bakery frosting recipe

Why are cakes from the grocery store so delicious? It’s in the frosting. This easy, homemade grocery store bakery frosting recipe delivers the same sweet, smooth flavor of a store-bought cake.

grocery store cake

I love butter. I grew up with butter. Real butter and only butter. Butter is all I use in my favorite buttercream frosting recipe. (Bear with me, I’m getting to the point soon.) For every one of my kids’ birthdays, I make cakes or cupcakes with said buttercream frosting. And then one year, my daughter wanted a cake from the grocery store bakery. Makes it easier for me, so sure. One bite and I remembered how delicious grocery store bakery cakes are. Why?! Why are they so delicious? It’s that grocery store bakery frosting recipe. I won’t ever fully betray my only-butter buttercream frosting recipe, but every now and then, I’m just going to have to make this homemade grocery store frosting.

shortening vs butter

The key ingredient in the bakery frosting recipe used in grocery stores is the vegetable shortening. They use shortening because it’s cheaper, more stable, and has a longer shelf life. It’s also less sensitive to heat, so the consistency is more reliable. Speaking of consistency, it helps frosting achieve just that: The perfect consistency. I find this particular recipe even easier to pipe than traditional buttercream frosting, and it holds its shape beautifully. It’s why I add just a little bit of shortening to my royal icing recipe. So if you’re using this frosting to pipe flowers or decorate a cake? It’s divine.

That said, I can’t forgo my beloved butter entirely, so here I use a combination of shortening and butter for a perfect blend, much as I use the same combination in my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe. You get the smooth consistency of shortening with the can’t-be-beat butter taste.

bakery frosting recipe

• 1/2 cup (1 stick) softened butter
• 1 cup vegetable shortening (Crisco used here)
• 2 pounds confectioner’s sugar
• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• 4 to 6 tablespoons milk or water

In the bowl of a standing mixer or in a large bowl with an electric hand mixer, blend the butter and shortening on low speed. Gradually add about half of the confectioner’s sugar. Keep the mixer on low when adding additional ingredients, but you may increase the speed to medium when blending. Blend in the vanilla, salt and four tablespoons of the milk or water. Gradually add the rest of the confectioner’s sugar and mix very well until the frosting is smooth. If necessary, add additional milk or water to desired consistency.

Yield: About 4 cups of frosting.

PRINTABLE bakery frosting recipe: