Love to eat cakes or other desserts, but often get annoyed with frosting that tastes too sweet? If so, now is the time to make your own frosting to make the flavor and texture more to your liking! To make a simple, classic frosting, all you need to do is mix softened butter with powdered sugar. If you want your frosting to remain creamy but not too sweet, try adding cream cheese to it. Meanwhile, for a lighter frosting, try using a mixture of heavy cream with powdered sugar instead of butter. Basically, all of the recipes listed in this article can be mixed with cocoa powder for a delicious chocolate frosting!
Ingredients
Simple Butter Cream
- 340 grams of unsalted butter that has been softened at room temperature
- 340 grams of powdered sugar
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp. (3 grams) kosher salt
- 6 tbsp. (85 grams) heavy cream
- 75 grams of cocoa powder without sugar, to make chocolate frosting
For: 1 kg of frosting
Cream Cheese Frosting
- 224 grams of cream cheese that has been softened at room temperature
- 115 grams of unsalted butter that has been softened at room temperature
- 360 grams of powdered sugar
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/8 tsp. (1 gram) salt
- 50 grams of cocoa powder without sugar, to make chocolate frosting
- 1 tbsp. heavy cream or milk, to make chocolate frosting
For: 675 grams of frosting
Whipped Cream Frosting
- 240 ml cold cold heavy cream
- 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 to 4 tbsp. (12 to 48 grams) white granulated sugar
- 2 tbsp. (14 grams) cocoa powder, to make chocolate frosting
For: 400 grams of frosting
Step
Method 1 of 3: Making Simple Butter Cream
Step 1. Put 340 grams of butter in a bowl, then sift powdered sugar over it
First, put the softened butter in a bowl or bowl attached to the mixer. Then, sieve 340 grams of powdered sugar onto it by tapping the edge of the sieve gently.
Don't forget to soften the butter before turning it into the frosting. If the temperature of the butter is still cold, the frosting will have a lumpy texture after it is done
Chocolate Flavor Frosting:
Reduce the amount of powdered sugar to 312 grams, and add 75 grams of cocoa powder. Chances are, you will need to add about 1 to 2 tbsp. cream when whipping the frosting.
Step 2. Beat butter and powdered sugar on low speed for 30 seconds
Use the beater attached to the mixer to mix the butter and sugar until the texture is not lumpy.
If you don't have a hand or electric mixer, you can also stir the frosting ingredients with a wooden spoon
Step 3. Add 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract and 3/4 teaspoon of salt
Keep the mixer on low speed, then beat all the ingredients until the vanilla extract and salt are well combined, about 10 seconds.
If you want, you can use coffee, banana, or lemon extract instead of vanilla extract
Step 4. Beat the frosting on medium speed for 5 to 6 minutes
Keep beating the frosting until it's light and fluffy in texture. Every few minutes, turn off the mixer to stir the edges and bottom of the frosting so there are no lumps when the frosting is done.
If you beat it for a shorter time, the frosting will be thick, heavy, and difficult to apply to the surface of the cake or cupcake
Step 5. Beat 6 tablespoons heavy cream on low speed
Slowly pour in the cream while beating on low speed. The frosting should be lighter in texture after mixing with the cream.
At this point, you can taste the frosting to determine whether or not you need to add salt and vanilla extract
Step 6. Apply simple butter cream to the surface of a cupcake, cake, or cookie
Remember, the texture of buttercream should be soft and not stiff so that it can be easily spread to the surface of bread or cakes. If you want to thicken the texture of your frosting, try modifying the amount of powdered sugar used to 30 grams.
- Store the remaining butter cream in an airtight container and refrigerate for up to 5 days.
- If cream is being used as a cake garnish, you can place the cakes at room temperature unless other ingredients include a fruit layer or custard filling.
Method 2 of 3: Making Cream Cheese Frosting
Step 1. Place the softened cream cheese and butter in a bowl
If possible, use a large enough bowl or a bowl attached to the mixer. Then, put 224 grams of cream cheese and 115 grams of softened unsalted butter in it.
Make sure all of the ingredients have been softened beforehand so that it is easier to beat without risking lumps
Step 2. Beat butter and cream cheese on high speed for 3 minutes
Use the dough beater attached to the mixer to beat the two ingredients until they are smooth and without lumps.
- If you don't have a mixer, you can also beat the frosting with a wooden spoon.
- Every now and then, stir the ingredients that stick to the bottom and edges of the bowl so that they are thoroughly combined.
Step 3. Beat powdered sugar, vanilla extract, and salt on low speed
Lower the speed of the mixer, then pour in 360 grams of powdered sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla extract, and 1/8 tsp. salt in a bowl. Beat all the ingredients again until the sugar dissolves, about 30 seconds.
- Use a low speed so that the powdered sugar doesn't fly in all directions when you beat it.
- Add a variety of flavors to create a frosting flavor. For example, you can add 1/2 tsp. spice the pumpkin pie into the batter.
Chocolate Flavor Frosting:
To enrich the texture and flavor of the frosting, try adding 50g of unsweetened cocoa powder and 1 tbsp. heavy cream or milk. Then, continue the process of making the frosting as usual.
Step 4. Turn on the mixer on high speed, then beat the frosting for 2 minutes
Keep beating until the frosting is thick and doesn't clump. Make sure the tip of the mixer also touches the entire side and bottom of the bowl, okay?
If you want your frosting to be thicker so that it can be sprayed with plastic triangles, try modifying the amount of powdered sugar to 30 grams or more, if necessary
Step 5. Spread cream cheese frosting on top of cake, cupcake or bread
Basically, frosting can be used right away or put in a bowl and stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Remember, if you don't finish the frosting right away, you should always store the leftovers in the refrigerator, as cream cheese frosting can go stale if you let it sit for too long at room temperature.
To increase shelf life, freeze cream cheese frosting for up to 3 months in an airtight container. To soften it, all you need to do is transfer the container of frosting to the refrigerator, let it sit for at least 1 day, then shake it again before using it
Method 3 of 3: Making the Whipped Cream Frosting
Step 1. Chill the bowl and whisk that will be used to make the frosting in the freezer for at least 15 minutes
In addition to the bowl, you should also store the dough beaters in the freezer until they are both completely cold.
Using a cooled bowl and beater will make it easier for the cream to set and increase the volume of the frosting
Step 2. Remove the bowl from the freezer, then pour the cream, vanilla extract and sugar into it
Are you ready to make the frosting? Remove the cooled mixing bowl and beater from the freezer, then pour in 240 ml of heavy cream. Then, add 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, as well as 1 to 2 tbsp. (12 to 24 grams) white granulated sugar.
In some stores, whipped cream is sold under the name heavy cream. For your convenience, simply look for a cream that contains at least 35 to 40% fat. Don't use cream that's lighter in texture (often sold under the label “light cream”), and don't mix 1/2 part cream with 1/2 part milk. The low fat content in both will make the cream difficult to beat until stiff
Chocolate Flavor Frosting:
Mix a little cream with 2 tbsp. (14 grams) cocoa powder, then mix the two together until the texture resembles a paste. Then, pour 1 to 2 tbsp. (12 to 24 grams) of granulated sugar in a bowl, then add the chocolate paste and remaining cream to it. Beat all ingredients until smooth and the consistency resembles frosting.
Step 3. Beat all ingredients on high speed for a maximum of 1 minute
First, turn on the mixer on high speed to allow the cream to blend better with the sugar and vanilla extract. As it is whipped, the fat content in the cream will thicken and form stiff peaks. Once the frosting is to your liking, turn off the mixer.
If you beat too long, the cream will turn into butter. To fix this, try adding a little heavy cream, then whisking all the ingredients until the texture improves
Step 4. Pour the whipped cream frosting over the top of the pie, cake, or fresh fruit slices
If you want, you can serve the frosting with a variety of desserts or make it a cake filling. To make it easier to put on the cake, first pour the frosting into the plastic triangle. Then, cut the ends of the plastic and spray the frosting onto your favorite cakes, breads, or pastries.
If you don't use the frosting right away, you can store it in a bowl, then cover the bowl tightly and refrigerate for up to 8 hours. If the frosting looks slightly separated when you take it out, all you have to do is beat it again until all the ingredients are solid
Tips
- To make the frosting look more colorful, add a few drops of food coloring until it's the color you want it to be.
- Mix grated coconut, peppermint crumbs, or even cookie crumbs into the frosting to enhance the flavor.
- Substitute vanilla extract with other flavorings if you want to modify the frosting. For example, you can use almond, coconut, lemon, or even peppermint extracts!
- Powdered sugar is also commonly referred to as refined sugar.
