How to Make Butter Cream Icing for Cake and Cupcake Decorating

Buttercream icing holds its shape well and is great for decorating.

Sweet and tasty, buttercream frosting is very versatile. You can use it to frost cakes, cupcakes and cookies, and use it to make decorations such as roses. Since it is easy to work with, you can change the frosting’s consistency depending on the item you are decorating. This recipe will make about 8 cups of frosting, which is enough to cover and decorate a 50-piece rectangular cake or at least 36 cupcakes.

Things You'll Need

• Shortening
• Powdered sugar
• Butter or margarine
• Good mixer
• Flavoring
• Food colors (optional)

Instructions

1. Beat together 2 cups of shortening and 2 cups butter or margarine with a heavy duty mixer. This is the base of your frosting, the shortening is for texture and butter is for flavor. The harder you can whip the frosting, the creamer it will be.

2. Add 2 pounds of powdered sugar to the mixture. Begin beating this slowly, so you don't make a mess.

3. Add 1 tsp. of your chosen flavoring and your food coloring, if so desired, once it is all powdered sugar is moist and incorporated into the shortening.

4. Beat the frosting on a very high speed for four or five minutes until it is very fluffy.

5. Change the consistency based on how you will use the frosting. For frosting the cake, you will want a thinner consistency, so add a 1/4 cup of water and then a tablespoon of water at a time, until it falls from the beater. For making roses or other shaped candies for decorating, leave it thicker, but thin enough that you can press it through a frosting bag.

Tips & Warnings

• Practice with different icing consistencies. Frosting the cake and writing takes thinner icing. Things that need to stand up, roses, grass, and other flowers, need thick consistency. Stars, and leaves that will lay flat need a medium consistency.

• Especially, practice writing.

• Don't make the frosting too thin or it will be a glaze.

• If the icing pulls at the cake while you are frosting it, the icing is too thick.

• If the icing flow keeps breaking while you write, the icing is too thick.

• If your roses wilt, the icing is too thin.

References

• Taste of Home: Buttercream Frosting Recipe