191 vanilla frosting recipes

Cream cheese frosting with butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Thick, spreadable, and made for carrot cake or zucchini cake. Comes together in 15 minutes with just 4 ingredients.

The classic coconut-pecan frosting for German chocolate cake, cooked on the stovetop with evaporated milk, egg yolks, butter, and vanilla. Thick, rich, and loaded with coconut and chopped pecans. Makes 4 1/2 cups.

Buttery shortbread-style cut-out cookies topped with a simple vanilla powdered sugar frosting. Makes 4 dozen soft, melt-in-your-mouth holiday cookies with just 5 dough ingredients.

A three-layer chocolate cake with vanilla custard filling and rich chocolate buttercream frosting. Made from scratch with real unsweetened chocolate and whipped egg whites for a light crumb.

Bolognese sponge cake layered with vanilla custard and rum, frosted in coffee zabaglione buttercream, then crowned with chocolate-dipped almonds and walnut sides. From Il Cantoncino restaurant in Bologna.

Frosted chocolate drop cookies with rolled oats, sour cream-tendered crumb, and a vanilla glaze topped with a pecan half. Bakery-style cake cookies from a 1950s lunch counter.

Hickory nut cake is an old-fashioned American layer cake with chopped hickory nuts, maraschino cherries, and a hint of unsweetened chocolate, finished with a fluffy almond-vanilla buttercream frosting.

Walnut cake is a traditional European-style flourless nut torte made with ground walnuts, crushed biscuits, and 8 separated eggs. Layered with apricot jam and frosted with vanilla whipped cream.

Classic butter cookies with a hint of orange juice and vanilla, rolled and cut into shapes, then topped with a creamy buttercream frosting. A versatile holiday cookie perfect for decorating.

Three-layer toasted coconut cake with a buttermilk crumb, coconut and vanilla extract, and a cream cheese frosting loaded with toasted coconut. A classic Southern bake for birthdays and holidays.

Mocha truffle cake: a flourless dark chocolate cake built with a pound of chocolate, a pound of butter, eight eggs, and strong coffee. Chilled overnight and frosted with vanilla whipped cream.

A vintage marble cake swirled with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and molasses through a tender vanilla batter, topped with butter frosting. Can also be baked as cupcakes for a fun party treat.

Moist chocolate date cake studded with chocolate chips and chopped nuts, no frosting needed. Plumped dates keep this one-pan cake incredibly tender while cocoa and vanilla add deep chocolate flavor.

Ultra-moist zucchini cake loaded with cinnamon, chopped nuts, and vanilla, baked in a tube pan and smothered in tangy lemon cream cheese frosting. Shredded zucchini keeps every slice incredibly tender.

Swiss meringue buttercream that's silky-smooth and never gritty or cloying. Whip warmed egg whites and sugar into a glossy meringue, beat in butter, and finish with vanilla for a bakery-quality frosting.