How to Make Homemade Cake Frosting

Just a few ingredients and you can make homemade frosting.

Decorating your cake is a great way to incorporate your party's theme and make your celebration more fun. Frosting your cake gives it a decadent, delicious finishing touch, whether you're making buttercream frosting for cupcakes, whipped icing for a birthday cake, or fondant icing for a wedding cake.

Things You'll Need

• 1 lb. powdered sugar
• 4 oz. (1 stick) butter, softened
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt (1 tsp. regular)
• 2 to 4 tbsp. milk or half and half
• 2 tsp. vanilla or other flavoring

Instructions

Homemade Frosting

1. 

   Use an electric mixer to make frosting.

   Attach the whisk attachment (if you have it) or beaters.

2. Place your softened butter in the bowl of your mixer.

3. Beat the butter at medium to high speed until it's light and fluffy. Stop every minute or so and scrape the sides of the bowl. Do this for at least five minutes.

4. Mix the vanilla flavoring and salt in a separate small bowl to dissolve the salt.

5. Turn your mixer to low and add the flavoring and salt to your butter. Whip the frosting again until light and fluffy.

6. Turn the mixer to low and add the sugar very slowly. Allow each addition to become moistened before adding more. Continue until all the sugar has been added.

7. Turn the mixer to medium and begin adding your milk 1 tsp. at a time. Continue until you have added 2 tbsp.

8. Turn the mixer to high and whip the frosting again. If the frosting seems too thick, add more liquid, 1 tsp. at a time. Continue until the frosting is light and fluffy.

Tips & Warnings

• Substitute any flavoring for vanilla.

• Substitute any liquid for milk (lemon juice, rum, heavy cream, etc.)

• Use margarine and soy milk to make frosting vegetarian.

• Use food colorings to suit your occasion.

• Add two squares of melted and cooled unsweetened chocolate for chocolate frosting.

• Add 4 oz. of softened cream cheese or peanut butter with the butter.

• Add nuts, coconut, chocolate chips, nut brittle or any kind of candy.

• Make sure the cake is thoroughly cool before using this frosting, or the frosting will melt.

• Dissolve kosher salt thoroughly before adding to cake frosting.

Resources

• Read this Article in Spanish
• Read this Article in Portuguese