The Best Buttercream Icing

I found this recipe online and tested it out on St. Patrick's Day to see if it was really the Best Buttercream Icing and if it was what I wanted to use for Eliana's birthday cupcakes. I didn't think it tasted quite right so I called my sister Rachel, the professional cake decorator. She confirmed my suspicions that the problem was the recipe called for all shortening and no butter and that I should use half shortening and half butter. After making it with half butter I decided that I don't like an all shortening icing but like the flavour SO MUCH BETTER when it's half shortening and half butter. Now it really is the best buttercream icing;)

I also used a little less of the heavy cream than the original recipe called for, but depending on how you want to ice your cake or cupcakes you can keep it the way I've got it here or add a little more of the heavy cream.

The Best Buttercream Icing
1 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 cups powdered/icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup of heavy cream or whipping cream

In a Kitchen Aid or a large bowl with a mixer cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar 2 cups at a time until well blended. If the frosting gets too thick at any time you can add some of your heavy cream. Once all the sugar is mixed in add the salt, vanilla and heavy cream and mix until combined. Then mix on high until the frosting is light and fluffy. If you need additional cream you can add up to another 2 tablespoons, however don't do this until you've mixed the frosting on high to first see the consistency. As far as the consistency and taste of the icing goes, it is MUCH easier to add more of the heavy cream than to make it too thin and have to try to add more powered /icing sugar.

The frosting can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. To use after it's been in the fridge let it return to room temperature and then mix it again for a couple minutes. Then frost as usual.

* Note: This recipe can be easily halved if you don't want to make as much.

Chocolate Cake/Cupcakes with Raspberry Mousse Filling and Buttercream Icing

I decided on this combination for Eliana's cake and cupcakes for her 1st birthday and was thrilled with how well everything turned out. Of course my icing roses surrounding the cake weren't perfect but the overall effect in my opinion at least was. And seeing as it was my first attempt at making these roses I was happy, though I of course learned a few things!

Both the cake and the cupcakes were chocolate cake with a raspberry mousse filling and topped with buttercream icing.

To make cupcakes:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare two muffin tins with liners and then spray with PAM. Make the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe and pour into each muffin cup. The easiest and non-messiest way I have found to do this is to fill up a large 2 or 4 cup measuring cup with the batter and then pour the batter in to each cup. Be sure not to fill each cup more than 3/4 full as they will overflow and spread flat (instead of making a nice round top like most cupcakes/muffins). Bake the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a metal rack. Once cooled, fill with the raspberry mousee filling or you can of course use chocolate ganache and then frost with buttercream icing.

To make a 6 inch cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Prepare two 6 inch cake pans by lining the bottom with waxed paper and spreading shortening around the sides of the pans (note: you can also use 8 or 9 inch cake pans and cut your cake down to the size you want or you can make an 8 or 9 inch cake). Make the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe and pour into the prepared pans filling them approximately 3/4 full. (You will have some extra batter which you can use to make some cupcakes.) Bake the cakes for 30-35 minutes or until toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean.

Remove the cakes from the pan and cool on a metal rack. Once cooled, put one cake on your cake stand / plate and then pipe around the outside edge of the cake with some buttercream frosting (this will keep the filling from coming out the sides of the cake). Then fill with the raspberry mousse filling and top with the second cake and frost with buttercream frosting.

The Best Buttercream Icing
I found this recipe online and tested it out on St. Patrick's Day to see if it was what I wanted to use for Eliana's cupcakes. I didn't think it tasted quite right so I called my sister Rachel, the professional cake decorator. She confirmed my suspicions that the problem was the recipe called for all shortening and no butter and that instead I should use half shortening and half butter. After making it with half butter I decided that I don't like an all shortening icing but like the flavour SO MUCH BETTER when it's half shortening and half butter. I also used a little less of the heavy cream to make the icing a little thicker and easier to work with as far as making the roses.

1 cup shortening, room temperature
1 cup butter, room temperature
8 cups powdered/icing sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1/2 cup of heavy cream or whipping cream

In a Kitchen Aid or a large bowl with a mixer cream shortening and butter until fluffy. Add sugar 2 cups at a time until well blended. If the frosting gets too thick at any time you can add some of your heavy cream. Once all the sugar is mixed in add the salt, vanilla and heavy cream and mix until combined. Then mix on high until the frosting is light and fluffy. If you need additional cream you can add up to another 2 tablespoons, however don't do this until you've mixed the frosting on high to first see the consistency. As far as the consistency and taste of the icing goes, it is MUCH easier to add more of the heavy cream than to make it too thin and have to try to add more powered /icing sugar.

The frosting can be refrigerated for up to 2 weeks. To use after it's been in the fridge let it return to room temperature and then mix it again for a couple minutes. Then frost as usual.

Note: This recipe can be easily halved if you don't want to make as much.


Rose Icing Technique
Tip used is Wilton tip 1M, a large flower tip.

If using this technique to cover a cake with the roses you will need to cover the entire cake with a thin layer of icing first, so the roses have something to stick to. If you are doing individual roses on cupcakes you don't need to worry about this step.

Starting at the centre of the cupcake make a little dollop which will be the centre of your rose and then working outward swirl around your centre two or three times to finish off your rose.

If you are covering a cake with the roses, I recommend starting on the sides from the bottom up and then doing the top of the cake. You can vary the sizes of your roses and fill in extra space with some little swirls (going in the same direction as the roses beside them).

You can of course use food colouring to make the roses different colours or you can use icing spray tint to spray the entire cake with a colour after you're done.


Raspberry Mousse Filling
Whipping cream, whipped up with a little bit of powdered/icing sugar.
Raspberry pie filling

Whip the whipping cream with the powdered/icing sugar then fold the raspberry pie filling in to it. Ratio is about 3 whipping cream : 1 raspberry pie filling

The "I'm Addicted" Chocolate Cupcakes

My sister Rachel is a professional cake decorator and made these cupcakes for our wedding (the first pic). Chris absolutely LOVED them and was thrilled to find a number of them in the freezer waiting for us when we got home from our honeymoon (thanks to my mum for saving them for him).

I made them for Chris as a surprise on our first Valentine's Day thanks to Rachel sending me the recipe. Then I made them for him again this past Valentine's Day and decided I was addicted to them so they've been a staple in our freezer ever since. (They freeze perfectly, you just pull them out of the freezer about 1/2 hour before you want to eat one and voila...fresh yummy addicting cupcakes).

The funny thing is it's only been since this last Valentine's Day that I've become addicted to them...for some reason I'm way more into chocolate now than I ever used to be. In fact, I think I like them even more than Chris now which I wouldn't have thought was possible.

You can use any chocolate cake recipe for the cupcakes, but since Sarah discovered the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe that's the only one I use. It really is the best.

The "I'm Addicted" Chocolate Cupcakes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare two muffin tins with liners and then spray with PAM. Make the Extreme Chocolate Cake recipe and pour into each muffin cup. The easiest and non-messiest way I have found to do this is to fill up a large 2 or 4 cup measuring cup with the batter and then pour the batter in to each cup. Be sure not to fill each cup more than 3/4 full as they will overflow and spread flat (instead of making a nice round top like most cupcakes/muffins). Cook the cupcakes for 20-25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in middle comes out clean.

Remove cupcakes from the pan and cool on a metal rack. Once cooled, fill with chocolate ganache and then frost with Chocolate Buttercream Icing. Then try to eat just one..I dare you;)

If you're feeling really fancy you can top the cupcakes with strawberries dipped in chocolate (Rachel used Dove dark chocolate, but Chris and I like milk chocolate more than dark chocolate, so I use Dove milk chocolate).

Chocolate Ganache/Truffle Filling

3/4 cup heavy whipping cream (6 oz)

8 oz (8 squares) semi-sweet or dark Bakers chocolate, depending on your preference

1 tsp vanilla

pinch of salt

Chop the chocolate into fine pieces and put in a bowl, along with the vanilla and salt. Heat the heavy cream in a saucepan until hot, but not boiling (you will see bubbles forming just around the edges which will tell you it's hot enough). Pour hot cream over chocolate. Let sit for 30 sec or so and then whisk until the chocolate is melted. Cover and refrigerate until it reaches the desired consistency, approximately 2 -3 hours.

Fill a pastry / icing bag with the ganache and using a decorative tip with a large hole fill each cupcake with some ganache. (You'll use the tip to make a hole in the middle of the cupcake and then insert the tip in to the cupcake about 1/2 inch and squeeze some of the ganache into the hole. You'll know when it's enough as the ganache will start coming out the top.)

*Note: If the ganache is left too long in the fridge and you're unable to squeeze it through the pastry bag, let it sit at room temperature for 10 - 15 minutes and try again. You can also handle the bag a little and it will soften from the heat of your hands.

*Note: If filling 24 cupcakes you will most likely have a little ganache left over. No worries, you can keep it in the fridge and eat it with a spoon;) Or spread it on graham crackers or of course use it in another recipe. However, if you're a little more conservative in how much ganache filling you put in to each cupcake you can get away with halving the recipe: 3 oz heavy whipping cream, 4 oz (4 squares) semi-sweet or dark Baker's chocolate, 1/2 tsp vanilla, smallest amount of salt.

Chocolate Buttercream Icing

4 cups icing sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup shortening

1/2 - 3/4 cup cocoa powder (depends on how chocolate-y you want it) or 3 oz unsweetened chocolate squares, melted
1 tsp vanilla

3-4 tbsp milk (just enough to get to the right spreading consistency)

In a large bowl or Kitchen Aid, cream together shortening and butter with electric mixer. Add cocoa powder and vanilla and beat till smooth. Gradually add sugar, one cup at a time, beating well on medium speed. Scrape sides and bottom of bowl often. When all sugar has been mixed in, icing will appear dry. Add milk and beat at medium speed until light and fluffy.

Fill a pastry / icing bag with the icing and then using whatever decorative tip you'd like, frost the cupcakes.

*Note: Keep bowl of icing covered with a damp cloth when not in use.

*Note: Icing should be refrigerated in an airtight container when not in use and can be stored for up to 2 weeks. To use after icing has been refrigerated, return to room temperature and re-whip.

The Bestest Carrot Cake...yum, yum

Ok, so I've been craving and wanting to make Carrot Cake forever...well maybe not forever, but for a very very very long time. Don't ask me why I haven't done it before today, because I seriously love it...and with the cream cheese icing...yum, yum as Winnie the Pooh would say (can you tell we watch a lot of Winnie the Pooh at our house?).

This recipe is an old one from when I was living at home, with some changes of course... like the brown sugar (as I really liked how it worked in the Zucchini Bread a couple weeks ago), the pineapple (as I love it in the Best Banana Bread recipe) and then of course substituting half the oil with applesauce.

Carrot Cake

4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil *optional: 1/2 cup oil, 1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup milk
1 cup white sugar
2/3 cups brown sugar
2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 generous tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 cup (8 oz can) crushed pineapple, juice drained *optional
3 cups shredded carrots
*optional: 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts, etc)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Prepare desired pans (2 - 9 " round or square) by spraying with PAM and covering with a light layer of sugar.

Beat the eggs, oil (and applesauce), milk, sugar and vanilla together until well combined.

In a separate bowl add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and stir together then add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and beat until well combined.

Add in the pineapple and shredded carrots and mix thoroughly.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until toothpick inserted in comes out clean. Cool cakes for approximately 10 minutes before removing the cakes from pans and then cool completely.

Frost the cake after it has cooled completely.

*Note: I made one 9 " square pan and then 6 large cupcakes today. The cupcakes take approximately 25-28 mins to cook.

Cream Cheese Icing
8 oz Cream cheese or Neufchatel cheese, softened
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups icing sugar

Cream the cream cheese, butter and vanilla together until smooth, then add in the icing sugar one cup at a time and beat in between each cup until smooth and fluffy.

*Note: Just beware this is quite sweet with the icing... in fact I almost couldn't finish the piece shown in the picture above. So go small and then go back for seconds if you like, or don't put as much icing on;)

Enjoy!

Banana Cupcakes with Cinnamon Vanilla Icing

Use "The Best Banana Bread" Recipe for the cupcakes and top with the cinnamon vanilla icing.

Yields 36 cupcakes.

Cinnamon Vanilla Icing
4 ounces (half a package) softened Neufchatel or Cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar

Using a hand mixer or KitchenAid, mix the softened Neufchatel cheese, melted butter and vanilla until smooth. Add half of the powdered sugar and mix until creamy. Add the milk, cinnamon and the remaining powdered sugar and beat until creamy and smooth. Top cupcakes!

Enjoy!