CooksRecipes.com Visitor
Comments: "This is the easiest frosting to make: 4 ingredients
and a mixer. Only thing easier would be to open a can, but it
wouldn't have the same flavor. Yummy, truly a great frosting."
- Kathy.
Basic
Buttercream Frosting with Variations
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1/3 cup butter or
margarine
- 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
extract
- About 2 tablespoons milk
- With an electric mixer
at low speed, mix the powdered sugar and butter together. Once
combined, add vanilla and milk. Increase speed of mixer to medium
and beat for 1 to 2 minutes or until smooth and of spreading
consistency.
- To frost a cake, first
brush away any loose crumbs from cooled cake. If frosting layers,
place the bottom layer rounded side down on a plate. Spread about
1/3 cup of frosting to with 1/2-inch of cake's edge. Place the
top layer rounded side up. Coat the side of the cake first with
a thin layer of frosting to seal in the crumbs, then frost the
side making a rim about 1/4-inch high around the top. Finally,
spread remaining frosting on top, just to the frosting-made rim.
Frosts a 13 x 9 x 2-inch
cake or fills and frosts two 8 or 9-inch cake layers.
Variations:
Browned Butter Frosting: Heat butter (not margarine) over
medium heat until delicate brown; cool. Mix melted butter with
the powdered sugar.
Cherry Buttercream Frosting: Stir in 2 tablespoons drained,
chopped maraschino cherries and 2 drops red food coloring (optional).
Citrus Buttercream Frosting: Omit vanilla. Substitute lemon
or orange juice for the milk. Stir in 1/2 teaspoon grated lemon
peel or 2 teaspoons grated orange peel.
Cocoa Buttercream Frosting: Stir in 2/3 cup baking cocoa into
powdered sugar, and increase the butter to 1/2 cup and milk to
5 to 6 tablespoons.
Maple-Nut Buttercream
Frosting: Substitute
1/2 cup maple-flavored syrup for the vanilla and milk. Stir in
1/4 cup finely chopped nuts (toasted, if desired).
Peanut Butter Frosting: Substitute peanut butter for the
butter. Increase milk to 1/4 to 1/3 cup.
Cook's Note: A good frosting
has a smooth consistency that holds swirls, but is still soft
enough to spread on a cake without running down the sides. Buttercream
frostings, when too thick, can pull and tear the cake's surface.
Thin a frosting that's too thick with a few drops of water or
milk.
