Saturday 24 March 2012

Buttercream Icing

Your search is OVER!  I have searched far and wide for the best (in my opinion) recipe for butter icing or frosting.  I wanted one that would pipe, that sprinkles would stick to and that, above all else, tasted great... awesome really... I have high standards... well, I like to think so.

I will search no more, I may now rest.

Oh. my. god. 

You can make this to go on chocolate cake, white cake, cupcakes, crepes, waffles, a spoon... you get the idea.  Store it in your fridge or freezer if there are any leftovers but I doubt there will be, you'll take care of it.

Here, The Kitchen Magpie titles it the Best Buttercream Icing and she's right.  I'm not going to dispute this at all.

Geez, isn't it just gorgeous?!  Like a cloud!

I made it white with vanilla beans and butter being the flavours.  To what was left of that, I added cocoa.  You can make this vanilla or chocolate butter icing to suit your needs.  She talks about adding lemon, but I rarely think of lemon.  You go right on ahead.  In fact, icing is the place to play with your cake combinations and you can seriously go CRAZY!  These guys do, why not you?!

Just beautiful...

The secrets here are whipping your butter and resulting icing until it is super light and fluffy.  Don't be afraid, let 'er go on high!  The other secret is cream, 18% or higher.  Don't be cheap, buy the good stuff, find a reason to use the rest.  She also stresses the importance of fresh icing sugar - I go through it so fast I think it's always fresh.

If you look carefully you may see tiny black flecks in the white... yep, that's real vanilla seeds my friend. 
I was at the end of my vanilla bottle and that's the yumminess that's left.

Here goes.  Write this one down in your recipe book, bookmark it, Pinterest it, print it, whatever you gotta do to keep this one forever, I kid you not.

The Best Buttercream Icing
from The Kitchen Magpie
1 cup of salted butter (trust me on this one and use salted butter in this icing)
1 Tbsp vanilla
4 cups of icing sugar
4-5 Tbsp coffee cream (18% and up)
- whip that butter, with a paddle beater if you have it, if not, don’t worry
- add in the icing sugar
- add in the cream.
Stiffer icing = less cream.
Whippier icing = more cream. 
- keep mixing it until fluffy and thoroughly combined

Chocolate Butter Icing
to the above recipe, add up to 1/2 cup cocoa, to taste

These were made for a 3 year-old's birthday party today.  I think he liked them.

7 comments:

  1. Sounds so good. I love lemon icing on red velvet cake, best with fresh squeezed though.

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  2. Do you have a recipe for whole wheat bread with kitchen aid mixer? I think you once gave me a link. I made some today but modified it and the best thing I can say is everyones tummy will be FULL, is quite "hearty"

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  3. Rana, I wanted to share this hollandaise sauce recipe with you but seeing that you don't mind using a cup of butter in icing (gulp... must be nice to have good, young arteries lol) I don't know if you will appreciate how tasty this is without all the butter. Here's the link.... http://www.food.com/recipe/yogurt-hollandaise-sauce-368990

    Kate, I make my bread in a mixer and use all whole wheat. I don't know if there was milk in your recipe and how much yeast it called for but I find that whole wheat flour takes a bit more yeast than white. The milk also "softens" the whole wheat. If you need a recipe I can figure mine out...I usually just throw stuff in the bowl.

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  4. Maureen, will you share your whole wheat recipe with us? A link perhaps, I know you find most of your recipes online.

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  5. This is off the top of my head....

    Combine:

    2 tbsp yeast
    1/2 warm water
    1/4 cup honey

    When yeast is bubbly put this mixture in mixer and add:

    1 cup warm milk
    2 1/4 cups water
    1 tbsp salt
    1/3 cup vegetable oil

    10 cups whole wheat flour, divided

    Method: With your mixing beater on add 3 or so cups of flour and beat it well. Put it in a warm oven (I just use the oven light for warmth) and let this mixture sit until it has risen to double it's size. This is called proofing. It gives the bread a much nicer texture.

    After this occurs, using a dough hook, add rest of the floor a cup or so at a time process until bread is smooth and elastic. Don't make it too dry and not too sticky.

    Take out of bowl, oil bowl with veggie oil ( I just spray with Pam), put dough back in bowl and oil top of dough, place it in oven to rise until double.

    Divide into three loaves. Let rise again until double and bake at 350 for I don't have a clue how long... until it's cooked... lol You can tell bread is cooked if it has a "hollow" sound when you tap it.

    By the sound of these instructions I won't be asked to write a cookbook anytime soon...lol

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    Replies
    1. Ha ha! Thanks Aunt Maureen for this recipe. I can't put a total 10 cups flour in my mixer bowl, so I'd have to cut it back by 1/3 and make 2/3 of the recipe. My bread in my oven in my pans takes exactly 30 minutes to cook. Thanks again!

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