Jump to Recipe This is THE Best Buttercream Frosting recipe and the only one we use. It
is easy to make and anything you put it on will taste better. We promise!! I hate, loathe, and despise store-bought frosting. I understand that it is super convenient, but I think it ruins what could otherwise be a delicious dessert. I am proud to say I have never used a can of frosting. Does that me a frosting snob? Probably. I have been using this recipe forever. It
is easy and makes whatever you are putting it on taste better. I promise!! Step 1: Add 1 cup of slightly softened butter. I only ever use real butter, but you can use whatever you have on hand. Although I think margarine changes the taste, your buttercream frosting made with margarine will still be better than canned frosting. “Slightly softened” is
somewhere between straight out of the refrigerator and room temperature. If the butter is too cold it will not mix smoothly with the vanilla extract. If it is too soft, the butter will start melting during the process of mixing and the consistency of your icing won’t be correct at the end. Now add 2-3 teaspoons of vanilla. My family loves vanilla so I am a little heavy-handed with it. I’ll start with 2 teaspoons and then add more at the end. Step 4: Measure 1 pound of Powdered
Sugar. I use my food scale. (If you don’t have a food scale the equivalent would be 4 cups.) You can sift the powdered sugar if it is really lumpy. I do not always do this. Instead, I rely on the mixer to do that work for me. Step 8: ALWAYS ALWAYS ALWAYS taste your
frosting. You are trying to determine if the taste is right and if the consistency is correct. My husband is the best frosting taster. He will always tell me if the consistency is wrong, if it needs more vanilla or more milk. You can check out our FAQ section below to see some other advice on making the perfect batch of frosting. If you are adding food coloring now is the time to do it. Make sure the food coloring gets fully incorporated. (Most of the time I do this part
by hand.). How much frosting will you need? That always depends on how thick or thin you apply the frosting or how much decorating you do but here are a couple of guidelines. Our recipe should make enough
Best Buttercream Frosting to cover a 9″ x 13″ sheet cake or a two-layer 8″ cake. If you are making cupcakes, you should be able to frost 24 cupcakes if you apply the frosting with a knife. If you swirl on the frosting with a pastry bag like we have done here, you should be able to frost 15-18 cupcakes depending on the size of the swirl. Does the frosting need to be
refrigerated? No, this frosting does not need to be refrigerated. Cupcakes frosted with this Buttercream Icing would be fine left out on the counter for 2-3 days if covered. However, we normally refrigerate our frosted desserts to keep the baked good from going stale even if the frosting would be fine. We think frosting tastes best at room temperature so we will take them out of the refrigerator a couple of hours before we will serve them. How do I store any leftover frosting? Frosting stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator should be usable for up to a week. If you carefully store the frosting in order to avoid freezer burn, the frosting should last in the freezer for 3-4 months. What should I do if my frosting is too sweet? Buttercream is a sweet frosting. One thing you can do if it seems too sweet for your palette is to add a pinch of salt to the frosting. But please note that a little salt goes a long way. We cannot stress enough that a pinch (10-15 granules of regular table salt) is all you usually need. Even 1/4 a teaspoon of salt would probably ruin the frosting. Add the salt and mix again and see if that has cut down on the sweetness level. What should I do if my frosting turned out too thick? Add another teaspoon of milk and mix again. Continue to add the milk, a teaspoon at a time, until the frosting is the consistency that you like it What should I do if my frosting turned out too thin? Temperature plays a big part in the consistency of frosting. A thin frosting could mean that the butter has gotten overworked and is too melted. The first thing to do is refrigerate the frosting for an hour and then check to see if the frosting has set back up again. If not, the next step is to add more powdered sugar or cornstarch. Start with either 1/2 cup of Powdered Sugar or 1 tablespoon of Cornstarch. Mix again and see if the consistency is better. Is there a substitute for milk? Yes, any milk substitute like Half n’ Half, Whipping Cream or even Almond Milk will work. Can I double the recipe if I need more frosting? The short answer is yes. But we don’t recommend it. Most home mixers don’t have the capacity to get the frosting to the right consistency with double the amount of ingredients in the mixing bowl. If we need more than 2/12 cups of frosting, we make two separate batches. Is this a pipeable frosting? Yes. You can use any decorating tip to make pretty decorations with this frosting and they will keep their shape. Is this a “crusting” buttercream? We would call this a “slightly crusting” buttercream. In our opinion, a true crusting buttercream recipe has shortening in it. You can use our frosting to decorate cakes, cupcakes, and even Christmas Sugar Cookies but this is not a traditional crusting buttercream recipe. Other Classic Frosting Recipes You Will Love
Ingredients
Instructions
free email series 5 Secrets to Outrageously Delicious CupcakesOur best tricks for making outrageously delicious cupcakes for any occasion. How do you make a buttercream cake for beginners?Starting at the bottom of the cake and working your way to the top, pipe the buttercream in even lines as you rotate the turntable. When you reach the top, pipe a ring around the top edge and then fill in the center of the top with buttercream. First, smooth the top of the cake so that it's perfectly level and smooth.
What is the difference between icing and buttercream?The best way to distinguish frosting from buttercream is through the ingredients. While both contain powdered sugar, fat, flavouring and sometimes milk or water, frosting does not contain any butter whatsoever. Instead, frosting is usually made with shortening or cream cheese.
What is the main ingredient of buttercream?Buttercream, also referred to as butter icing or frosting, is used for either filling, coating or decorating cakes. The main ingredients are butter and some type of sugar.
What buttercream is used for cakes?Since Swiss buttercream is so soft, it's better used for frosting cakes rather than piping or decorating. Make sure mixture is cool before adding butter, otherwise your butter will melt.
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