Buttercream frosting is a reliable and easy alternative to baked glaze for cakes and cupcakes. The basic recipe includes butter, sugar, and confectioner’s milk, which can be adjusted to suit individual tastes. It is easy to fix any mistakes and can be used for decorating.
Most cooks like to use a glaze on their cakes. However, they don’t like going through the effort and uncertainty of a baked glaze. For this reason, many cooks like to make a buttercream frosting, which is reliable and nearly foolproof.
American buttercream frosting is probably the most used because it’s so easy. This frosting stays soft and the recipe can easily be adjusted to suit the tastes of the individual family – and with a standard buttercream frosting, even the individual family member’s preferences can be accommodated, especially when frosting cupcakes.
A basic buttercream frosting includes butter, sugar, and confectioner’s milk. These are mixed together, alternating ingredients and the chosen flavouring. A frosting recipe to cover a standard sheet cake or 3 dozen cupcakes will often start with 6 tablespoons to 1 piece of buttercream. This is carefully skimmed off in a bowl. To the butter, alternately add 2 2/3 cups of the powdered sugar and 1/3 cup of the milk. Add 1 teaspoon vanilla and blend until smooth and creamy. This is the simplest vanilla buttercream frosting. At this point it is possible to add other flavors and colours, such as lemon or orange. To make a chocolate glaze, simply add the cocoa alternately with the milk and sugar until you reach the desired level of chocolate flavor. Don’t forget the vanilla when making chocolate icing. It is still needed.
It’s nearly impossible to mess up a buttercream frosting. In almost all cases, there is a remedy to the problem. Buttercream frosting is too stiff. Add milk a tablespoon at a time until desired consistency is reached. Frosting is too soft. Add powdered sugar, 1/4 cup at a time, until just right. Not enough cocoaAdd more, by the spoonful. Too Add more sugar, per 1/4 cup, and adjust the milk as well. There’s not enough frosting, period. No problem. In a separate bowl, cream another stick of butter until fluffy and add directly to the original frosting, adjusting the texture and aroma as needed.
A buttercream frosting can be used to frost a cake or cupcakes or to decorate, when the cook doesn’t need the frosting to harden (such as for Christmas cookies that will be eaten right away). It’s a wonderful glaze for a young cook to try, since it’s truly as fool-proof as any existing recipe. You don’t have to worry about getting burned by hot icing (or burning the icing itself!). As long as the cook can handle a hand mixer with confidence, he can make a buttercream frosting.
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