There are many types of cake decorating frosting available to make,  such as cream cheese based, butter based, water based and egg based to name a few.  These will all  give different effects and textures to your cake decorating and you should think about the end result you are trying to achieve before deciding which one to use.

Just to give you an example, you would most likely find a cream cheese based frosting on a carrot cake where as a butter based cake decorating frosting would be ideal for a childs birthday cake as you are able to colour it and use it in a piping bag to create beautiful decorations.  Frosting may also be known as buttercream, royal icing, whipped cream icing, ganache or glazes depending on who you talk to.

Buttercream  Cake Decorating Frosting

As the name suggests, buttercream frosting is best made with butter and cream with icing added for sweetness.  You can use buttercream  inside cakes when you are building layers,  as a coating and as decoration when used in a piping bag.  This is my personal favourite as I don’t find it sickly sweet to eat.  Below is a recipe for a very easy and quick buttercream cake decorating frosting.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup butter, softened to room temperature

• 1 to 2-1/2 cups confectioner’s sugar

• 1 tsp. vanilla

• 1-2 Tbsp. heavy cream

Preparation:

Beat butter and 1 cup of the confectioner’s sugar until fluffy. Add more sugar for desired sweetness.

Add vanilla and 1 Tbsp. of the cream to the frosting. Beat well. If frosting is too thick for spreading, add another tablespoon of cream. (cream can be replaced with a smaller amount of milk)

Use this buttercream frosting for cupcakes and cakes.

Thanks for reading

Jackie