Twenty years ago this icing was more commonly made with vegetable shortening than with butter. Even now, some grocery stores and lower-end bakeries still use shortening to save money. When the frosting is made with shortening, the sugar is really the only flavor you taste. To enhance the flavors, and because of an overall avoidance of trans fats (which are common in shortening), today at high-end bakeries and at home, butter is more commonly used for the base of this icing. The secret to this simple-to-make butter icing is beating it in a mixer for a good 5 to 8 minutes total, so that it is light and fluffy. Our recipe differs from others out there because it uses far less sugar, but this is still inherently a very sweet icing. In addition, using less sugar results in a naturally more yellow color, so if you want to get a bright white or if you’re planning to tint it a different color, beat the icing in a standing mixer until it is colorless—the more air you incorporate, the whiter it will be. To make our “Sassy” Cinnamon Icing, which pairs well with all of the cakes in the Banana Cake chapter (page 125), just add one tablespoon of ground cinnamon and mix until combined.

　　

Ingredients

makes enough for one 3-layer 8-inch cake, one 2-layer 9-inch cake, or about 3 dozen cupcakes

　　1 pound (4 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature

　　6 cups confectioners’ sugar

　　1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract

　　2 tablespoons whole milk

　　Food coloring (optional)

　　

Step 1

Beat the butter in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on high speed until it is light and smooth, about 3 minutes.

　　

Step 2

Add the confectioners’ sugar and mix on low speed until incorporated, about 2 minutes. (The mixture will be somewhat thick and pasty.)

　　

Step 3

Add the vanilla and milk and mix on medium-high speed until smooth, about 2 minutes.

　　

Step 4

Use the icing immediately, or keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. Before using, beat the icing in a mixer, or stir vigorously with a rubber spatula, for about 2 minutes. Tint with food coloring, if desired.

　　

Polish your look

Step 5

To tint icing, add a drop at a time of your desired color, mixing primary colors as you would mix paint to achieve different colors and shades. The key is to add the color slowly and conservatively, as you can always add more color, but the only way to go lighter is to make more icing and add white. Different brands of food coloring vary in levels of intensity. The kind most frequently found in grocery stores is relatively weak and will require more drops to tint the icing. AmeriColor, a brand common to specialty cake-decorating stores, is quite intense and will yield bright colors after only a drop or two (see Resources, page 190).

　　Sweet Chic