Five Ingredient Buttercream

When I tell people that I make my own buttercream, usually the reaction is the same: why would you go through all that trouble? A store-bought can of frosting may seem quicker and more convenient but in all reality buttercream made from scratch tastes better and is super easy to make! All you need is 5 simple baking ingredients plus about 10 minutes of your time. That's it!

Here's how easy it is:

Soften some butter. I like to leave it out on the counter overnight and forget about it until you need it. Don't try to cheat and pop it in the microwave-it just won't be the same as when the butter slowly comes to room temperature.

Now whip your softened butter in a big bowl for about 3 minutes. You'll notice that the butter will almost appear lighter in color and fluffier!


Now add in some sifted powered sugar. Yet again, don't cheat: sift that sugar! By sifting it, you're reducing the chance of ugly looking sugar lumps in your frosting.


Mix the butter and sugar together.

Now add your salt and vanilla. Also you're going to add some milk, ONE tablespoon at a time. How much milk you add will determine how thick or thin your frosting will be. Then, mix it all together.


That's it. Seriously. Now you have delicious and homemade sweet buttercream ready to go!

**Bonus tips**
-Add more sugar if you accidentally make your frosting a little too thin
-If your buttercream is a little too thick, add one tablespoon more of milk and mix it together. Repeat until you have the perfect consistency.
-Buttercream's main ingredient is butter (haha) So this means if it starts to get all warm and runny when you're frosting, pop it in the fridge for a little to let it firm up again. After it's had some time to chill out (pun totally intended), then you can continue on with your buttercream frosting creation.



Vanilla Buttercream

Ingredients:
1 cup softened unsalted butter
3-4 cups of sifted powdered sugar
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract (or any other flavored extract)
A pinch of salt
Around 2-4 tablespoons of milk or heavy cream

Directions
1. Whip softened butter on medium for 3-4 minutes.
2. Add sifted powdered sugar to the butter. Mix together until smooth.
3. Now add vanilla extract, salt, and about 2 tablespoons of milk. Mix together well. Add more milk (one tablespoon at a time) as you see fit, to make the buttercream thicker.