Buttercream

Buttercream

Foolproof cake frosting requires just butter and icing sugar - try out different flavourings and use our guide for quantities

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 stars 1 rating 1

Recipe by Caroline Hire

Tested

Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes enough to ice 12 cupcakes/fill and cover a 20cm cake

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Freezable

Method

  1. Beat the icing sugar and butter together, with your chosen flavouring and colouring if using, until smooth. Choose unsalted butter for a celebration cake. Salted is good for cupcakes. Fill a piping bag with a star nozzle and pipe onto cupcakes or smear in the middle and over the top of a 20cm cake using a palette knife.
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QUANTITIES FOR BUTTERCREAM

A ratio of equal quantities of icing sugar and butter works well unless you're adding a significant quantity of a liquid eg juice of an orange or lemon or melted chocolate. If you are, you can increase the quantities of icing sugar. You might want to add as much as double. Add gradually if you like, and make sure it is sifted, to get the consistency you want.

CELEBRATION CAKE RATIOS

10cm (4 inch) cake: 150g buttercream
13cm (5 inch) cake: 225g buttercream
15cm (6 inch) cake: 300g buttercream
18cm (7 inch) cake: 450g buttercream
20cm (8 inch) cake: 600g buttercream
23cm (9 inch) cake: 750g buttercream
25cm ((10 inch) cake: 900g buttercream
28cm (11 inch) cake: 1.2kg buttercream
30cm (12 inch) cake: 1.5kg buttercream

KEEPING THE ICING

If you're not using the icing straightaway, you can cover it and refrigerate for up to a week. Allow it to come back up to room temperature and beat again if necessary before using.

PER SERVING (12)

284 kcalories, protein 0.1g, carbohydrate 25g, fat 20.6 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 0g, sugar 25g, salt 0.4 g

Recipe from bbcgoodfood.com, July 2012.

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Latest comments and suggestions

  • 28 September 2012

    Mothy commented on this recipe

    Very tasty! It's a nice twist on the original butter cream! :)

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  • 12 April 2013

    Jess 26 rated and commented on this recipe

    1 stars

    the measurement ratios given 300g each did not make a nice buttercream icing or give it the right consistency, would not use again

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Difficulty and servings

Easy

Makes enough to ice 12 cupcakes/fill and cover a 20cm cake

Preparation and cooking times

Preparation time

Prep 10 mins

Freezable

Ingredients

  • 300g icing sugar , sifted
  • 300g unsalted or salted butter , softened

OPTIONAL EXTRAS

  • finely grated lemon zest
  • finely grated orange zest
  • a dash of vanilla extract
  • few drops food colouring
  • cocoa powder , to taste
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PER SERVING (12)

284 kcalories, protein 0.1g, carbohydrate 25g, fat 20.6 g, saturated fat 13g, fibre 0g, sugar 25g, salt 0.4 g

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