I Scream, You Scream, We all Scream for Buttercream!!

Just a short post today about the perfect Buttercream! Over the years, the most commonly asked question I get in regards to baking is "How do I make Buttercream"? It is the most simple of recipes, but if not done correctly, can ruin a perfectly gorgeous cake or cupcake.

Buttercream consistency can vary depending on where you live too, so take this into consideration as you may need to make slight adjustments. For instance, when we lived in Singapore it was one of the most frustrating recipes to perfect. Due to the constant heat and humidity, the buttercream required more sugar than normal to stabilize it, which of course, caused it to be over the top in sweetness at times. When I asked the some local bakers how they prevented this, they informed me that they used Crisco instead of butter (which I have since learnt is quite a common practice by commercial bakeries). To get the beautiful butter flavoring to their Crisco cream topping, they of course added....Butter Flavoring! I thanked them kindly for their advice and expertise, and continued on my way all the time thinking... NOPE! That is never going to happen, I need to find another way!!! I did eventually discovered that White Chocolate Buttercream was the answer...but I digress and that is a recipe for another day!

So back to the buttercream at hand, if you don't live in an insanely hot environment, the steps are very simple and are as follows:

VANILLA BUTTERCREAM

200g of unsalted butter

1/2 cup of thickened cream (can substitute with full cream Milk)

1 tablespoon of Vanilla Extract

8 cups of icing sugar 🇦🇺 (confectioner's sugar 🇺🇸)

Soften the butter to room temperature, then add butter to a mixing bowl and cream until it changes color, to a lighter color yellow and is silky in texture.

Add Vanilla Extract, thickened cream and half of the icing sugar and beat on a slow speed to start, otherwise you will end up with a face and kitchen full of icing sugar!! Once these ingredients have combined, add the remaining icing sugar and continue to beat until you have a fluffy and smooth consistency.

At this point, if you would like to add any flavoring or coloring, do so now.

My Hot Tip: Once all the ingredients are combined, turn the speed up a couple of notches and whip it good! This is the time to taste test and add extra cream or icing sugar if needed, but just a little at a time until you get it just right. To test if you have the right consistency, taste the mixture and once you can bite down on it without any grittiness from the icing sugar...it is perfect!!

Now you are done and have real, beautiful tasting buttercream on top of your perfect cakes!!

Happy Baking!!

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