Buttercream Frosting

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Would you like to learn a little bit about making and decorating with

Buttercream Frosting?

You would? I’m glad!

I’m also glad, you only want to learn a little bit. Because I’m going to be strait with you here my friends. A little bit is all this girl knows. I am not a professional, the Cake Boss, the Ace of Cakes, or the winner of The Cupcake Wars. I’m just a girl with a love for frosting and a little need for creativity in her life.
My friend Melanie knows a lot about this yummy, decorating friendly frosting. She is my go-to gal whenever I have questions about cake decorating. People actually pay her to make cakes for them! Isn’t that fancy. If you live in my area (Herriman, Utah) and would like her to make a creative cake for you, you can leave her a message on her Creative Cakes by Melanie Facebook Page.

Buttercream Frosting

Yield: frosting for 24 cupcakes, or a two layer cake

Time: 10 minutes

Recipe from Wilton passed on by Melanie Kingdon

1/2 C butter flavored shortening

1/2 C butter, softened

1/2 t vanilla

3 1/2 – 4 C powdered sugar

1-2 T milk

1. Put your shortening and softened butter in the bottom of a mixing bowl.

2. Add your vanilla and mix well.

3. Add your powdered sugar a little at a time. Add in a bit of milk as you go, as well.

4. The consistency is key here. You want it to be a bit sticky. When you dab your finger into it, the frosting should stick just a bit. If it doesn’t stick at all, it’s too dry. Add a bit more milk. If the frosting is gooping all over your finger add a bit more powdered sugar.

5. When you have the right consistency, let it mix for a bit longer until it is nice and fluffy-ish. You are good to go!

6. Add your coloring of choice. I will say a word or two about food coloring. If you want vibrant colors you have got to use these Wilton Icing Colors. You’ll be able to get a true RED, and a dark BLACK, as well as any other color your little heart desires. They really are wonderful!

The tips you see here are the only tips I own. I purchased the three on the right in a beginners decorating kit about 15 years ago. You can buy these little kits everywhere! Walmart has them, as well as online at Amazon and Wilton. The kits usually come with a few basic tips, some decorating bags and some couplers. The big daddy tip you see on the left I purchased a few weeks ago at Hobby Lobby. I couldn’t find him at Walmart.

To assemble a decorating bag place one of the couplers inside the bag. Snip the end off with some scissors. Add the tip of your choice and then tighten the coupler ring around the tip. Roll down the top of the bag and carefully spoon some frosting into it.

This fun open star tip (#199) is great for making swirls on top of cupcakes, or little stars.

Round tips (this is a #3) are great for lettering and other piping. If I want a tip that will lend itself to larger lines, I just put my frosting into a ziploc bag, and then cut the corner of it to be the size I want. Easy. Super Easy.

Here we have another open star tip (#21). It makes a pretty border pattern, and fun little stars as well. The options are really limitless. Just use your imagination.

I actually don’t have a coupler that will fit this big tip. I just put him in the decorating bag, and fill it with frosting.

Now….you know what I know. Just a few small things about decorating with Buttercream Frosting. I’m not sure I even got all of the technical terms correct. If you see a mistake I have made, or have some great input for the rest of us on cake decorating, please leave a comment! Fill us in! We are all trying to learn here. I would love any tips you would like to share.