sprinklefingers

Why in the world does something like Duncan Hines Frosting Creations exist?

I must be completely wrong, but I thought the country was finally picking up on the fact that putting huge amounts of gross junk in your body isn’t good for you? But, of course, giant corporations keep pushing the (complete) crap onto grocery store shelves and people keep buying it. And I can see it - busy mom wants to make a cake (or cupcakes) but is short on time so she buys a tub of Duncan Hines ‘starter’ frosting at the megamarket and grabs the packet of magical Frosting Creations dust and decides it can’t hurt - a powder that has the power to turn frosting blue and flavor it like cotton candy?  The kids will love it AND the shade of blue perfectly matches little Billy’s party color scheme! 

But hold on a second. I should be nicer. And more understanding. Maybe the reason so many tubs of frosting (and now packets of magical frosting dust) sell is because busy people don’t realize how easy it is to make homemade frosting. Frosting that can be whipped up with real ingredients and flavored with real flavorings. Not cotton candy, but vanilla. Or vanilla bean. And cinnamon. Lemon and lime. Orange. Chocolate. Coffee. Almond. Mint. Or a combination - chocolate and coffee. Orange and chocolate. Cinnamon and vanilla. It’s a complete cliché, but the possibilities truly are endless. Is it as easy as opening a tub of frosting and a packet of powder? Not quite. But it’s nearly as easy and definitely worth the extra effort. I mean, what ingredient makes frosting blue and flavors it like cotton candy anyway? Not something I want to put in my mouth, that’s for sure.

Here’s a quick and easy (just three steps!) recipe for simple buttercream - the kind you remember from your days of licking the beaters in your childhood kitchen. I’ll also include tips & tricks on flavoring the icing…just no cotton candy!

Vanilla Buttercream

 Ingredients:

• 227 g  softened unsalted butter 
• 1247 g sifted (lump free) powdered sugar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla extract
• ¼ cup whole milk (approximately)

Make the buttercream: 

1. Using a mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat butter until smooth.
2. Add the sifted powdered sugar and vanilla.
3. Begin to add milk, starting with half of the amount, and then continue adding it until the buttercream is smooth and the desired consistency is reached. You want it to be spreadable but not at all runny.

Using the Vanilla Buttercream:
Orange: Add 1 T of orange juice and the zest of 1 orange as you’re adding the milk. (You can also do the same with lime or lemon juice & zest.)
Vanilla bean: split and scrape one vanilla bean and add the seeds to the butter before creaming.
Maple: Add 4 T maple syrup IN PLACE of 4 T of milk. Spice it up with 1/2-1 t cinnamon if you’d like!
Chocolate: Add 5 T best quality cocoa powder plus 1/4 t kosher salt with the powdered sugar. You may need to increase the milk by a smidge. (For chocolately chip buttercream: Chop some chocolate until it’s in shards. Mix in the chocolate shards to your liking.)

Using the Mint Buttercream:
Choco-Mint: add 5 T best quality cocoa powder to powdered sugar. At the end add more plain milk if necessary - but just a touch!


Now, I seriously do not want to hear about you making bubblegum flavored frosting with the help of a magical powder…got it? Good.