All-New Cake Mix Doctor - Anne Byrn [202]
makes:
3½ cups, enough to frost a 2- or 3-layer cake
prep:
5 minutes
8 tablespoons (1 stick) butter, at room temperature
3¾ cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
3 to 4 tablespoons milk
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
Place the butter in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners’ sugar, and 3 tablespoons of the milk, a bit at a time, beating with the mixer on low speed until the confectioner’s sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Add the vanilla, then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, 1 minute longer. Add up to 1 tablespoon more milk if the frosting seems too stiff.
To frost 24 cupcakes, use:
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
2 to 3 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
LEMONY BUTTERCREAM FROSTING
FROSTED WITH THIS FRESH TASTING FROSTING, the Lemon Cupcakes (page 369) or the Strawberry Cheesecake Cupcakes (page 366) are a treat to remember. The frosting is also good on the Old-Fashioned Pear and Ginger Cakes (page 57) and the Pineapple Carrot Cake (page 64).
makes:
2½ cups, enough to frost a 2-layer cake or 24 cupcakes
prep:
10 minutes
1 medium-size lemon
4 tablespoons (½ stick) butter, at room temperature
3 cups confectioners’ sugar, sifted
Milk or water, if needed
1. Rinse and pat the lemon dry with paper towels, then grate enough zest to measure 1 teaspoon. Cut the lemon in half and squeeze the juice to yield 2 to 3 tablespoons.
2. Place the butter in a medium-size bowl and beat with an electric mixer on low speed until fluffy, 30 seconds. Stop the machine and add the confectioners’ sugar and the lemon juice and zest a bit at a time, beating with the mixer on low speed until the confectioners’ sugar is well incorporated, 1 minute. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat the frosting until it is light and fluffy, 1 minute longer. If the frosting seems too stiff add a little milk or water to thin it.
Another Thing About Frostings
When matching the right frosting to a cake, consider consistency. Soft and delicate cakes can handle the hard, smooth texture of a caramel or penuche icing. These icings set, so they are like candy and they actually help the cake stay moist. And in summertime, the icings don’t need refrigeration so this is the perfect choice for a potluck.
Heavier cakes, on the other hand, seem to do well with a richer frosting, such as a cream cheese frosting. Think of dark and moist devil’s food, pumpkin, and red velvet cakes—all of these are perfect with a cream cheese frosting, and they will not dry out when stored in the refrigerator.
How to Make a Perfect Buttercream Frosting
Don’t let the mystery of a simple buttercream frosting drive you to canned frosting! Here are my tips for success every time.
1. Soften the butter by leaving it out on the counter or by warming it in a microwave oven on high power for ten seconds.
2. Sift confectioners’ sugar to rid it of lumps. You’ll be glad you did.
3. For buttercreams, a good ratio is 1 tablespoon of liquid per cup of sugar used.
4. Don’t add all of the liquid called for at once, just incorporate it as needed. Once you beat the soft butter, add a cup of sugar, then a little liquid; add another cup of sugar; add a tad more liquid; more sugar, more liquid, and the frosting should come to a creamy and spreadable consistency.
5. Now, rev up the mixer to whip the frosting full of air for ten seconds, and you’re ready to frost.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
ABIT LIGHTER than the cream cheese frosting from the first Cake Mix Doctor book, this one is just as delicious. It has half the butter as the original frosting, and I think this lets the cream cheese flavor come through more strongly. The frosting also needs less confectioners’ sugar to pull it together, making it less sweet. It’s perfect on the Cinnamon Streusel Layer Cake (page 92), the Better Banana Cake (page 27),