coats and finishing touches
- Madeira cake – this works well paired together because of its sweetness levels
Storage and Make-ahead Tips
- Fridge: Airtight container for up to 1 week. Allow it to come to room temperature and re-whip before use.
- Freezer: Will freeze for up to 3 months. Defrost overnight in the fridge, then beat again before piping.
- Room temperature: I find that it is safe for up to 2 days on frosted cakes (only if the room is cool).
Expert Tips for the Best Success
- Use a paddle attachment if possible, as the smoothest texture will be achieved with a paddle (the whisk produces a lot of air, which is not ideal sometimes)
- Always use pure vanilla extract (not essence) for the best flavor.
- If coloring, use gel colors so that the consistency does not change.
- If you want it whiter, beat it for longer or add a tiny pinch of violet gel color to offset the yellow.
Creative Ways to Use This Buttercream
This vanilla buttercream is a great way to get children involved or express yourself creatively in the kitchen!
- You can add food coloring and make rainbow cupcakes.
- You can use cookie cutters to make shaped cakes and then ice them.
- You can pipe names or numbers on birthday traybakes.
- Or you can sandwich between shortbread cookies to make buttercream biscuits.
Or even pair it with a light, rolled dessert like Swiss roll recipe by Mary Berry.
Conclusion: A Buttercream Recipe to Learn and Reuse
Mary Berry’s buttercream recipe is an essential skill for the home baker. Simple, yes, but a great recipe with lots of soft, creamy sweetness to use on any cake. With only four ingredients plus some mixing tips, you can craft bakery-style results without any bother.
This buttercream will be your best friend whether you are posting a traditional Victoria sponge or making cupcakes for a party. It is reliable and versatile, and you can change the flavor to your heart’s desire.
Once you make it, you will love it forever.
FAQs
Can I make Mary Berry buttercream in advance?
Yes, just store it in the fridge until required and re-whip before use.
Why is my buttercream grainy?
Most probably, the icing sugar was not sifted, or there was not enough time to mix.
Can I use salted butter?
You can, but it will change the flavor slightly.
How do I make it whiter?
Mix longer, and add a tiny amount of violet gel color.
Can I pipe this buttercream?
Yes, it holds the shape of a swirl and borders very well.