Mom's Simple Vanilla Buttercream

Name: Mom's Simple Vanilla Buttercream
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: ⅓ cup unsalted butter (softened); 3 cups confectioners' sugar (sifted); 3 tbsp milk or water; 1 tbsp pure vanilla extract

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My Mom's Simple Vanilla Buttercream recipe is small batch and so quick to make. It packs a punch of vanilla flavor with a tablespoon of pure vanilla extract.

This recipe goes way back. This is my mom's go-to vanilla buttercream recipe, and naturally, one of the first frostings I ever made myself. We love sweets in our family, from cookies to cake. I've kept that tradition alive in our household as well, even though it is just the two of us here and our chinchilla.To this day, I still ensure there is always something sweet on hand. I made a cake this week and Mom's Simple Vanilla Buttercream was just what I needed to frost it with.

I am grateful to have grown up in a household with a mom who cooks and bakes like a champion. There were and are always two types of cookies in the fridge and some kind of cookie bar or cake on hand as well. I'm sure you can easily see how my love for sweets came to be. As you may have seen in my "about me" I am a pastry school grad, so now I guess you can see why.

Moms simple vanilla buttercream in a bowl

What you'll need to make Mom's Simple Vanilla Buttercream:

Butter: This recipe calls for a small amount of butter because it makes a smaller batch. This recipe makes enough buttercream to cover the top of one 13 X 9-in cake. It is crucial that you allow your butter to soften when making buttercream, otherwise, you will be left with chunks and poorly incorporated frosting.
Confectioners' Sugar (otherwise known as Powdered Sugar): It is important that you sift your powdered sugar prior to adding it to your whipped butter. Powdered sugar has the tendency to clump up, which leaves you will little pockets of unincorporated sugar in your frosting. This is very undesirable, as we want the buttercream to be smooth and fluffy.
Milk or Water: It is important to have some liquid component to balance the high ratio of confectioners' sugar. In the case of this recipe, milk or water can be used alternatively. I personally used oat milk in my latest buttercream batch.
Pure Vanilla Extract: This recipe requires a full tablespoon of pure vanilla extract. This may sound like a lot, but it definitely adds to the overall flavor of the frosting. Feel free to substitute vanilla bean paste if you've got it.

simple vanilla buttercream on a paddle attachment

How to make this small-batch buttercream

In the mixer bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, whip the butter until light and fluffy.
Alternately add the confectioners' sugar and milk (or water), scraping and mixing well after each addition. Add the vanilla extract and allow buttercream to whip for an additional 3-5 min, until fluffy.
Use immediately.

How much does this vanilla frosting recipe make?

This buttercream recipe is small-batch. It makes a little more than a cup of vanilla frosting. It packs a punch in vanilla flavor and makes enough to cover the top of one 13-by-9-inch sheet cake.

Do you need a mixer to make this simple vanilla buttercream?

It is important that you use a standing mixer, or handheld mixer if that's all you have, to make this and any kind of buttercream. It requires a lot of mixing which a handheld whisk is essentially incapable of without a hefty amount of laborious movement.

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I hope you enjoy this frosting as much as we do. My Mom's Simple Vanilla Buttercream always brings back memories of childhood birthdays. I love it to this day as much as I did as a kiddo (probably more now honestly.) And granted that my birthday is next week, I want nothing more than a slice of cake with this vanilla buttercream slathered on top. Comment below if you make this recipe!