**Icing / Frosting Recipes**

Top off your cake with a Great Icing!

Butter Cream Icing

1 cup of solid shortening (Crisco)

1 cup of solid butter or margarine

1 box of confectioner's sugar

2 tsp of clear vanilla

2 tsp of almond extract 

1/2 tsp of salt

1/3 cup of water or milk

Mix all items- being mindful of scraping down the sides and the bottom of the bowl.

Mix to a dull satin-like finish is achieved.

Add food color if you like- blend until there are no streaks.

Ice cake!

**Add 3/4 cup of Baker's Cocoa or 3-4 squares of semi-sweet chocolate (melted) for Chocolate Icing.

*** For darker chocolate icing add 5 more squares of chocolate.

**** For chocolate mocha icing - substitute fresh coffee for the milk in recipe.

***** For a different flavor,add flavored coffee as a substitute for the coffee in recipe.

Swiss Meringue Buttercream:

1 1/4 cups sugar
5 large egg whites
2 cups (4 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Combine egg whites, sugar, and vanilla in the heatproof bowl of an electric mixer. Set bowl over a pan of simmering water. Whisk constantly until sugar has dissolved and whites are hot to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes. Transfer bowl to the electric mixer. Using whisk attachment, mix on low speed, gradually increasing to high speed, until stiff, glossy peaks form, about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, beat butter until creamy and fluffy. At low speed, add the butter to egg whites until smooth. Add vanilla, and continue mixing until incorporated. Yield: 5 cups

(Food Network)

 French Buttercreame  Icing

1 Cup of unsalted Butter

1/2 cup of solid shortening

2 cups of confectioner's sugar

1/2 Heavy Whipping Cream

4 Tablespoons of Flour

Mix Heavy Cream and flour in a small bowl. Heat the mixture in the microwave for 45 seconds on high- Set to the side.

In a bowl combine butter, shortening, sugar and vanilla extract. (Butter Extract can be added also 1/4 tsp)

Beat on low with an electric mixer until combined- mix on medium for 6-8 minutes.

Add in the Heavy cream mixture and beat for an additional 10 minutes. Icing will appear loose, but will become fluffy after beating.

More Beating the Fluffier the Icing. Yum!

Delicious!

Cream Cheese Icing

4 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter (or margarine), softened but not melted
2 cups  powdered sugar
1/2 teaspoon clear vanilla extract

 Beat cream Cheese and Butter until creamy and smooth, gradually add sugar and vanilla continue to beat until smooth with no lumps.

White Buttercreame Icing

1 lb (2 cups) solid shortening

2 lb of confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar)

2 tsp of clear vanilla

2 tsp of clear butter flavoring

1/2 tsp of salt

2 tsp almond extract, flavored schnapps is good also 

1/3 cup of water( for stiffer icing) minus 2-3 tbs

Add ingredients to a mixing bowl, mix for 2 minutes always making sure to scrape the bowl down the sides and from the bottom. Mix at low speed for about 10 minutes more if you want the icing to be creamier.  Mix until the icing has a dull satin shine and is free of lumps.

Chocolate Ganache

8 oz of bittersweet chocolate or(semi-sweet chocolate chips)

1 cup of heavy whipping  cream

3 tablespoons of Amaretto liqueur.

Melt chocolate in  cream, add liqueur until smooth  in saucepan

Cool slightly before pouring liberally over cake -using a cooling rack with a pan underneath to catch the excess- using icing spatula to ice the sides of the cake. Or you can use parchment triangles under the cake to catch the overage. Pull the parchment out when finished

Double the recipe for a second coating. 

This is absolutely delicious- Try white chocolate chips also for a cream colored Ganache.

Peanut Butter Icing

 1/2 stick butter
1/2 cup honey
1 cup smooth or chunky peanut butter

In bowl combine all ingredients. Beat by hand or with a mixer until creamy
and smooth.  Spread on cooled cake. Microwave peanut butter for one minute to loosen peanut butter for easier mixing.
 

  These Recipes were taken from the Wilton Year Book.

Royal Icing

3 tablespoons of Meringue Powder

Tricks of the Trade:

Always re-beat icing that has been sitting awhile- use low speed on mixer

Crumb Coat- Use thinned buttercream icing to glaze cake and keep crumbs at a minimum. Let crumb coat dry before adding final coat of icing.

Use popcorn salt in icings rather than regular salt; it is finer, dissolves easier and improves the taste. ( To make popcorn salt- put regular salt in a blender or food processor for a few minutes. Store in a air-tight container.

To smooth buttercream icing- let icing set for 10 minutes until it 'dries' or loses it's stickiness, lay a piece of parchment paper on top and run a spatula  or rolling pin over parchment to smooth icing.