Monday, March 16, 2009

Buttercream Frosting

I wish I could say I'd made a cake recently and had need for this icing, but I haven't. I haven't made a super special cake for my kids' birthdays for years. Thus, none of this yummy icing which I eat directly out of the bowl. I used to give the leftovers, after I made a cake and gorged myself until I was almost sick, to some friends of ours from church. They would freeze it and then use it sparingly on graham crackers over a reasonable period of time. Smart people, they were.

Well, Caboose likes a little frosting on his sugar cookies, so I decided I'd make a little of this yummy icing. I didn't remember exactly how much one batch made up, so I doubled it. I've got a lot of frosting in my fridge. Wish I had some reasonable friends to share with about now.

Buttercream Frosting

1/2 cup solid vegetable shortening
1/2 cup butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups (1 lb) powdered sugar
2 T milk

Cream butter and shortening with electric mixer.
Add vanilla.
Gradually add sugar one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. You might want to have it on low when you're adding the sugar, because it sure flies through the air otherwise. Scrape sides and bottom of the bowl often. This is a picture with about half of the sugar mixed in.
When all the sugar is mixed in, icing will appear dry. Your mixer might start throwing chunks of icing through the air too, so lower the beater speed. In this picture I have all my sugar mixed in.
Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Now remember I doubled the recipe that I gave you above. I used my large mixing bowl, and you can see how much that made. Lots!
It's also not friendly to the waistline. Figures.

5 comments:

Lora @ my blessed life said...

Mmmm...this looks much like the frosting I learned to make in one of those Wilton's cake decorating classes. Of course, I haven't made it since the class and that was years ago. I need to try it again!

Bridget said...

Looks yummy. I can't understand why anyone would use that terrible canned stuff when it is so easy to make the real stuff and it tastes 10,000 times better!

Kristine said...

We use this frosting recipe all the time. (except no oil) My Mom passed it to us, probably from Betty Crocker. So yummy! And simple too. =)

Betsy Brock said...

This is my favorite frosting, too! Sometimes, for an extra rich frosting I replace the shortening with more butter. And it makes a wonderful chocolate just be adding cocoa and a little more milk. I'll lick the beater for you...or did you already do that?! :)

Bobbi said...

Humph...I doubt it...I bet it is very waist friendly...bet it likes the waist so much it hugs like crazy! HA HA HA! It looks yummy...I think I'm going to go bake...something that requires buttercream frosting!

 
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