Buttercream Frosting
Whether frosting cakes or cookies, this creamy frosting is a classic. This recipe makes enough to frost an 8" two-layer cake or a batch of soft sugar cookies.
Ingredients
1/2 cup butter (one stick)
1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract
3 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar
2-3 teaspoons milk or water
Method
1. In a large mixing bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter (one stick).
2. Add the confectioner's (powdered) sugar and blend thoroughly, creating a dry mixture.
3. Add the vanilla or almond extract and beat thoroughly. The mixture will begin to form clumps.
4. Add the milk or water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. The frosting will begin to form a solid mass.
5. Continue to add milk or water in 1/2 teaspoon increments until the frosting is the desired consistency for your frosting project.
6. If tinting the frosting, separate the frosting into bowls and tint each individually.
If frosting cookies, leave them out on a tray until the frosting dries. Usually within a few hours, the frosting hardens enough to gently stack cookies, however, it never hardens completely, ensuring that the frosting and cookie are soft and delicious.
This frosting is best used immediately, but can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. When chilled the frosting will be stiff and will need to be warmed to room temperature before using.
Enjoy!
Comments (4)
I stumbled upon your site via the Nester. My sweet baby girl turns 1 this week and I want to do iced cookies as treats for the kids to take home. Does this buttercream icing dry stiff? Any suggestions?
Posted by Lezlie | November 8, 2008 6:56 PM
Posted on November 8, 2008 18:56
Yum, that looks heavenly, my daughter make cookie baskets to sell will have to try this recipe for her Christmas cookie baskets.
THANKS!!
Posted by Terri Weston | November 30, 2008 1:04 PM
Posted on November 30, 2008 13:04
how do you get the buttercream icing to harden,so you can smooth it down.
Posted by crystal | June 15, 2009 11:15 AM
Posted on June 15, 2009 11:15
I know most of these comments were posted a long time ago, but I wanted to share my two cents. I'm making my own wedding cake (very small guest list), and I'm planning on using a modified version of this icing.
This icing does dry crispy on the outside, however, as Angela stated, it is still creamy under its light shell. This is ideal for frosting cookies, or in my case using the "paper towel method" of smoothing cake frosting.
My only dislike with this recipe is that I think the icing tastes a little too much like cookie icing, and not as much like cake icing. I used water instead of milk, so perhaps using milk would lend a creamier taste, and one that is not quite as chalky. My other substitutions were for vegetable shortening instead of butter (to make the icing more white), and I used about 5 tablespoons of water, to keep my icing a little more on the soft side.
So far I have made two mockups of this icing: one on a mockup cake, and one that I used to frost a bowl. The second I added about 5 tablespoons of cocoa powder to, which made a thick, creamy chocolate icing. This is a very versatile icing, and I would recommend it for anything you need a light crust for.
Posted by Dryxi | September 17, 2009 11:55 AM
Posted on September 17, 2009 11:55