Buttercream frosting recipe?

anewme

Hi has anyone got a decent buttercream frosting recipe, please?

And it's to look smoith on the cake? How do I do that?

tea and coffee

150g butter, double that of icing sugar. Few drops of vanilla extract.
Make sure the butter is nice and soft, chop it into bits and beat in the icing sugar. The more you beat it the smoother it gets. Add in vanilla and keep beating.
If you find it's too rigid a consistency to get onto the cake smoothly, add a few tablespoons of milk. Add them one by one so you can check and ensure it doesn't get too runny.

anewme

Great thanks, how do I get it that it looks even and set all around the cake !!!

huskerdu

anewme wrote: »

Great thanks, how do I get it that it looks even and set all around the cake !!!

You smooth it with a palette knife.
The internet is full of videos on cake decorating, Have a look at a few and practice a bit.

My other advice is to sieve the icing sugar if it is lumpy. the lumps are hard to get out once mixed with the butter.

vicwatson

Is "frosting" an american term?

anewme

huskerdu wrote: »

You smooth it with a palette knife.
The internet is full of videos on cake decorating, Have a look at a few and practice a bit.

My other advice is to sieve the icing sugar if it is lumpy. the lumps are hard to get out once mixed with the butter.

Might try sieving the icing sugar. Last time I did smooth it with a palette knife, but it did not come out completely even. I've just watched a video where they almost got a plasterers smoothing knife (think called a cake blade) and that seemed to work!

vicwatson wrote: »

Is "frosting" an american term?

No idea. is there a different method they use in america for smoothing cakes?

Teyla Emmagan

Definitely sieve the sugar.

It's actually really hard to get totally smooth, you'd be better off going for a more "rustic" look.

I mostly use Hummingbird Bakery recipes for icing, look them up online. Super simple. Their cream cheese one is fab (but use warm enough butter).

anewme

Teyla Emmagan wrote: »

Definitely sieve the sugar.

It's actually really hard to get totally smooth, you'd be better off going for a more "rustic" look.

I mostly use Hummingbird Bakery recipes for icing, look them up online. Super simple. Their cream cheese one is fab (but use warm enough butter).

That's what happened the last time, I ended up going for the rustic look as I kept making it more uneven!

Hmmm...would prefer edges as I want to go for a drip ganache over the top and down the sides! Will look up hummingbird as well, thanks!

phormium

Frosting is usually used to mean icing that doesn't have butter in it because you can't call it buttercream. So most American icing, not all but a lot of it, is made with shortening which is basically a hard white fat, similar to Trex which is not available everywhere here or kind of related to Cookeen. Basically rotten stuff in icing imo so has plenty of flavourings added to improve taste and texture, I find it has a very funny 'mouth feel' as they call it, a bit like eating a lump of sweetened lard, kind of coats your mouth, yeuk.

OP, nicest buttercream of them all is Swiss Meringue Buttercream, a little more complicated to make but a much smoother type. I'm just in the middle of making a big bowl of it, nice and easy to smooth on, I use a metal dough scraper type thingy to get it nice and smooth on the sides but a very large set square works very well too as you can keep the base on the board which keeps it straight and scrape it all around. A turntable or lazy susan type thing makes it a lot easier.

Psychologeeee

I find 2 tablespoons of boiling water into the mixer can give a nice smooth buttercream. That would be for a quantity of 250g butter, 500g icing sugar. Maybe crumb coat first to get it super smoother. Actually, that's not a maybe, its a must! Make sure your icing scraper is at a 90 degree angle at all times. A rotating base helps.

ellejay

phormium wrote: »

Frosting is usually used to mean icing that doesn't have butter in it because you can't call it buttercream. So most American icing, not all but a lot of it, is made with shortening which is basically a hard white fat, similar to Trex which is not available everywhere here or kind of related to Cookeen. Basically rotten stuff in icing imo so has plenty of flavourings added to improve taste and texture, I find it has a very funny 'mouth feel' as they call it, a bit like eating a lump of sweetened lard, kind of coats your mouth, yeuk.

OP, nicest buttercream of them all is Swiss Meringue Buttercream, a little more complicated to make but a much smoother type. I'm just in the middle of making a big bowl of it, nice and easy to smooth on, I use a metal dough scraper type thingy to get it nice and smooth on the sides but a very large set square works very well too as you can keep the base on the board which keeps it straight and scrape it all around. A turntable or lazy susan type thing makes it a lot easier.

Hi Would you have a recipe and instructions for Swiss meringue buttercream please

SB_Part2

This is the best Swiss Meringue recipe I've found

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zpNQj61ookU

phormium

That's roughly the gist of it in the clip above, mine has slightly different proportions with not as much butter as I don't like it too buttery but that's a personal choice. I also do it a lot quicker than that and a bit simpler as I make tons and can't be switching whisks or having simmering water, mine is on a full boil for speed A few stirs of a spatula at the end makes it smooth and knocks out the aeration of the whisk.

I use 4 large egg whites, 160g in weight, 250 sugar, 250 unsalted butter, I sometimes add a little extra butter if it is slow to come together which can be affected by the weather or room temperature or if I want a firmer set.

To spread the icing nice and smooth, dip your palette knife in a jug of boiling water, dry it, and spread the frosting while your knife is still hot😉. Repeat as necessary.

sunnyt

Psychologeeee wrote: »

I find 2 tablespoons of boiling water into the mixer can give a nice smooth buttercream. That would be for a quantity of 250g butter, 500g icing sugar. Maybe crumb coat first to get it super smoother. Actually, that's not a maybe, its a must! Make sure your icing scraper is at a 90 degree angle at all times. A rotating base helps.

I find this makes all the difference. Sieve the sugar and add it slowly to the butter and icing sugar. When it is all mixed add a couple of tablespoons of boiling water and leave the mixer on for another 7-10 minutes. It should be light and fluffy. When putting it on the cake the rotating base can really help it go on evenly and smoothly but practice does make perfect!

anewme

I wanted something that would set so I dint think it's going to work! Hmmm, decisions!

phormium

Swiss meringue buttercream won't set as such, it will be as firm as room temperature allows considering it's nearly half butter but won't get firm on outside or anything. Ordinary buttercream, half fat to sugar, crusts over on the outside after a while, not really firm but dry to the touch more or less.

No buttercream will set particularly hard, what about ganache? That can be done to different consistencies and sets pretty firm.

Actually just read your posts again and see you want to do a drip cake with ganache, I have done them with swiss meringue and with fondant and you could do it all in ganache either. Once you get the swiss merginue smooth you stick in the fridge and it gets good and hard, obviously as the butter hardens up, then it's easy to do the drip.

anewme

phormium wrote: »

Swiss meringue buttercream won't set as such, it will be as firm as room temperature allows considering it's nearly half butter but won't get firm on outside or anything. Ordinary buttercream, half fat to sugar, crusts over on the outside after a while, not really firm but dry to the touch more or less.

No buttercream will set particularly hard, what about ganache? That can be done to different consistencies and sets pretty firm.

Actually just read your posts again and see you want to do a drip cake with ganache, I have done them with swiss meringue and with fondant and you could do it all in ganache either. Once you get the swiss merginue smooth you stick in the fridge and it gets good and hard, obviously as the butter hardens up, then it's easy to do the drip.

Thanks for your help....not sure what to do...the cake should be white on the outside though with a coloured ganache over the top! It's getting complicated though! Might try something else!

phormium

White chocolate ganache? Although to be fair that's not white, more of a yellow shade. I'd go with the meringue buttercream, not totally white either but as near as any buttercream with real butter can be and easier to get a smooth finish. Chill it well before the drip.