(How to Mess Up) Great Home-Made Cake Frosting!
Great cooking ability could be genetic. And, if it is, I fear I am in pretty bad shape. Having said that, some of us can learn from other people’s culinary tragedies. With this in mind, here are a few tricks I’ve learned about making simple butter cream frosting by watching some truly epic frosting fails.
Tip #1: Follow Your Recipe…Not Your Heart…Exactly
The biggest frosting-making mistake I’ve seen comes when the baker chooses to deviate from a tried and true recipe. Typically, this error is made when the baker in question can’t find the measuring cup, or is too lazy to go wash said measuring cups she just used earlier to bake the cake. Once the decision has been made that measuring cups are an ‘extra optional’ cooking tool, the next uttered line mumbled is a variation of ‘oh heck, I can just eyeball (the amount needed) and it’ll be okay.’
No people, it is not going to be okay. It’s so not going to be okay.
Too much milk, vanilla, or even butter and your end result will become a slimy goo last seen in a Mystery Science Theatre 3000 comedy sketch. Too little moisture, and the confectioner’s sugar results in a non-spreadable cement paste. The worst part, and somehow funniest too watch when it’s not your cooking reputation to lose, is watching as a would-be Gordon Ramsay tries to salvage her concoction by adding more milk, then more sugar, and then, more…
Oh well. She tried. Somebody at least give that wannabe chef a sticker.
Tip #2: Don’t Be Afraid to Chunk (Or Eat) It All and Start Over
Sometimes it’s best just to be honest with yourself. Your frosting tastes great, but it ain’t never gonna stick to Grandma’s prize winning cupcakes. And, that’s okay! There are lots of uses for your defunct frosting turned sugar salsa! Here’s a few ideas to try:
Lick the bowl.
Leave the frosting in your brother’s bed. (Would I do that?! Well…it depends. I mean, NEVER!)
Slap those babies on some spoons and turn them into frosting-sicles.
Eat it while crying about how your favorite character was unnecessarily killed off on The Walking Dead. (Trust me, it helps!)
Put a ‘How Not to Make Frosting’ sign over it, take a picture, and put it online. (Warning: Don’t put your name on it!)
Call a friend, have them come over. Break out your favorite cookies, and establish ground rules that there will be no DOUBLE DIPPING! Then eat it all while you watch Star Wars. Most people love frosting just as much as they love that epic space odyssey!
Tip #3: Make sure your frosting flavor matches your cake.
That lemon flavoring sitting on the shelf unopened since last Christmas just seems like such a good idea. Word of warning: it’s probably not the idea you were looking for. If I can speak to you in the manner of a Jedi Master, ‘move along.’
So, with all of this in mind, here’s a recipe from Betty Crocker herself.
Ingredients
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 ½ teaspoons vanilla
1 to 2 tablespoons milk
Directions
1 In medium bowl, mix powdered sugar and butter with spoon or electric mixer on low speed. Stir in vanilla and 1 tablespoon of the milk.
· 2 Gradually beat in just enough remaining milk to make frosting smooth and spreadable. If frosting is too thick, beat in more milk, a few drops at a time. If frosting becomes too thin, beat in a small amount of powdered sugar. Frosts 13x9-inch cake generously, or fills and frosts an 8- or 9-inch two-layer cake.
For more on the above recipe go to: http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/vanilla-buttercream-frosting/39107a19-be94-4571-9031-f1fc5bd1d606
