Basic Buttercream Frosting Food

SIMPLE AND DELICIOUS BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Beat butter and shortening together with an electric mixer in a large bowl until light and fluffy. The mixture should be noticeably lighter in color. Beat the vanilla extract into the butter mixture. Add sugar, one cup at a time, beating on medium speed until fully incorporated. Add milk, one tablespoon at a time, beating on high until fully incorporated and you have frosting.

EASY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• In a small bowl, using an electric mixer on low speed, beat together sugar, butter and salt until creamy. Increase speed to high and beat until light and fully. Add vanilla, beating until frosting is smooth.
• Spread icing on cooled cupcakes or cake with a knife or transfer to a pastry bag and pipe decoratively over cake or cupcakes.
• Makes enough for over 16 cupcakes.

BASIC BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Combine all the ingredients in large mixing bowl and mix at slow speed until smooth. If stiffer icing is needed, or if the weather is very warm, add a little extra sugar. This recipe is enough to cover and fill a 9- by 13-inch sheet cake or two 9-inch layers.

QUICK VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• 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.

SIMPLE VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Place the butter and shortening into the bowl of a stand mixer and, using the paddle attachment, cream the butter on high until light and fluffy, approximately 3 to 4 minutes. Add the egg and beat until well combined, approximately 1 minute. Turn off the mixer and add 1/2 cup of the sugar. Mix on low until combined. Stop to scrape down the sides of the bowl. Repeat until all of the sugar has been incorporated. Add the vanilla and continue to beat until the frosting is smooth and light, approximately 2 to 3 minutes. Use immediately or store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 hours or refrigerate for up to a week. Bring to room temperature before using.

BASIC BUTTERCREAM

Steps:

• The first step is to start cooking the sugar. Pour the water and sugar into a 1-quart heavy-bottomed saucepan and place over medium-high heat. When the bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan, insert a candy thermometer in the mixture.
• Place the egg whites in a large mixing bowl and whip with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until foamy and slightly holding soft peaks.
• The sugar is ready when it reaches 250 degrees F, what is known as the soft ball stage. Make an Italian meringue by pouring the cooked sugar down the side of the bowl while you continue to whip the egg whites. Do not pour the hot sugar onto the beaters, or it will splatter. Continue whipping the meringue on medium-high speed until the outside of the bowl is warm but not hot, about 5 minutes. Add the butter all at once and beat on medium speed until incorporated. Increase the mixer speed to medium-high and whip until the buttercream is thick, smooth, and shiny, about 10 minutes. At his stage, you can add flavoring, if desired.
• The buttercream can be used immediately or can be stored in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 days or in the freezer for several weeks if held in an airtight container. If it has been chilled or frozen, allow the buttercream to come to room temperature before using, then whip it with an electric mixer on medium speed until it returns to its initial volume and is once again thick, smooth, and shiny.

BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• In a bowl, cream butter. Beat in sugar and vanilla. Add milk until frosting reaches desired consistency.

EASY CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Beat the butter in a medium mixing bowl.
• Add powdered sugar and cocoa alternately with milk, beating to spreading consistency.
• Stir in vanilla.

REALLY, REALLY GOOD (AND EASY!) BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Put butter, milk, and vanilla in the bowl of a stand mixer (if you don't have a stand mixer, a hand mixer will do).
• Mix on low speed until it just starts to come together, about a minute.
• Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula. Increase to medium low speed and beat for about another minute.
• Increase mixer speed to medium high and beat for about another or minute or so.
• Add powdered sugar (and cocoa, if using). Beat on low speed until sugar is just barely incorporated. Scrape down the sides of the bowl, and increase speed slowly to medium. Beat for about a minute.
• Check your consistency. This is very important because if your frosting is too thick, it will not spread well.
• If your spatula does not glide through the frosting, add about a tablespoon of corn syrup and beat on medium for about 30 seconds.
• When the frosting is just holding its shape, it is too thick (if you are wanting to pipe some decorations on your cake/cupcakes, now would be the time to set a little of this aside in a separate bowl).
• Add another tablespoon of corn syrup and beat on medium for 30 seconds.
• Repeat until the frosting seems to be of a good spreadable consistency (you don't want it too runny, or it will slide off the cake/cupcakes).
• Once you get your frosting to a good, spreadable consistency, increase mixer speed to medium high and beat for one minute. This will get your frosting nice and fluffy.

BEST BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• In small saucepan cook flour and milk until it forms a ball, stirring constantly. Cool to room temperature.
• With an electric mixer, beat butter and sugar until fluffy.
• Beat both mixtures together on high speed until fluffy and smooth. Add vanilla and beat until combined. Refrigerate for about 1/2 hour, until it is of spreading consistency.

BASIC BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Cream shortening and butter until fluffy.
• Add sugar and continue creaming until well blended.
• Add salt, flavoring, and cream and blend on low speed until moistened.
• Beat at high speed until fluffy.
• Note: If adding more flavoring, the flavoring with the cream should be 1/4 to 1/2 cup.

BASIC BUTTERCREAM AND VARIATIONS

Steps:

• Using a hand whisk, whisk together the egg whites, sugar, and cream of tartar in the clean bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water. The egg white mixture will be gloppy and thick, but as the mixture begins to warm up, it will become more fluid. Continue to gently whisk the mixture until it is very hot to the touch (130°F on a candy thermometer).
• Move the bowl to the stand mixer and, using the whisk attachment, whip the whites on medium-high speed until they have tripled in volume and are thick and glossy and hold stiff peaks (like meringue), 3 to 4 minutes. Turn the mixer down to medium-low speed until the mixing bowl is just cool to the touch, 1 to 2 minutes. Kick the mixer back up to medium-high speed and add the butter one piece at a time, adding the next piece just as the previous one has been incorporated. Stop the mixer every so often to scrape down the escaping buttercream from the sides of the bowl. At some point, the buttercream will take on a curdled appearance; don't worry, this is normal. Just keep on mixing until it comes together. Once all the butter is incorporated and the frosting is fluffy and creamy, blend in the vanilla and salt until fully combined.
• Covered with plastic wrap, buttercream will last 2 days at room temperature or 7 days in the refrigerator. If refrigerated, the buttercream must be brought to room temperature before you use it. Either way, the buttercream must be rewhipped-either by hand if kept at room temperature or with a mixer if refrigerated-before you frost a cake with it.
• Raspberry Buttercream:
• Mash and strain 4 cups (10 ounces) of raspberries, fresh or frozen, through a fine mesh sieve to catch the seeds. (If using frozen berries, measure them before thawing.) Discard the seeds and set aside the puree while you follow the method for making Basic Buttercream. Add the berry puree at the end of the recipe, with the vanilla and the salt.

BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Beat 600g sifted icing sugar and 300g butter together with your chosen flavouring and colouring if using, add 2-3 tablespoons of boiling water to loosen and beat until smooth.
• Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe onto cupcakes or smear in the middle and over the top of a 20cm cake using a palette knife.

FLUFFY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• Combine all ingredients in bowl. Beat at low speed to mix. Beat at high speed until smooth and fluffy, approximately 5-10 minutes. If too stiff, beat in a few drops of water.

EASY VANILLA BUTTERCREAM FROSTING

Steps:

• In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Beat in the confectioners' sugar, vanilla and enough milk to achieve desired consistency.

QUICK AND ALMOST-PROFESSIONAL BUTTERCREAM ICING

Steps:

• Cream room temperature butter with a hand mixer, the paddle attachment of a stand mixer, or a wooden spoon until smooth and fluffy. Gradually beat in confectioners' sugar until fully incorporated. Beat in vanilla extract.
• Pour in milk and beat for an additional 3 to 4 minutes. Add food coloring, if using, and beat for thirty seconds until smooth or until desired color is reached.