In my efforts to healthify our family’s diet, I have switched from buying canned frosting to making my own. I know, frosting is frosting. It’s still butter and sugar. But, at least butter + sugar is better than partially-hydrogenated-I-don’t-know-what’s-its. I’m amazed at how much better my cakes taste with homemade buttercream. My husband and teenage son, who previously shunned white frosting because it tasted bad, now love it.
I still use boxed cake mixes. But, baby steps, baby steps.
I was also amazed to see how easy it is to make my own buttercream. I don’t really follow a recipe, I just dump stuff in until it looks good, but this last time, I took note of what I dumped. Sort of. Just for you.
Homemade Buttercream Frosting
1 cup butter, softened
3-4 cups powdered sugar
1-2 Tablespoons milk or half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla
In large mixing bowl, beat butter until fluffy. Add three cups sugar, 1 Tablespoon milk, and vanilla. Beat until combined and fluffy. Adjust with more sugar or milk, depending on what consistency you’re looking for.
This frosting is delicious on cupcakes as well as any birthday cake your kid might dream up. If you want to get all tricky, consider buying a cupcake decorating kit. I bought one and was soooo impressed with myself that my cupcakes looked a little more tricked out than normal. And of course, pretty cupcakes taste better.
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This sounds great and I love the picture – next time will you show how to use the decorating kit?! I think that will be one of my summer projects – to learn basic cake decorating!
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:11 am
Well, seeing as I have only used it once, I think that would be the blind leading the blind. But we’ll see…
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Julie Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 11:43 am
If you are wanting to learn how to use the tools, take the Wilton classes offered at most major craft stores. I am currently taking them as my summer project and I’m having a blast. The last two months they have been half price too as the class has recently been updated.
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If you like the taste of creamsicles, King Arthur Flour Baking Company has an AMAZING extract called Fiori di Sicilia that is a combination of vanilla and orange extract. It turns regular buttercream frosting into an out-of-this world frosting on yellow cake. It’s wonderful in sugar cookies, too. I don’t sell for them or anything, I just found it and put it in EVERYTHING now!
http://search.kingarthurflour.com/search.jsp?N=0&rt=p&Ntt=Fiori+Di+Sicilia+-+1+oz.+%281546%29
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:10 am
YUM! Thanks for the head’s up! I have a bread recipe that calls for that, but I’ve never made it the right way. Now, I have multiple reasons to go get this! TY!
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Good for you! I started doing the same thing a while back for the same reasons. I recently went a step further and eliminated powdered sugar from my pantry, so I’ve been experimenting with a variety of non-powdered sugar frosting recipes, which I blogged about back in May and June. Making your own frosting is really so much healthier and so much tastier, too!
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I lovee homemade frosting and hardly ever buy canned anymore! I will be saving this recipe for sure
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I appreciate your tips and your encouragement to “live your wage” so I gave you an award: Blog with Substance.
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 7:40 am
Thank you!
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Gerk! Aggh! Bleck! Canned frosting is vile. Evil…
Erm, can you guess I was brought up on homemade frosting?
So glad you discovered how easy buttercream frosting is. It’s so good, I don’t even really need the cake (so that solves the box cake issue…).
If you like marshmallow fluff, maybe you should try 7-minute frosting next. A little more labor intensive but slap it on a white layer cake and coat the iced cake with coconut. OMG!!!!!
As far as homemake cakes go, keep in mind that the from scratch ones will generally be heavier/denser. They lack the ‘fluffiness’ of box cakes. But tasty nonetheless.
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You’ve made me droooool for cupcakes now! I’ve made my own frosting one time back at Christmas because I’m trying to get away from all the weird ingredients in packaged food, too. It was delicious. I’m printing yours out with the picture, just because it looks delish!
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Oh my gravy, why are adorable cupcakes suddenly EVERYWHERE!?!? I’ve never cared for them, and now my taste buds won’t stop drooling over them! Heehee. Especially the cute ones, because you’re right. Cute cupcakes taste much better. And yours are positively *adorable*.
Way to go switching to homemade frosting! Butter and sugar have to be better than partially-hydrogenated anything.
Thanks so much for sharing. Now I need to take some butter out of the freezer….
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
Yes, I know! I’ve never wanted cupcakes, either. But I think the craze has finally taken me over!
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Traditionally real buttercream is made with part butter and part vegtable shortening. I have never liked canned frosting ever, I wont eat it. I have always made my own frosting, always. I store it in the fridge tightly sealed and it will last a long time. I do tend to use cake mix, homemade cakes seem to lack the moistness my family loves. I wish it was cool enough to bake cupcakes!
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:26 pm
How long do you think a straight butter batch will last?
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Monica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 4:34 pm
From what I remember from my cake decorating class, the frosting will keep for 3 months in an air tight container in your pantry.
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 6:00 pm
Really? Oh my word. Who knew? In the pantry?!
Tina Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 5:31 pm
I have kept mine 3 months or so in the back of the fridge. Never tried pantry.
I’m gonna bookmark this one and try to substitue soy butter and rice milk and see how it comes out. DD can’t have dairy or gluten and I am going totry to make her cake this year. They have gluten free cake mixes now, but I was perplexed on the frosting. Hopefully it will come out good! Thanks
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
Go girl! And tell us how it turns out!
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Melissa Reply:
July 26th, 2010 at 1:33 pm
I use soy ingredients all the time (lactose intolerant Grandmother). You will have to adjust the ingredients a little to get the correct consistency and some brands taste better than others so if you don’t like the taste the first time try again. Also, if I have it in the house, I will use 1/2 c. soy cream cheese in place of half the butter. I have also used almond milk in the past with good results.
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If you want a super easy chocolate cake, I suggest the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate cake recipe – http://www.hersheys.com/recipes/recipes/detail.asp?id=184. I was introduced to this a few years ago and now it is the only chocolate cake I will make.
Thanks for the buttercream recipe – I love trying new icing recipes.
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Jessica Reply:
July 12th, 2010 at 1:25 pm
That sounds yummy! I may have to try that out. Does it work in cupcakes?
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Julie Reply:
July 14th, 2010 at 11:15 am
Yes, it does work in cupcakes.
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I come from a line of butter-lovin’ women so to me, canned frosting tastes like bug spray! Homemade chocolate cakes are very easy and come out tasty and moist. Here’s my easy-peasy standby:
No Egg Devil’s Food Cake
Mix together:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
6 Tbsp. cocoa
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
Add:
3/4 cup oil
2 Tbsp. white vinegar
2 tsp. vanilla
2 cups cold water
Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or 15-20 minutes for cupcakes.
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Yay! We have another cupcaker amongst us! You did a great job!
I’m actually very surprised you had not been making your own frosting. Glad you gave it a go!
I would love for you to link up to Cupcake Tuesday! That would be awesome!
Thanks Jess!
~Liz
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Nothing beats homemade frosting. Although, I still use canned from time to time in order to save…time.
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I’m a firm believer that the frosting makes the cake, or the cupcake as it were. I think Rose Levy Beranbaum (“The Cake Bible”) always said to focus on the frosting over the cake, though homemade cakes are just as good. Your recipe is very similar to one in Jean Anderson’s “American Century Cookbook.”
On Fridays, I am sharing how my family is getting back into Real Food with my Real Food Basics series. So many of our extended family members are being diagnosed with allergies, diabetes, and celiacs that I feel passionately about getting my children as healthy as possible. I am looking forward to hearing about your family’s journey!
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Thanks for taking a minute and joining Cupcake Tuesday!
~Liz
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Yum to homemade buttercream! Absolutely nothing like it. Worse than the canned stuff (to me) is that Crisco-tasting mess the supermarket bakeries often use… blech! My recipe is very similar to yours except I use heavy cream in mine, because, you know, a cup of butter isn’t enough fat for me.
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Jessica Reply:
July 13th, 2010 at 10:41 am
That’s why I never liked Buttercream. That grocery store blech.
PS. This was your first comment since the move. That’s why you were in moderation.
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I love buttercream!!!! I could eat it for lunch. Your cupcakes look adorable.
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I prefer homemade frosting and cakes…your recipe sounds great!
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Looks so yummy!
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Homemade all the way for me!!! I have made so many different kinds of frostings for different purposes. I love homemade buttercream, cream cheeese, 7 minute, whipped, chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, lemon….you name it I like it! I am all for homemade cakes too. I don’t like the aftertaste you get in the boxed mixes.
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I can’t stand frosting from a can or wal-mart’s frosting yuck. Homemade cream cheese icing is my favorite!!!
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Oh, that is how I make mine and I want only half of the cupcake to go with it! Yummy
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YUM
I love love LOVE
FROSTING
but who doesn’t right???
I WANT SOME NOW:)
xoxo
bB
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I’m so happy you posted this! My mom asked me to make her wedding type cake for their 50th anniv and I have been on a hunt for a good, easy buttercream recipe! The one I used the last time wasn’t right. I’ll let u know how it works out for me
And for those who are interested in trying some kind of decorating but no time for classes, I have a cookie press that also has attachments for using frosting…does a great job!
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I prefer the taste of homemade better than canned, but I’ll have to say canned frosting is MUCH better than it was 25 years ago, and since I shop sales with a coupon, it is usually cheaper than homemade, so I use it much more than I used to. I always have adequate powdered sugar and butter on hand to whip up a batch though.
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I have to second the above recipe for no-egg chocolate cake. My ventures into the world of from-scratch cakes have all ended in dry, tasteless disasters – except for that chocolate cake. It is a favorite in my family now. And it’s so easy! You have to try it! My conclusion is that chocolate cake from scratch is much easier than any other flavor. I’m not sure why, but I’ve always had great success with chocolate. Good luck!
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Super late to this, but I’m wondering- can this buttercream recipe be frozen? How awesome would it be to just have icing ready in the freezer whenever you need it?
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Jessica Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 5:16 am
I’m not sure – I haven’t tried yet. But, I will.
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I have made buttercream frosting before, but it melted at room temp- does your recipe need to keep your cupcakes refrigerated?
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Jessica Reply:
August 4th, 2010 at 5:15 am
Mine would melt on a hot enough day. Room temp is technically 68 to 70. So, it shouldn’t melt under those temps. On a hot day, everything would need to be refrigerated.
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Jessica would this be the type of frsoting youhave to keep in fridge? I always wondered if you would have to put your uneaten frosted cake in fridge even withjsut the small amount of milk in it?
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Jessica Reply:
February 8th, 2011 at 5:34 pm
Readers have told me that buttercream is safe unrefrigerated. But, I like it cold.
(And I’m crazy about food safety.)
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Just made this frosting along with the chocolate cake recipe in Saralyn’s comment. They were both soooo yummy! I also feel so much better serving it to my family without all the added stuff! Thanks so much for this recipe!
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TIP**** Use applesauce in place of oil in your boxed recipe cake mix….whaa-laaa Much healthier and no one ever can tell the difference. I haven’t used oil in cake mix in years.
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I have never made homemade frosting before in my life and it turned out delicious!!! Thanks so much for this recipe!!! I decided to make a home made cake and frosting for my mom and I and this the easiest recipe I found, and it is sooo yummy!!!
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Jessica Reply:
October 22nd, 2011 at 4:54 pm
Yeah!
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