White Chocolate Frosting Recipe
I’m not always the biggest fan of white chocolate, but there’s something about this white chocolate frosting recipe that’s absolutely delicious.
Getting the Consistency of This Frosting Just Right
This frosting uses my American buttercream recipe as a base, then mixes in the perfect amount of white chocolate to flavor it.
One notable difference is that this recipe uses double the amount of heavy cream compared to my vanilla frosting recipe.
The white chocolate really thickens up this frosting, especially as it cools.
To get the consistency of this frosting just right, we need to add a lot more heavy cream.
This frosting is definitely on the sweet side, and that’s why I love pairing it with something tart like my raspberry cake filling.
It balances out the sweetness and helps highlight the flavor of the white chocolate.
I used this frosting on my white chocolate raspberry cake, and it was the perfect combination!
What Type of White Chocolate is Best to Use?
Since white chocolate is the only flavor in this buttercream, you want to use a good quality white chocolate.
You can use white chocolate baking bars, white chocolate couvertures, or good quality white chocolate chips.
Usually I stick with white chocolate chips to keep things simple.
White chocolate chips also are the only type of white chocolate I can find at my neighborhood grocery store.
I prefer using Ghirardelli or Guittard white chocolate chips for two reasons. The first reason is that they taste great!
The second is that they’re less yellow than some other brands of white chocolate.
Now don’t get me wrong, the yellowish color that white chocolate has is totally natural!
It comes from the cocoa butter inside the white chocolate. However, some brands of white chocolate are a lot more yellow than others.
While the yellow hue is normal, I don’t find it to be the most aesthetically pleasing color for frosting.
I like my white chocolate frosting to be relatively white in color, not yellow.
What’s The Best Way to Incorporate White Chocolate into Frosting?
The easiest way to incorporate white chocolate into this frosting recipe is to melt it with some heavy cream, then mix it in once it’s had some time to cool.
It’s imperative you don’t pour piping hot, melted white chocolate directly into your frosting. Trust me on this one!!
Give your white chocolate mixture at least 10 minutes to cool once it’s melted and mixed.
I know it might feel the white chocolate mixture is going to firm up, but I promise it won’t.
It will stay nice and fluid, and will have cool down to a temperature that won’t liquify the butter in your frosting 🙂
Troubleshooting – White Chocolate Buttercream
While this recipe is pretty straight forward, sometimes people do run into issues making it.
The most common issues are adding the white chocolate mixture when it’s too hot (which I discussed above) or adding straight white chocolate into frosting that is too cold.
If your kitchen is cold and you’re using a metal bowl, sometimes the white chocolate can harden into small chunks before it’s fully incorporated into the frosting.
I rarely run into this problem because my kitchen is basically a sauna 95% of the time.
However, I’ve designed this recipe to help avoid this in case you do live somewhere cold, or you make this in the winter.
This recipe combines heavy cream and white chocolate to make a white chocolate ganache before adding the white chocolate into the buttercream.
By doing this, you avoid any risk of having white chocolate chunks in your finished buttercream.
Paddle Attachment vs. Whisk Attachment
Now that we’ve covered troubleshooting, the last thing to discuss is our equipment!
Either a paddle or whisk attachment can be used to make this frosting with a stand mixer. You can also make this frosting with a hand mixer!
I like to use my paddle attachment when making frosting for a cake because it minimizes the amount of air that’s incorporated into the frosting.
This makes silky smooth frosting, which is easier to smooth onto cakes.
I use my whisk attachment when making frosting for cupcakes, which I like to be light and fluffy!
I like to incorporate air into frosting for cupcakes because I usually pipe massive swirls onto each cupcake.
Make This White Chocolate Frosting in Advance
This white chocolate frosting recipe can be made in advance.
I highly recommend making it ahead of time. It makes the decoration of a cake or cupcakes less stressful and a lot more fun.
This frosting keeps in the fridge for several weeks if stored in an airtight container.
When you’re ready to use the chilled buttercream, remove it from the fridge a few hours in advance (or overnight) and allow it to come to room temperature.
Give it a good stir with a rubber spatula or your kitchen aid to get rid of any air bubbles that may have formed.
Once the buttercream is smooth again, it’s ready to use!
Tips For Making the Best White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- Use good-quality white chocolate to melt and add to the frosting! It really elevates the flavor of the frosting.
- Use heavy cream or heavy whipping cream, and not normal milk! You need a higher fat percentage for the frosting to have the right consistency.
- Melt your white chocolate before you start making the frosting. This lets the chocolate cool a bit before you add it to your frosting. If you pour it in piping hot, it can melt the butter!
- If you are making frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.
- I usually make a batch of frosting to fill and frost a 7-inch or 8-inch cake.
- If you like a less sweet frosting, I recommend trying my white chocolate Swiss meringue buttercream recipe.
Let Me Know What You Think
If you make this white chocolate frosting recipe, I’d love to hear what you think!
Please leave a rating below and a comment to let me know your thoughts.
White Chocolate Frosting Recipe
Ingredients
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream, room temperature 60g
- 1 cup white chocolate chips 175g
- 2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature 452g; 1 lb. box
- 1 Tbsp vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste 12g
- 1/2 tsp fine salt 3g
- 7 cups powdered sugar 907g; 2 lb. bag
Instructions
White Chocolate Buttercream Frosting:
- Place 1/4 cup of heavy cream and 1 cup of white chocolate chips into a heatproof bowl. Heat in the microwave on high power for 1 minute.
- Let the white chocolate and heavy cream mixture sit for 1 minute to let the heat from the bowl continue to melt the white chocolate chips.
- Stir until smooth, then set aside to cool for about 10 minutes. If you have any bits of chocolate left unmelted, heat in additional 10-second increments and stir until the mixture is smooth.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or a separate large bowl, beat 2 cups of room temperature butter on a low speed for 30 seconds with a paddle attachment or hand mixer until smooth.
- Add in 1 Tbsp vanilla extract and 1/2 tsp salt. Beat on low until combined.
- Pour in the cooled white chocolate and heavy cream mixture and mix on a low speed.
- Gradually mix in 7 cups of powdered sugar on a low speed. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed.
- Mix on a low speed until the ingredients are fully incorporated and the desired consistency is reached. If the frosting seems too thick, add in additional cream, 1 tablespoon at a time. If the frosting is too thin, add in more powdered sugar, a quarter of a cup at a time.
- Stir by hand with a rubber spatula to make the frosting extra smooth at the end, then cover with plastic wrap and set aside until you're ready to use it.
Video
Notes
Making This White Chocolate Frosting in Advance and Storage Tips
Make your frosting ahead of time, or save any leftover frosting! It can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a month or in the freezer for up to 3 months. Give it a good stir once it thaws to get the consistency nice and smooth again. A frosted cake can last in the fridge for up to a week or in the freezer for up to a month. The buttercream locks in all the moisture, keeping the cake fresh and delicious! If you cut into the cake and have leftovers, use any remaining frosting to cover the cut section to keep it moist and store in the fridge for up to a week. If you are making frosting for a cake, mix the buttercream on the lowest speed at the end of the process for a couple of minutes to get out any extra air that might have been incorporated during the mixing process.Nutrition
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Can I color this frosting like regular buttercream?
Hi Melissa,
You totally can 🙂
Hello! Would this frosting hold up in heat? Also, could it be used as a decorator frosting?
@Mary Beth, please let me know if you tried this and stayed in a heat, I have to make this fir next month
@Mary Beth, did it hold up??
I’m going to make this tomorrow for a special half sheet cake. Two or three batches for a 1/2 sheet cake? And does this frosting crust so that I can use the viva towel method to smooth it? I need a smooth top to put some sugar sheets on.
This frosting is amazing. My mom is a huge white chocolate fan and I’ve tried tons of recipes to find the perfect buttercream with no luck. The trick to melt the white chocolate with the cream is perfect and it’s how I make the white chocolate cake that I served this with. I made one batch and it was just enough to frost the outside of a 3 layer 9” cake (no insides). Thanks for a great trick and an easy to follow recipe!
Hi y my buttercream has granulate of sugar even though I have mixed ot very well it’s not smooth
I’m not a huge fan of super sweet buttercream. How can I cut back on sweetness for this recipe? Can I just lessen the amount of sugar?
Would this recipe be enough for a 3 layer 6″ cake and 3 4″ cakes? The 4 inch cakes are going to be candles. 5 layer, 4 layers and 3 layers. Thank you so much.
Could I add more white chocolate to get more of that flavor in there and maybe just decrease on the cream amount?
Would I need two batches of this for a 10” 3 layer cake?
Thank you!!
7 cups of sugar is way to much! Can I put the half? Or even less? Also it works with creamcheese!?
Hi Maria,
You need a lot of powdered sugar in American style buttercreams to give it the right consistency. If you want to make a less sweet frosting, I’d recommend using a Swiss meringue buttercream or a hybrid buttercream and adding in melted and cooled white chocolate.
Here’s the link to my swiss meringue buttercream:https://chelsweets.com/swiss-meringue-buttercream-frosting/
And here’s the link to my hybrid buttercream: https://chelsweets.com/not-too-sweet-buttercream-frosting/
Hope that helps, happy baking!
Does this frosting harden I’m putting on cookies so I want it to harden and
Can I use cream cheese instead of cream Ty
Hi Joan,
This frosting crusts, but it doesn’t get fully hard like royal icing. I wouldn’t recommend stacking cookies frosted with this frosting on top of each other. I haven’t tried using cream cheese in place of the cream, but I would guess it would work! The frosting will be pretty thick though, so you still might need to add in some type of liquid to thin it out to make it pipeable. Hope that helps, happy baking!
This frosting is absolutely fabulous. I am not a white fan, but in this recipe the chocolate is subtle yet sooo flavorful. I used Guitard chips. Also, this frosting whipped up incredibly smooth, no bubbles at all. It spread and piped like a dream. This is now my new favorite frosting. Could I substitute dark chocolate for the white chocolate in this recipe?
Hi Camille,
Yay!! 🙂 You can totally substitute dark chocolate for white chocolate in this recipe, that should work great! Happy baking!
I made this using vegan cream and white choc and its really bubbly (I mixed on the slowest speed) Its almost turned into a mouse! any ideas which of the vegan ingredients might have caused this? Thanks x
Hi Robyn,
That is wild! I’ve tested out making whipped cream with different vegan creams but I haven’t used it in frosting. Out of curiosity, which brand of vegan cream did you use? From my experience whipping them up, I def think it was the vegan cream that made it bubbly. They’re formulated to increase in volume and be stable / keep their shape, so I could see it fluffing up the frosting, even when mixed on a low speed.
I’m sorry that happened though, and I appreciate you sharing that so we know for the future!
Even though it seems counterintuitive, a vegan milk like almond or soy might be a better option in the future to make a smooth frosting. Hope that helps for next time!
Hi! This recipe is amazing! Quick question, my frosting had small bits of hard crystallized sugar in the end. Could this be because I let my ganache cool too much before incorporating into the butter?
Hi Kim,
Thank you!! That’s interesting, hard bits of sugar?? I’m not quite sure what that might be from! I would think that even if some of the ganache cooled, it would be softer chunks with a consistency similar to white chocolate. And then I don’t think it’d be from the powdered sugar, because it should be fine enough that it wouldn’t clump up like that.
Is there any chance that some granulated sugar some how got mixed into your powdered sugar??
My daughter asked me to make a cake in The Cake Bible by Rose Levy Beranbaum. It uses her Creme Ivoire as a frosting. What a disaster. At the end of a long process and 24 oz of Ghirardelli white bakers chocolate I basically had hard white chocolate. Wish I had seen this recipe sooner!
So sorry to hear that Tim! But better late than never 🙂 Happy baking!!
Hi! I usually substitute non-dairy coffee creamer for cream in my buttercream. Do you think that would work in this recipe? 🙂
Hi Liz,
Great question! I haven’t tested it, but I would think a non-dairy coffee creamer should work ok in this recipe!
I made your frosting today, I must say this is the best frosting I have used in a long time. How can it make this a lemon frosting.
Aw I’m so happy to hear that Yolonda!! I’d suggest adding 1-2 tsp of lemon extract and the zest of a couple lemons to make this a lemon white chocolate frosting 🙂 That should do the trick, happy baking!
Can monk fruit with erythritol be substituted for powdered cane sugar?
Hi Ann,
I haven’t tested this recipe with that so sadly I’m not sure if it will work as a substitute for the powdered sugar. If you try it, I’d love to hear if it works! Please let me know 🙂 Thanks!
How much frosting would I need to frost a 2 layer half sheet cake? Also can I use the white chocolate bars
Will this frosting be enough to frost a 13×9 cake?
Your intro paragraph stuffed me up by saying you start with the American buttercream recipe as a base and mix through the white chocolate cream to flavour, because you then state in the recipe to add the white chocolate cream BEFORE the icing sugar. Now my measurements are all mixed up and I am stressed as I made the American buttercream completely first, with that required amount of cream.
Hi Tameica,
Sorry for the confusion! This recipe does have an American butter base, with a few adjustments to account for the white chocolate. But in general, I’d always suggest following the recipe card included at the bottom of my posts where I walk through all the ingredients and steps <3
This recipe is just perfect, down to every single measurement. Great flavor and wonderful consistency!
So happy to hear that Andrew!!! Thank you for sharing ?
I did make this for my son‘s birthday and he absolutely loves white cake white icing. He said this was the best I’ve made. I did have to warm it for 10 seconds in the microwave to get it to pipe nice it is a gray icing to hold it shape and hold the cake. Great texture not too gritty not too sweet. I took a photo, but I don’t know how to post it.
@Jean9, I also wanted to say the other thing I loved about this recipe is it made an ample amount of icing I had plenty of icing to ice in 9 inch two layer cake with generous decorating and still had a little bit left over
Yesssss!!! You always need more that you’ll think to get nice smooth sizes and pipe all the decorations! There is nothing worse than running out when you’re almost done too!
So happy to hear your son loved it Jean 🙂 Thank you for sharing! I wish we could share pictures on here, I’d love to see it!!