[Sha_]

Originally Posted by displaced

making buttercream is easy.

beat 1 stick of softened butter with powdered sugar, add 2-3 tsp vanilla extract. beat some more. alternate adding milk and more powdered sugar until it's the consistency you want.

for chocolate, just add in 1/2 or 2/3 cup cocoa powder before the sugar.

I don't like canned frostings, always make my own.

Thanks. I tried making 4 different types yesterday at my sisters house.

1) Butter, icing sugar, cocoa. Seemed fine. Added a like a tsp of milk. Went all strange and started looking like it was separating? It tasted ok though, but it seemed too soft/runnyish and looked funny: the kids said it looked like poop.

2) Butter, icing sugar, cocoa. Was fine, not too soft or anything. Tasted nice. Looked really smooth. The kids still said it looked like poop.Then they started having a long conversation about poop and i had to tell em to shut up .

3) Butter, icing sugar, drop of vanilla essence, added a bit too much red colouring. It seemed okay at first but I noticed it separating slightly and the colour settled in places highlighting this and it looked a bit off. And it tasted way too sweet for my taste, I preffered the choc ones coz I think cocoa tones it down a bit. The kids said this one looked like a tongue with blood all over it .

4)Glace icing: Icing sugar, water, green food colour. consistency looked and right and everything but it seemed wayyyyyy too sweet; but then I dont suppose I could change the water:sugar ratio coz the consistency would be wrong wouldn't it? (The kids said this one looked like bogeys.)


So why did the ones I added milk/ vanilla essence to, come out dodgy? Coz your supposed to add those anyway right? :s

Originally Posted by farah

word. if you have it on hand, use whipping cream instead of milk

Thanks. I dont have any right now actually, but I'll try it next time.

Originally Posted by displaced

I think whipping cream's a bit harder to use when you're not used to it because it makes the frosting stiff fast but then if it's not kept chilled, it gets liquidy.

I think im going to make no: 2. Since I have to make them the night before ant they're not going to be warm anyways, should I just put the buttercreamed ones in the fridge? and will that make the cream go a bit stiffer? (so it wont be too mushy and mess up in the containers on my way to uni). Or will that make the cakes go hard? Or does butter cream go stiffer over time anyway if left in a cool place?

Oh and I'm using margerine, not actual butter.

Thanks