This rich and creamy Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Frosting is made with sour cream, butter, powdered sugar, milk and vanilla bean paste. The texture is lighter than buttercream but thicker than cream cheese frosting. It's perfect for frosting cakes, like this sour cream banana cake, or piping onto cupcakes, like these almond flour cupcakes!
Table of Contents
We also love it in place of cream cheese frosting on carrot cakes and on these thick and chewy almond flour sugar cookie bars!
If you love this frosting made with sour cream, you'll also want to try this sour cream chocolate frosting. It's smooth, rich and creamy and less sugary than chocolate buttercream!
Why you'll love this frosting recipe
I first made this frosting to go with my sour cream banana cake, just to double down on sour cream as the main ingredient. Not only does it create a moist and tender crumb for cakes, but it creates such a rich, smooth and creamy frosting.
This recipe is now my go-to frosting any time a vanilla frosting is called for!
While it's very similar to a traditional buttercream as you just replace some of the butter with sour cream, the texture is a little fluffier and whips up into a creamy texture with ease.
Like buttercream, it's smooth enough to spread over cakes but firm enough to pipe.
What you need to know about the ingredients
- Sour cream - You're going to want to use full fat sour cream in order to create a thick and creamy frosting. Full fat ranges from 14-18% milk fat, but I prefer 18% for this recipe. And, to be even more specific, the Kirkland brand from Costco is one of the thickest I've found and I love it for this recipe.
- Butter - Unsalted butter is preferred and will need to be brought to room temperature.
- Powdered sugar - This will sweeten and thicken the frosting. Make sure you sift it so it doesn't make the frosting lumpy.
- Vanilla bean paste - For an intense vanilla flavor, I like to use vanilla bean paste but if you don't have any, vanilla extract works great too.
- Milk - This is optional but I like to have a few teaspoons on hand in case the frosting is too thick. Cream or plant based milk works too.
How to make frosting with sour cream
In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. Add in the sour cream and beat again until creamy.
Add in the vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar (one cup at a time), until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. If you prefer a thinner consistency, just add 2-3 teaspoons of milk.
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Key recipe tips
- The sour cream will need to be brought to room temperature to cream together easily with the room temperature butter. It won't take as long as butter to come to room temperature, but you'll want to take it out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before you make the frosting just to take the chill off it.
- Don't be alarmed if the butter and sour cream look a little curdled when you start mixing them together. Ideally, you'll want them to look smooth but a curdled appearance happens if the sour cream is still a little too cold when it comes into contact with the butter. Once you add the powdered sugar and keep creaming the ingredients together, it will all smooth out.
- Add more or less powdered sugar depending on your desired frosting consistency. For a thicker frosting that can be piped, you'll need at least 4 cups of powdered sugar.
Recipe FAQs
Honestly, you really can't taste the sour cream. The purpose of adding it to the frosting is to create a creamy and fluffy texture not to add a tangy flavor.
Since it contains sour cream, the frosting and any cakes or cupcakes with the frosting on top, should be stored in the fridge. It will last for 5-7 days. Of course, this depends on the freshness of your sour cream so be sure to check the expiration date.
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📖 Recipe
Vanilla Bean Sour Cream Frosting
Ingredients
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, room temperature
- ½ cup (125 g) full fat sour cream (I prefer 18% milk fat for this recipe), room temperature
- 4 cups (480 g) powdered sugar, sifted, (use more if needed)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste, or vanilla extract
- 2-3 teaspoons milk, optional if you need to thin out frosting
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, add the softened butter and beat with an electric mixer until creamy. (You can use a handheld mixer with beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment).
- Add in the sour cream and mix together on medium-high speed until creamy.
- Add the vanilla bean paste and powdered sugar (one cup at a time) and mix together on medium-high until the frosting reaches your desired consistency. Add more powdered sugar for a thicker frosting or add milk (one teaspoon at a time) for a thinner frosting.
Notes
- The recipe makes enough frosting for a 13x9 inch cake or 15 cupcakes.
- Take the sour cream out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before making the frosting. You'll want it at room temperature so it mixes together easily with the butter.
- If the butter and sour cream look curdled when you start mixing them together, don't worry. This is just because the sour cream was still too cold. Once you add the powdered sugar and keep mixing the frosting together, it will smooth out.
- Since the frosting has sour cream in it, it should be stored in the fridge until ready to use. Any frosted cakes or cupcakes should also be refrigerated.
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Nutrition Facts per Serving
Disclaimer
Nutrition information is an estimate only and will vary depending on the substitutions made and the brands used.
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