How to Get White Frosting

Pure white frosting can instantly make cakes and cupcakes look more professional. But many bakers struggle with buttercream turning pale yellow instead of bright white. With the right techniques, you can achieve snow-white frosting with no artificial taste required.

1. Use the Right Fat
Butter is the main reason frosting look yellow.
-Shortening gives the whitest result because it has no natural color.
-Butter adds flavor but has a yellow tint.
-For the best balance, use half butter + half shortening.

2. Whip the Butter Properly
-Beat butter (or butter + shortening) alone for 5-7 minutes on medium-high speed.
-The frosting should look visibly paler before adding sugar.
Don’t rush this step, it makes a big difference.

3. Choose Clear Vanilla Flavoring

Regular vanilla extract is brown and will darken your frosting.
-Use our Vanilla flavoring extract, you’ll keep the vanilla taste without adding color.
This is one of the easiest fixes for yellow frosting.

4. Add a Tiny Bit of Violet or Purple Food Coloring
This sounds strange, but it works.
-Add a toothpick-tip amount of violet or Purple food coloring.
-Purple cancels out yellow tones and makes frosting look whiter.
Use very little, if too much will turn the frosting grey or lavender.

5. Use Heavy Cream or Milk (Not Yellow Liquids)
Some liquids can add warmth to the color.
-Use heavy cream, fresh milk, or water.
-Avoid ingredients with a yellow tint like egg-based mixtures

6. Let the frosting rest
Freshly whipped frosting can look slightly yellow at first.
-Let it rest for 10-15 minutes
-The color often lightens as air settles in

7. Control Lighting & Background (For Photos)
If you’re photographing your frosting:
-Use a cool-tone background
-Avoid warm yellow lighting
-Natural daylight works best
This makes your frosting look even whiter on camera.

FAQ
1. Why does my frosting look yellow?
Frosting usually turns yellow because of butter, regular vanilla extract, or insufficient whipping. Butter has a natural yellow tint, and brown vanilla extract can deepen the color.

2. Does shortening affect the taste?
Shortening creates a whiter frosting but has a milder flavor. Many bakers combine it with butter to keep a good balance of taste and color.

3. What food coloring helps remove yellow tones?
A tiny amount of violet or purple food coloring neutralizes yellow tones and makes frosting look whiter. Always add it gradually.

4. Can I use powdered sugar to make frosting whiter?
Powdered sugar helps, but it won’t remove yellow tint on its own. The frosting color mainly depends on the fat and flavoring used.

5. Why did my frosting turn grey or purple?
This happens when too much violet food coloring is added. Use only a toothpick-tip amount and mix well before adding more.