Background:
As a child, I remember watching adults scrape off the majority of the frosting on birthday cakes and the like, saying, "Oh! This is too sweet!"
"They're nuts!" I remember thinking to myself, as I quickly made my serving disappear with nary a complaint.
Fast forward (gulp!) 20+ years, and I have found the adults to be yet again proven correct... in most cases. Upon realizing my sweet tooth had changed, a vague awareness of cake frosting varieties surfaced: some remain a delight to the last mouthful, while others start almost stinging the mouth with sicky-sweetness only a few bites in. This mystery I must solve!
Life is too short to eat bad frosting. I have fewer and less opportunities (okay, let's get real - excuses) to make cakes and by golly, when I do, it had better taste amazing! My not-so-secret goal is to be the relative that everyone always hopes will bring dessert.
"Wow! You work full-time, have two kids, a dog, and a house to take care of... How DO you do it?" the imaginary flatteries will be uttered.
I have already realized what many a busy amateur baker has known for ages: you do not need 100 mediocre recipes, a few great ones, done well, will get the job done. So begins my quest for what will be my family's go-to cake frosting(s)!
Recipe #1
American Buttercream
Sweetness Level (1 low - 5 high): *****
Comments: American Buttercream (aka the Sicky-Sweet Offender), is probably the most common, and what most casual bakers in middle America refer to as simply "Buttercream". This recipe using the confectioner's suger is intensely sweet and will make an already sweet confection over-the-top for most adult palates. However, it is very easy and fast to make, which can be a huge plus when you're really stressed for time. It is room-temperature stable, and does not require refrigeration.
Variations: Substituting some or all of the butter for Crisco, using other extracts to flavor or liquors
Ingredients
2 cups confectioners' sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 tablespoons milk (less or more to desired texture)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Directions
In a bowl, combine the sugar, butter, 1 TBSP milk and vanilla in a mixing bowl. Beat on medium speed until smooth and fluffy, adding additional milk in small amounts until desired texture is reached. Spread over baked good. Yield: 1 cup.
So where to from here? I'm going to work my way slowly through other varieties to see if I can find our family's go-to frosting!
Up Next: Rose Levy Beranbaum's (of The Cake Bible) "Neoclassic" version of Original Buttercream, made with a cooked sugar syrup.
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