Buttercream Frosting

I'd like to share some tips, for making the classic American Style Buttercream.

If you have a Kitchen Aid mixer, use it. If not, a hand mixer works, too.

Start by mixing room temperature butter. I prefer the salted butter, because it has more flavor. If you choose to use unsalted butter, you may need to add a little salt, to your frosting. Start with 1/2 teaspoon, and adjust, to your liking.

Mix in half of the powdered sugar. Be sure to start your mixer on the lowest speed, to prevent a powdered sugar plume, in your face.

Add your flavoring. I am using vanilla; but you can use flavors like: almond, vanilla, lemon, etc. The biggest tip I can give you, when making this buttercream; always add your flavoring, before your milk. You may not need milk, at all, to get the desired consistency.

Beat in the remainder, of the powdered sugar.

Add milk, if needed. Only add 1 tablespoon at a time, until the frosting is smooth, and spreads easily. You may not need to use any milk, or just a little bit. The biggest mistake is just dumping all the milk into the frosting, and it becomes too loose. If that happens it's a back and forth game of adding more powdered sugar, more milk. Then the taste of butter becomes diminished.

Once your buttercream base is made, you can add mix-ins. A few ideas: chopped nuts, candies, chocolate chips, etc. 

Or you can tint your frosting. I like to use a gel based food color. Wilton has a great selection of colors. They are concentrated, so a little goes a long way.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Ingredients:

3 Cups powdered sugar

1 Cup butter, room temperature

1 Teaspoon vanilla extract

1 to 2 Tablespoons whipping cream - or - milk

Directions:

In a stand mixer, fitted with a paddle, beat the butter, until smooth. Mix in half of the powdered sugar.    Add the vanilla. Beat in remaining powdered sugar. Mix in cream, if needed; a tablespoon at a time, until frosting has a smooth, spreadable consistency.

Mix-ins: 

Chocolate chips

Chopped candy

Chopped nuts

M&Ms

To color: 

Once frosting base has been made, add a, pea-sized, amount of Wilton gel food coloring. Add more coloring, a bit at a time, until desired color is reached.

YouTube demonstration: Buttercream Frosting

Prepping Cake For Freezing

The best cake decorating tip I can share with you, is to freeze your cake layers prior to frosting. This tip will have you icing your cake like a professional.

I like to bake the cake a day or two ahead of time. After the cake has cooled, I double wrap in waxed paper. Followed by a double wrapping in tin foil. Just be careful not to smash your cake. 

Place wrapped cake layers on a baking tray, then freeze. You can stack the cake layers later, but for now we want them to freeze level. Since cake can get freezer burn quickly, I don't recommend keeping them in the freezer, like this, for more than a few days. 

Once you are ready to frost, you will start with a light coating, called a crumb coat. The purpose of the crumb coat is to lock in any cake crumbs that may get into your frosting. Since the cake is frozen, frosting is easier. I don't have to worry about the cake cracking. (I will do a full post on crumb coating soon.)   

The crumb coating is followed by a second layer of frosting. Then piping is used to finish the edges. I decorate simply, but clean. I feel with these simple techniques anyone can put out a professional looking cake.