Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

My five-year-old son, Jack, has red hair. And the personality to go with it. All of you moms with redheads out there know exactly what I'm talking about. At least I hope you do, because I blame a lot of his excess energy on his hair color. It's my go-to excuse when I get old ladies staring at me in the Target check-out line when Jack is running from one end of the store to the other practicing his ninja moves on helpless store displays. So when it's dinner time and I give him anything with hamburger in it and he won't eat it, but he'll devour a cheeseburger in no time flat, I just tell my husband "it's the hair color" and then make him eat it anyway.

I'm the same way with cake. Make a cake and give me a slice and I think "meh, it's okay" and eat a few bites, but give me a cupcake and I will eat all of it in like two bites. I know they are the same thing but there is just something about that little morsel of cupcake heaven that makes it so much better than cake. I know I'm not the only one out there like this, am I?

So my mother had her birthday party a couple weeks ago and I was in charge of the cake. She wanted the lemon cake from Olive Garden, so I obliged and made the copycat recipe (I'll post it later, I promise!) and it is really good! But then I realized we needed something else to feed everyone (12 adults, 2 teenage boys and 7 kids) so I threw some cupcakes in the oven. I didn't have any frosting (normally I don't love canned frosting anyway unless I'm in a pinch) or cream cheese to make my go-to cream cheese frosting, so I made up a batch of super easy buttercream. It was so easy and super yummy! The best part about it, I had all this in my pantry and refrigerator. If you don't have whipping cream, just use milk (not nonfat, but 2% would work).

Easy Vanilla Buttercream Frosting

submitted by Carissa- from foodnetwork.com

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 tablespoons whipping cream

In a standing mixer fitted with a whisk, mix together sugar and butter. Mix on low speed until well blended and then increase speed to medium and beat for another 3 minutes.

Add vanilla and cream and continue to beat on medium speed for 1 minute more, adding more cream if needed for spreading consistency. (At this point you could add gel food coloring if you want to be fancy).